Sample Bridging
In the book “Conversations with Bernard Malamud” published in 1991 Malamud was asked what kind of character is a “Malamud character?” and this was his reply:
“A Malamud character is someone who fears his fate, is caught up in it, yet manages to outrun it”.
Make a connection between the quote and the poem. Support your answer with information from the story.
Part #1: Explain what the quote means.
I learned from the above quote that Malamud’s characters typically are held back in life by something they are afraid of or cannot get over. But in the end the characters manage to overcome that fear and move forward in their lives.
Part #2: Connect the poem to the quote through the use of sufficient examples.
In the story “A Summer’s Reading,” the main character experiences this type of situation. George is a young man who is unhappy with his life. He has no job, education and no ambition to achieve anything in the future. However, by the end of the story, George finds it within himself to take the first step to move forward with his life. He goes to the library, picks books and sits down to read.
Part #3: Explain the connection and state what it has helped you understand.
George was a character who was caught up in his life (unable to move forward). But, he found it within himself to move forward and “outrun” his fears in the end. This tells me that George fits the mold of the typically character Malamud tends to write about in his stories. Someone who overcomes their own inhibitions in order to move forward.
Final Answer
I learned from the above quote that Malamud’s characters typically are held back in life by something they are afraid of or cannot get over. But in the end the characters manage to overcome that fear and move forward in their lives.
In the story “A Summer’s Reading,” the main character experiences this type of situation. George is a young man who is unhappy with his life. He has no job, education and no ambition to achieve anything in the future. However, by the end of the story, George finds it within himself to take the first step to move forward with his life. He goes to the library, picks books and sits down to read.
George was a character who was caught up in his life (unable to move forward). But, he found it within himself to move forward and “outrun” his fears in the end. This tells me that George fits the mold of the typically character Malamud tends to write about in his stories. Someone who overcomes their own inhibitions in order to move forward.