Magic Foot Spa is a popular spa located in Frederick, Maryland. It offers a wide range of foot care and relaxation services for individuals seeking relief from everyday stress and discomfort. With a team of skilled professionals and a relaxing atmosphere, Magic Foot Spa aims to provide a rejuvenating experience for its clients. At Magic Foot Spa, clients can choose from a variety of services including foot massages, reflexology, and foot scrubs. Foot massages are known to promote relaxation and relieve tension in the feet and legs. The spa also offers reflexology treatments, which focus on specific pressure points in the feet to stimulate overall well-being and balance in the body.

The magic barrel summary

Leo Finkle is a bright young dude studying to be a rabbi. Because he's so focused on his studies, and because an acquaintance suggested "that he might find it easier to win himself a congregation if he were married," (1) he decides to get the services of a matchmaker. But the matchmaker he chooses, Pinye Salzman, has a track record that isn't exactly sterling. As Salzman himself says "My wife says to me I shouldn't be a salesman, but when I have two fine people that they would be wonderful to be married, I am so happy that I talk too much" (129). Uh oh.

Despite his misgivings, Finkle signs on for Salzman's plan, and soon gets a look at a wide array of nice local ladeez. None of them quite feel right, though, and Finkle picks up on the ways that Salzman embellishes their good qualities a little too much. Older girls are listed as younger, disabled girls are pushed as pretty, and so on.

Finkle has trouble deciding on a girl and eventually grows irritated with Salzman's "creative salesmanship." This comes to a boiling point when Leo is out with a girl named Lily Hirschorn—Leo can sense that Salzman has talked up Leo to Lily in the same way he talked up Lily to Leo. Lily seems to think that Leo is a super-holy man… which he ain't. Leo, in fact, realizes that he doesn't love God.

Afterwards, "he was infuriated with the marriage broker and swore he would throw him out of the room the minute he reappeared," (114). Salzman lets him calm down, but afterwards the rabbinical student refuses to call on the old man's services.

But he changes his mind when he finds an envelope from Salzman in his room. The envelope is full of more photographs of eligible girls. He finds the picture of the perfect girl—Leo feels as if he's seen her before—and in a white-hot passion runs out to find Salzman. When he gets to talk to Salzman, however, he's in for a nasty surprise: the girl he chose is Salzman's daughter, who in his words is "Like an animal. Like a dog. For her to be poor was a sin. This is why to me she is dead now." (184)

Yikes. Guess there's a nasty father/daughter disagreement a-brewing: Saltzman has disowned her.

Finkle leaves, but soon comes back after promising himself that he'll make Salzman's daughter into a model citizen, and become a God-loving man in the process. Salzman relents and agrees to set up a meeting, leaving Finkle suspecting that the old man had planned it this way from the beginning. The story ends with Finkle meeting Salzman's daughter Stella under a street lamp with Salzman around a nearby corner, chanting "prayers for the dead." (202)

Analysis of Bernard Malamud’s The Magic Barrel

Bernard Malamud has been reckoned a magician himself in that, as one of the most significant Jewish American writers of the 20th century, he helped acquaint readers with Jewish culture as he simultaneously placed Jewish fiction in the mainstream of American literature. The Magic Barrel won the National Book Award in 1959 and is generally regarded as his best short story collection. “The Magic Barrel” features Leo Finkel, a young man studying at New York University to become a rabbi, and Salzman, the marriage broker to whom Leo turns because his studies have prevented him from having a social life. Salzman is part salesman, part fantasy figure, as he speaks of having an office somewhere in the air and a barrel full of beautiful potential marriage partners from whom Leo may choose. As in many of Malamud’s stories, Leo suddenly awakens from his preoccupation with his studies to the painful realization that he lacks love in his life, both human and spiritual.

Bernard Malamud/The Paris Review

A good deal of the story’s appeal revolves around its down-to-earth comedy (Salzman’s dialect; his humorous, exaggerated merchandising of the women; his lunching on strong-smelling whitefish; his request that Leo have a “glass tea”) as well as on the various interpretations of the ending. In general, it contains the Malamud theme of love reaching those who suffer; in particular, on other levels, various interpretations seem possible.

