The Magic Barrel Chapter Summary & Analysis | Detailed Summary & Analysis

Summary

On a cold day in February, Leo Finkle, a 27-year-old rabbinical student at New York's Yeshivah University, is sitting in his small apartment regretting the fact that he decided to call in a matchmaker to help him find a wife. However, Finkle knows that he needs to find a wife if he wants to get an appointment as a rabbi after he graduates, so he patiently waits for Pinye Salzman to arrive and, hopefully, arrange a suitable match for him.

Pinye Salzman arrives and cuts a not displeasing figure with his dignified air and wizened looks. However, he is also missing teeth and he smells distinctly of fish, which he eats constantly, so he is not entirely pleasant either. However, more importantly, he carries a binder holding pictures of eligible Jewish women with him, and Finkle hopes that it holds a woman for him.

To explain himself, Finkle tells Salzman...
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