The Natural
Before the time of television, the internet, DVD's and the rise of American football, basketball, hockey, NASCAR, extreme sports, and the general vision of American culture, baseball was one of the few activities that almost every American knew something about. It was and still is something that people discuss and share with their neighbors, coworkers, and family members. According to The Early History of Baseball, “Americans began playing baseball in informal competitions in the early 1800s. By the 1860s, the sport was being described as America’s ‘National Pastime’ ” (Kingston, Early History of Baseball). Bernard Malamud did not know much about America’s favorite pastime when he began to write The Natural. The Bernard Malamud Biography explains how, “Malamud’s novel embodies an intellectual’s view of baseball as a symbolic representation of American life… [he also] uses a heroic style, full of romantic exaggeration, whimsical inventiveness, and magical fantasy” (Hershinow, 16). The Biography continues to say, “It [the novel] is sometimes described as a baseball story, but actually baseball is only the background from which Malamud draws his real subject: the plight of the mythic hero in the modern world” (Hershinow, 16). With this in mind, Roy Hobbs and his magical bat “Wonderboy” are often compared to the historical myths of King Arthur and his sword Excalibur.
To some, baseball is just a game, but within in every game, there is a hero. Whether they score the tying run or strike out the last batter, a hero is born. Heroes do not, however, have to be restricted within a sport, but can instead be the local police and firemen, town neighbors, parents, and even friends. To be a hero, especially in literature, ther...
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...two share the honor of having a mythical object to help them through their journey. In the story, “clearly, the game of baseball becomes a metaphor for life. It represents the moral world Roy enters when he joins the Knights. It is the over simplified, black and white world characteristic of medieval romance” (Hershinow, 23). The mythological stories are parallels to each other and can help to describe major themes within the novel. Roy Hobbs is truly a natural at his sport and he meets the standards of the old myths of King Arthur. “He was… a natural… there are all kinds of hitters, some are bucket foots, and some go for bad throws but none of them bother me as long as they naturally connect with anything that gets in their way” (Malamud, 78). Roy shows a great deal of love and is able to express his raw talent for the sport through his devotion for the game.
The novel The Natural is written by Bernard Malamud. Bernard was a famous author mainly known for writing short stories and novels. He was considered one of the great American Jewish authors of the 20th century. Bernard was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants and he had a brother named Eugene. Unfortunately, Malamud entered his adolescence when the Great Depression began. The Natural is one of his more famous books, which was written in 1952. This novel is about a baseball prodigy named Roy Hobbs. He has a bat that he made himself, which he calls Wonderboy. Roy plans to join the major leagues and break all the records. However, his plans are put on hold when a woman he meets shoots. After fifteen years after the tragedy Roy goes back to baseball and is drafted to the New York Knights. Along his journey to becoming a superstar he is distracted from his goal by the women in his life. The Natural is very much similar to the mythological story of Perceval, the Story of the Holy Grail. Roy Hobbs is comparable to Perceval, Pop Fisher to the Fisher King and the pennant to the Holy Grail.
Symbolism in The Natural takes the form of characters, such as women who strongly influenced Roy; historical events, such as the infamous 1919 World Series scandal; and even Greek and Roman mythology. All forms of symbolism used by Malamud are woven into the life and career of Roy Hobbs.
Roy Hobbs was the best baseball player there ever was. He was a natural to the game. He could hit anything, catch anything and pitch to whoever he wanted and get the ball to do what he wanted it to. In the pre-game Roy is given the chance to pitch against one of the greatest players of the game, the Whammer. “The third ball slithered at the batter like a meteor…though he willed to destroy the sound he heard a gong bong and realized with sadness that the ball he had expected to hit had long since been part of the past; and though Max could not cough the fatal word out of his throat, the Whammer understood he was, in the truest sense of it, out”(23). Most of the evidence that Roy is a natural comes from the rest of the book. Here are some examples. “Fowler flung a stiff wrist knuckler that hung in the air with out spin before it took a sudden dip, but Roy scooped it up with the stick and lifted it twenty rows up into the center field stands”(30). “Wonder boy flashed in the sun. It caught the sphere where it was biggest. A noise like a twenty-one gun salute cracked the sky. There was a straining, ripping sound and a few drops of rain spattered to the ground. The ball screamed toward the pitcher and seemed suddenly to dive down at his feet. He grabbed it to throw to first and realized to his horror that he held only the cover”(70).
