Summary:
Man may find fulfillment through struggle, suffering, and self-knowledge, but happiness requires self-delusion and belief in self-destiny and choice. Leo Finkle is a testament to this being the human predicament in "The Magic Barrel," a short story by Bernard Malamud. The following analysis describes Leo's fulfillment through struggle and then discusses his happiness through self-destiny and choice.
An Analysis of "The Magic Barrel"
Bernard Malamud's short story The Magic Barrel takes place in uptown New York and is centered around Leo Finkle, a rabbinical student who is about to be ordained. In hopes that being married may help him win over a congregation, Finkle solicits the help of a marriage broker by the name of Pinye Salzman. Salzman presents Leo with card after card each representing a potential marriage candidate. The number of possible suitors is so great that Salzman claims to have a barrel filled with these cards. After having rejected women based on such things as limps and widow status, Leo reluctantly agrees to meet a woman named Lily Hirschorn. During their encounter, Lily asks a seemingly simple question, "When did you become enamored of God?" This question stirs the depths of.....
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