The site American Passages: A Literary Survey, includes brief background on Bernard Malamud.  Open up the Author Questions on the page to spark analytical thinking about The Magic Barrel.

Link to a short article on Symbolism in The Magic Barrel.

The article Analysis of Bernard Malamud’s The Magic Barrel offers a brief explication of the story.

Link to an journal article that offers an alternative reading of The Magic Barrel, published by Penn State University Press: Malamud’s “Subject Matter”:: Reading “The Magic Barrel” as Story, Collection, Philosophic Reflection, and Redemption. Read the beginning and Part One: The Story, on pages 181-185.