"Life is a tragedy full of joy." The view advanced by Bernard Malamud, while somewhat morbid, is mirrored in his life's work. To express the futility of life in Russia, Malamud creates a setting which seems entirely removed from this century....

Bernard Malamud’s The Fixer depicts the constant tribulations of Yakov Bok during the pre-Russian Revolutionary era. The plot follows the life of Jewish repairman: Yakov Bok, in finding an occupation that will allow him to venture off into a world...

When most people think of heroes, they often associate them with having a happy ending. For example, fairy tales always end with their heroes living happily ever after, but that is not always the case. Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is...

Being involved in a story or a moment of mythic proportions is one thing – being aware of it is another. In sport, significant moments often write themselves through the narrative of a game, where the victors are heroes, and the losers are...

The Assistant is the second novel written by Bernard Malamud in 1957. The riveting story resonated with a wide audience and it garnered positive reviews subsequently winning the National Jewish Book award for fiction, which saw to it being listed...

Self-identity is the personal recognition of one’s individuality especially after a period of ignorance about one’s interests, abilities, weaknesses, characteristics, and motivations. In Malamud’s “The Magic Barrel” and Kincaid’s “At the Bottom of...

After analyzing “A Summer’s Reading” from the 20th century American collection, The Magic Barrel (1950) by Bernard Malamud, exhibits a theme common in several short stories that teaches a challenging but, valuable lesson. “A Summer’s Reading”has a...