The magic barrel characters

Malamuds leo finkle is a character trying to figure out who he really is. The the magic barrel community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Jewish culture, tradition, myths and symbols appear first and are perhaps the most obvious elements in the story the comical elements are jewish as well. Our hero, leo finkle, is what our mothers usually refer to as what a nice young man. Of the three main characters, stella is the least developed. Leo finkle, the protagonist of the magic barrel, has terrible luck with making acquaintances. Pinye is a marriage broker and one of the few friends of leo finkle. He fills every space on the page with relevant details that put the reader into the heads of his characters. We get inside each characters head in a short amount of. The magic barrel begins with the introduction of leo finkle, who is twentyseven and in search of a suitable wife, to pinye salzman, who has advertised his.

The magic barrel uses physical appearance to tell us pretty much everything we need to know about characters backgrounds, personalities and states of mind. The stories are set in new york and in italy where malamuds alter ego, the struggling new york jewish painter, arthur fidelman, roams amid the ruins of old europe in search of his artistic p. The magic barrel begins with the introduction of leo finkle, who is twenty seven and in search of a suitable wife, to pinye salzman, who has advertised his. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Salzman is maybe the most complex character in the. Winner of the national book award for fiction bernard malamuds first book of short stories, the magic barrel, has been recognized as a classic from the time it was published in 1959. Lily hirschorn is introduced to leo finkle, the rabbinical student, by pinye salzman, the matchmaker. The magic barrel focuses on the interaction of two main characters. Symbols in bernard malamuds the magic barrel abound. A russian jew at the turn of the century malamuds father, for example might read the torah in hebrew. Leo finkle, the most uptight rabbinical student of all time, decides that he can get a bigger congregation if he has a wife. This study guide consists of approximately 48 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the magic barrel. The magic barrel, written by bernard malamud in 1954, follows the story of leo finkle, a reclusive rabbinical student, as he enlists the help of matchmaker pinye salzman in finding an appropriate.

The magic barrel is a short story full of contradictions. Also, the jewish publication society released its own edition at the same time. Author biography bernard malamud was born in brooklyn, new york, in 1914 to russian jewish immigrants named max and bertha malamud. The magic barrel begins with the introduction of leo finkle, who is twentyseven and in search of a suitable wife, to pinye salzman, who has advertised his services as a matchmaker in a. Salzman is a skeleton with haunted eyes, 116 which speaks to his lack of success at work, his care and worry, andoh yeahthe whole my baby girl is going to hell thing. Many of the individual stories collected in the magic barrel depict. Similarly, we get his eagerness to find a nice girl for. Salzman is maybe the most complex character in the story. A word, place, character, or object that means something beyond what it is on a literal level. While the narrator and most of the characters in the magic barrel speak standard english, pinye salzman, the matchmaker, speaks yiddish. Salzmans colloquial speech is influenced by yiddish. The title story focuses on the unlikely relationship of leo finkle, an unmarried rabbinical student, and pinye salzman, a colorful marriage broker.