After Leo rejects the women Salzman describes to him (they are too old, or “used goods,” or too homely, too intellectual, and so on), he finally sees Stella, the one woman he is destined to spend his life loving. Is the irony that she seems, to some critics, to be “as much more as virgin” (Weaver 59), thus ensuring Leo a rocky marriage? Or does she, as Leo does, symbolize the newer generation of Americans who, unlike their parents, marry for love rather than according to the dictates of the marriage brokers? Or had Salzman intended all along to unite Leo with this woman— who turns out to be Salzman’s daughter? In any interpretation, Malamud’s story is a 20th-century love story that could have occurred only in America.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Malamud, Bernard. “The Magic Barrel.” In American Short Story Masterpieces, edited by Raymond Carver and Tom Jenkls. New York: Delacorte Press, 1987.
Weaver, Gordon. The American Short Story, 1945–1980. Boston: Twayne, 1983

The Magic Barrel

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Summary and Study Guide

Overview

The Magic Barrel (1958), widely regarded as a benchmark in midcentury American literature, firmly established the reputation of Brooklyn-born author Bernard Malamud as a modern master of the short story. The first of Malamud’s three collections of short stories, The Magic Barrel won the National Book Award in 1959 and introduced its author’s distinctive blend of stark realism and Yiddish fabulism, with its flashes of the mythic and the fantastic. Highly compressed and yet richly detailed, Malamud’s stories have been compared to those of Anton Chekhov and James Joyce, but their wry morality and occasional miracle also luminously recall the folktales characteristic of the European shtetl. The stories in The Magic Barrel have frequently been anthologized, and at least three have been adapted into short films and TV movies. In 1970, “Angel Levine” was made into a feature film by singer-actor Harry Belafonte, starring himself as the title character.

This guide refers to the 2003 Farrar, Straus and Giroux paperback edition of The Magic Barrel.

Get access to this full Study Guide and much more!

• 6,700+ In-Depth Study Guides
• 5,150+ Quick-Read Plot Summaries
• Downloadable PDFs

Content Warning: One of the stories in The Magic Barrel, “Angel Levine,” contains racist sentiments and employs antiquated racial terminology.

Plot Summary

The SuperSummary difference

• 8x more resources than SparkNotes and CliffsNotes combined
• Study Guides you won ' t find anywhere else
• 100+ new titles every month

The Magic Barrel comprises 13 short stories. The first story, titled “The First Seven Years,” draws on biblical allusions to spin the tale of a Polish refugee’s infatuation with the teenage daughter of his employer. Sobel, a Holocaust survivor, has labored five years at a shoemaker’s shop for low wages, wooing Feld’s daughter with his deep knowledge of literature only to see Feld try to marry her off to a student of economics who cares only for “things.” Eventually, Feld gives Sobel his reluctant consent, allowing him to propose to his daughter in two years, when she comes of age. In the second story, “The Mourners,” a “worrywart” landlord tries to evict a misanthropic old man from his building, but the tenant’s outburst of remorse over his own past misdeeds triggers an epiphany in the landlord, who joins him in weeping.

In “The Girl of My Dreams,” a frustrated writer has a passionate correspondence with a woman whose published story moves him with its similarities to his own thwarted life. Upon meeting her, however, he realizes the narcissism inherent in his immature notions of compassion. “Angel Levine” employs magic realism in its fable-like account of a long-suffering tailor whose prayers to God for succor are answered by a Black man who claims to be an angel. Overcoming his initial skepticism, the tailor saves both the angel and himself.

“Behold the Key,” the first of three stories set in Italy, follows an American graduate student’s semi-comic search for an affordable apartment for himself and his family in Rome so he can finish his PhD. Retaining the services of an amateur real estate agent, his tortuous quest finally yields a ray of hope, but his priggish sense of entitlement dooms his venture. In “Take Pity,” an enigmatic tale set in a joyless afterworld, a dead salesman recounts his quixotic attempts to help a young mother whose grocer husband died unexpectedly. The ending reveals that it was the salesman’s refusal to accept her craving for pity and suffering that has condemned them both to this limbo.

“The Prison,” one of the collection’s few stories with a non-Jewish protagonist, centers on an Italian American whose youthful indiscretions have trapped him in a loveless marriage and a dead-end job managing a candy store. One day, his heart goes out to a little girl whom he sees shoplifting from his store, but his attempts to save her from herself ultimately backfire. In “The Lady of the Lake,” the second story set in Italy, an American tourist who has capriciously disowned his Jewish name encounters a beautiful Italian woman who seeks to woo him. Ironically, she is concealing her own troubled Jewish past by pretending to be from an aristocratic family. Eventually, she confesses most of her deception, but his stubborn refusal to reciprocate and reveal his own Jewish heritage dooms their love.