In the novel “The Natural” written by Bernard Malamud Roy Hobbs is a man that is terrible with making good decisions for himself as well as learning from his mistakes. In the film version of the movie directed by Barry Levinson, the viewer is exposed to a Roy Hobbs that is the exact opposite. Movie Roy shows the viewer how a mature professional baseball player is supposed to handle himself and how to go about life. Overall the two differences in character are very profound and speak volume to the differences that movies and books have. Roy Hobbs is a different character in the book and in the movie and it shows by his decision making, rational responses and how he handles certain situations.
Roy’s task is to identify himself so that he may reassume his rightful position as the best baseball player in the game. He earned the position the first time when he struck out the Whammer. After returning to baseball, Roy must again prove himself as the best. First, Roy must earn the respect from his coach and the players before he can attempt to make a name for himself. Once that is accomplished by showing off his hitting talents, Roy Hobbs easily becomes a household name. It takes awhile, but he does become the persistent front-page story.
Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding focuses on Henry, a small town boy that learns the value of life through the sport of baseball. Henry comes from humble beginnings of small town America, but suffers from a case of perfectionism – he will not stop short of achieving total perfection and this will eventually lead to his demise. He meets Mike Schwartz, a college baseball player that convinces him that college baseball is his future. Henry’s curiosity gets the best of him as he stumbles into the dark, cutthroat, and competitive world of college athletics. Once he steps foot in this world, Henry’s hunger for perfection is amplified. He sees the real world of athletics and
Roy Hobbs character in “The Natural” by Bernard Malamud is shown a guy of his dream. Roy Hobbs dream was to become a popular baseball player that one day he will break all the records and be "the greatest in the game." Hobbs biggest influence w...
"He was like a hunter stalking a bear, a whale, or maybe the sight of a single fleeing star the way he went after that ball (Malamud, 162)." Since he is young, Roy Hobbs has great ability and amazing talent in baseball. However, just like a tragic hero in Greek myth, those ones who fight for their honor, but fail because of their hubris or the desire of being such immortal and an aspects of not accepting the truth and reality, Roy Hobbs' hubris, ambition and a desire for fame and his fortune really tell that he is a tragic hero.
The first person narrative is moving.” I agree with both sources because after reading Baseball Saved Us I was blown away with the writing style and the illustration. It is a heart-felt story and leaves readers touched after the insight of what was a serious historical event. The book drove me to do extra research to get an understanding of what life was possibly like for those
This game of a stick and ball has captivated the United States during good and bad times. In either time most of us today can remember stories of players from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. These are legendary figures in the sport of baseball that have are celebrated as hero’s and in scandal, i...
Joseph Campbell defines a hero as “someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Moyers 1). The Hero’s Journey consists of three major parts: the separation, the initiation, and the return. Throughout a character’s journey, they must complete a physical or spiritual deed. A physical deed involves performing a daunting and courageous act that preserves the well-being of another person. A spiritual deed calls for action that improves another individual’s state of mind.
Are heroes important? This is the question that Scott LaBarge, a philosophy professor at Santa Clara University, tackles in his article “Heroism: Why Heroes are Important.” He encourages teachers, parents, and students to realize that heroes are tremendously significant in society by using references to factual and historical details, personal association, and various examples of different types of heroes. LaBarge effectively uses the rhetorical appeals of ethos, logos, and kairos to convince his audience that heroes are important.
Tygiel, Jules. 2001; 2000. Past time: Baseball as history. Oxford England; New York: Oxford University Press.
Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., et al. A Brief History of Heroes. 2004. Glencoe Literature. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2009. 69-72. Print.
A person can be a hero for saving the life of one or of millions. Heroes are not only real people, but they are also fantasy figures. Children are extremely interested with legendary and fantasy figures because they take on such tasks as: difficult journeys, challenges with dragons, discovering lost treasure, and changing the nature of the world through their singular acts of courage and selflessness. They also endure much resistance, hardship, and danger. Often the hero learns valuable lessons about survival and self-reliance. Not only do heroes teach valuable lessons they give a child a sense of belonging. To a child, a hero is an invincible person who will change the world.