Symbolism in “The Natural”

The novel The Natural by Bernard Malamud is an excellent field pansy of sports literature. It follows the story of Roy Hobbs as he is reaching old age in the game of baseb on the whole. The plot follows his initial talent in a picture set years before the main plot. Sixteen years after the man is playing for a losing team but can electrostatic wow the audience with his raw talents. As the story progresses Roy is characterized by dint of his actions and through the way the supporting characters view him. One symbol that made this lay down more resounding is the cracking of Roys back in the climatical game.This event has a lot of hidden meaning, and helps convey Malamuds musical theme to the audience. The first scene in the story is where Malamud expresses the level of talent wonderboy, as he is affectionately called, possesses. He is squaring off against a big federation allstar known as the Whammer At thirty-three the Whammer still enjoyed exceptional eyesight. He saw the bal l spin off Roys fingertips and it reminded him of a white pigeon he had kept as a boy, that he would send into flight by flipping it into the air.The ball flew at him and he was conscious of its bird-form and white flapping move he heard a noise like the bang of a firecracker at his feet and Sam had the ball in his mitt. Unable to call back his ears he heard Mercy in bill a reluctant strike. (Malamud). This name is profound because it expresses the potential of the protagonist. It is through these great feats of gymnastic prowess that we the contributor gets to respect him. It makes the plot more important to the reader, as well. This all leads up to the finale with Hobbs putting it all on the line.The aspect of bash is a component to this novel. While Roy is everything to be admired in the athletic sphere, he shows a deeply adult male aspect to his personality in his dealings with his love interest Noticing Toomey watching her, Roy stole a quickly look. He caught the red dress and a white rose he was haggard by the feeling that her smile was for him she seemed to be wanting to say something, and and then it flashed on him the reason she was standing was to show her confidence in him he became aware that the night had spread out in all directions and was fill up with an unbelievable fragrance. (Malamud) Malamud gives his character a truly human characteristic which makes him all the more enduring. As the novels rising action takes place, the ingraineds intentions are called into question. During the climatic scene, Roy fouls a ball into the stands that injures Iris. During this at bat, Roy also splits his bat, named wonder boy, into twain pieces. This is a multilayered piece of symbolism which helps express the antecedents true intentions upon writing this novel. The fact that he injures Iris expresses how he is hurting the ones he loves through his sports persona.He must quicken the relationship between his athletic personality and his human one. It is also significant how it happened on a foul ball, which suggests a seedy side to the tone of this event. Finally, the fact that his bat is split into two pieces shows that he is finally launch to move on from the game he spent his life pursuing. In a conversation late in the novel Roy says this brilliant retell Experience makes good people better. She was staring at the lake. How does it do that? through and through their suffering. I had enough of that, he said in disgust. We have two lives, Roy, the life we learn with and the life we live with after that. Suffering is what brings us toward happiness All it taught me was to stay aware from it. I am scour of all I have suffered. She shrank away a little. (Malamud) This is a satisfactory way to leave the reader of the noel, and let them know what Malamud was getting at. The moving picture and symbolism of this book really make it a significant component part to sports literature. He is a larger than life figure with wholly human emotions. He is an epic hero for a contemporary period, and Malamud communicates this beautifully.