The Natural (Identities and Issues in Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Bernard Malamud
- First Published: 1952
- Genres: Long fiction, Sports fiction
- Subjects: New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Love or romance, New York City, 1940’s, 1930’s, Chicago, Folklore, Corruption, Baseball
- Locales: New York, NY, Chicago, IL
The Work
In The Natural, Bernard Malamud indicates his artistic concern with personality development in an allegorical story utilizing baseball to present the challenges the hero must undergo. Roy Hobbs, the new player on the last-place Knights, has the opportunity to help gain the pennant and discover his own identity. Roy, however, cannot bring himself to make the right choices.
Structured in two parallel stories, the novel presents Roy Hobbs’s attempts to succeed. In both stories, Roy undergoes allegorical trials of initiation that test his strength and...
[The entire page is 647 words long]
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See Also:
- - For teachers, the The Natural Lesson Plan.
- - The Natural summary and study guide in the eNotes.
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