The Magic Barrel

by Bernard Malamud

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The Magic Barrel Questions and Answers

What is the conflict in the story "The Magic Barrel"?

What message does the ending of "The Magic Barrel" give to us?

Please identify and explain the significance of symbols in Bernard Malamud's "The Magic Barrel."

In "The Magic Barrel," what are some clues that Salzman purposely left the photo of his daughter in the portfolio he gave to Finkle?

 What depictions in the setting suggest that "The Magic Barrel" is a fantasy story?  

Please identify and explain with textual support a literary device used in "The Magic Barrel." 

Why is Salzman mourning when his daughter and Leo fall in love in "The Magic Barrel?

Who are the first three women Salzman describes?  

What are Leo Finkle's beliefs in Malamud's "The Magic Barrel?"

How could you interpret this sentence, "He then concluded to convert her to goodness, himself to God."?

In "The Magic Barrel," why is Leo disappointed in his date with Lily?

How does Malamud conclude "The Magic Barrel?"

How do I create three thesis statements comparing and contrasting "The Magic Barrel" to the two other short stories, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" and "A Small, Good Thing"?  

What character provides the focal point for the story "The Magic Barrel"?

Is there some connection between Leo Finkle's capacity for loving man (or woman) and loving God? 

What do you think caused Stella's father to regard her as dead? 

Can you search for hints, multiple meaning, irony, foreshadowing in the story "The Magic Barrel"?

Give a detailed summary of the story "The Magic Barrel".

How does Malamud change the expectations of the reader?

What is a matchmaker?

Why is Leo disappointed in his date with Lily?

In Bernard Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," is Salzman an allegorical figure or a caricature? Explain.

What is it about the photograph in Salzman's envelope that Leo falls in love with in "The Magic Barrel"?  

Find the Freudian structures in the story "The Magic Barrel": ego, super-ego, id, projection, displacement, parent-child relationships, Oedipus complex, and so on. Try to find any sexual or erotic symbolism (remember the waves, trees, tunnels).

In "The Magic Barrel," apply the feminist categories of witch/monster and angel in the house, especially according to Leo’s view of women.

Is Leo Finkle truly Jewish by Malamud's definition?

Write a short paragraph summarizing the story and the plot. Are the characters flat or round? Are there any symbols? Personifications? Metaphors?

Do you think that Leo is disappointed with Lily because she seems older than he expected, because her questions disturb him, or because of something else?

In Malamud's "The Magic Barrel", does Pinya always seem to be a cynical trader in dreams?

Could you briefly summarize  “The Magic Barrel”?

Please explain this sentence from the "Magic Barrel": "Love, I have said to myself, should be a by-product of living and worship rather than its own end."

Malamud was aware of social problems such as rootlessness, infidelity, abuse, divorce, but he believes in love as redemptive and uplifting sacrifice in "The Magic Barrel".  

In the story "The Magic Barrel" how does that $0.25 snapshot of Stella get into that envelope? Also how does Salzman put his scheme into practice?

In Bernard Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," in what ways are Leo's reactions determined by his environment?

Explain how Malamud often uses objects which serve as a means to describe man's confrontations with his inner compulsions, passions, frustrations.

What are the similarities and differences between Finkle in "The Magic Barrel" and Gurov in "The Lady with the Pet Dog", considering how lack of love affect their attitudes or personalities?

How does Bernard Malamud introduce readers to the plot of "The Magic Barrel?"

In Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," how does the writer use modes such as anecdote and comparison? 

What is the writer’s goal in "The Magic Barrel"? 

Identify a structural device that Bernard Malamud uses in "The Magic Barrel."

What evidence does Malamud provide to support the thesis—or theme—in "The Magic Barrel?"

Describe the structure of the story (use Vladimir Propp), which structural elements the story uses, if any?