At the beginning of Bernard Malamud, “The Magic Barrel”, begins in the style of a children's book as if it were supposed to be a fairy tale. This is absolutely not the case, however, each character plays the role of one. Love and the discovery of who he is is the theme of the story, a young Leo searches for a love that doesn't exist. Not seeking what he wanted at all, but changing his entire understanding of who he is after each experience, a love he needed was never sought, but finding it made him find himself. The story is set in New York, a very large city with objects floating around that give it an unnatural atmosphere. It may also be connected to the fact that the author never understood the Jewish community and these floating objects represent a Jew lost in his own society, known by all as a dream city. However, this is not the case for Leo, who after waiting all these years before studying, tries to find the easiest way to become a rabbi, marriage. This is where Salzman, the marriage broker, comes in. Not only did he want to find love for his lost years, but he believes this is the source of finding out who he is. However, during his journey, trying to find a wife, he realizes that in order to do so. He wants to rediscover the love for God that he has lost over the years. Hoping to find him during his search, he faces the fact that he will never be connected to him as much as he should. Furthermore, finding his wife would be his choice to survive in this world he now lives in. After being lost and confused over the years, realizing that to find himself, Leo discovers that love for God and for another woman is the only way. After hiring Salzman, rejecting all the girls he's been with... middle of paper... the characters pretend to be, even if the ending isn't perfect. The struggle Leo went through was a punishment for the reasons he had in seeking this wife. The author's past and religion also played a significant role in this story. This motif was not just thrown out there, but was clearly thought of by the author to get the experience lived by a young rabbi at this time. So she could express the relationship she had with him in that moment of confusionWorks CitedMay, E, Charles. "The magic barrel." Complete guide to short stories, critical edition. Ed. Inc. 2004 eNotes.com April 25, 2014.Claudio, Tiphanie. "Magic Barrel Summary." Slideshare, ed. Network. 2013 Slideshare.net April 27, 2014.Malamud, Bernard. “The Magic Barrel: Volume 1: FictionLiterature Craft & Voice Ed. Nicholas Delbanco, Alan Cheuse. 1958. 221-234.