“A Summer’s Reading,” one of the few stories with an unambiguously upbeat ending, follows George Stoyonovich, a high school dropout who, at age 19, has yet to find steady work, and who lies to a neighbor about his ambitious reading plans for the summer. His guilt over this lie and his neighbor’s generous response to it drive him to do something he would never otherwise have dreamed of—redeem himself by reading 100 books. The despairing story “The Bill” tracks the downward spiral of a grocer and his wife after they generously agree to give store credit to a weak-willed janitor.

“The Last Mohican,” the third Italian story, incorporates aspects of the uncanny in its satire of a self-absorbed American scholar who finds himself hounded by a Jewish refugee in Rome. After the refugee steals his precious manuscript, the hunted becomes the hunter; eventually, however, the scholar responds with pity and charity. “The Loan,” another story with magical elements, is set entirely in a bakery that owes its uncanny success to the sufferings of its owner, who has a disability and whose copious tears are his bread’s secret ingredient. When a long-estranged friend (who borrowed money from the baker years ago and never repaid it) now approaches him for another loan to buy a headstone for his deceased wife, the baker’s wife refuses, causing the burning of the magical bread. “The Magic Barrel,” the collection’s final story, tracks the emotional thawing of an introverted rabbinical student through his dealings with a suspect and perhaps uncanny matchmaker. Despairing of ever finding a match for himself, the student falls deeply in love with a photo of the matchmaker’s troubled daughter, which was ostensibly dropped by accident into her father’s “barrel” of single women, leading to an intricately ambiguous ending.

The spa also offers reflexology treatments, which focus on specific pressure points in the feet to stimulate overall well-being and balance in the body. In addition to foot massages and reflexology, Magic Foot Spa provides foot scrubs to exfoliate and moisturize the skin. These scrubs help remove dead skin cells and leave the feet feeling soft and refreshed.

The spa uses high-quality products to ensure that clients receive the best possible treatment. One of the highlights of Magic Foot Spa is its team of experienced and skilled professionals. The staff members are trained in various techniques and are knowledgeable about foot care and relaxation. They are committed to providing exceptional service to their clients and tailor the treatments to suit individual needs. The atmosphere at Magic Foot Spa is cozy and inviting. The spa is designed to create a peaceful and tranquil environment, allowing clients to unwind and escape from the pressures of everyday life. Soft lighting, soothing music, and comfortable seating all contribute to the serene ambiance of the spa. Located in Frederick, Maryland, Magic Foot Spa is easily accessible for local residents and tourists alike. The spa is open throughout the week, making it convenient for individuals to schedule appointments that fit their busy schedules. Whether you are seeking relief from foot pain or simply want to indulge in a relaxing experience, Magic Foot Spa has something to offer. Overall, Magic Foot Spa in Frederick, Maryland, is a popular destination for foot care and relaxation. With its range of services, skilled professionals, and tranquil atmosphere, the spa aims to provide clients with a rejuvenating and memorable experience. Whether you are a local resident or visiting the area, Magic Foot Spa is worth considering for all your foot care needs..

Reviews for "Discover the Healing Power of a Magic Foot Spa in Frederick, Maryland"

- Emily - 1 star - I had a terrible experience at Magic Foot Spa in Frederick, Maryland. The staff was incredibly rude and unprofessional. They acted like they were doing me a favor by providing their services. The foot massage itself was also very disappointing. The therapist had no technique or skill, and I left feeling more tense and uncomfortable than when I arrived. I would not recommend this place to anyone looking for a relaxing and enjoyable spa experience.

- John - 2 stars - I was quite disappointed with my visit to Magic Foot Spa in Frederick, Maryland. The ambiance was not relaxing at all, with loud music playing and other customers talking loudly. The massage was average, and the therapist seemed uninterested in providing a quality service. The prices were also quite high for what was offered. Overall, I did not feel like I got my money's worth and would not choose to return to this spa in the future.

- Sarah - 1 star - My experience at Magic Foot Spa in Frederick, Maryland was far from magical. The atmosphere was chaotic, with multiple therapists talking loudly to each other and not paying attention to their clients. The massage itself was mediocre at best. The therapist seemed untrained and did not focus on the areas I had requested. Additionally, the cleanliness of the spa was questionable, with dirty towels and unpleasant odors. Save yourself the disappointment and avoid this place.

Indulge in the Ultimate Spa Experience at a Magic Foot Spa in Frederick, Maryland