"The Magic Barrel" is a short story written by Bernard Malamud and published in 1958. The main character of the story is Leo Finkle, who meets Pinye Salzman, a marriage broker. Salzman is a very sociable, outgoing man who tries to convince Leo to get married. However, he has a hard time doing this because Leo doesn't know the first thing about life.
For most of his childhood, Leo read books for entertainment and stayed inside. He was isolated from the rest of those in his age group, so never had any real friends. Though he lives in an urban area with many people, he still does not know anyone. He continues to read books daily.
Salzman introduces Leo to Lily Hirschorn, who tells him about her religious beliefs. Leo quickly realizes that most of his life has been empty, and he has simply been wasting away. He engages in the community more often, trying to spread not the word, but the ideas of God.
