Bernard Malamud The Natural Essay
Reading Response Journal #2 --- The Natural
The second section of The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, resumes the story of Roy Hobbs fifteen years after the shooting incident with Harriet. The manager of the New York Knights, Pop Fisher, reluctantly takes a chance on the aging star, signing him to a minimal contract. The team is not very accommodating towards Roy, largely due to the fact that they are very protective of their current leader, Bump Bailey. Roy and Bump experience numerous power struggles on the field and off as they both have feelings for Pop’s niece, Memo. Roy eventually wins over most of his teammates with his stellar hitting and Pop makes the decision to insert him into the lineup. In one of the first games, Roy drills the ball out of the park and the fans go crazy. He continues to show off his superior talent as the season evolves and Bump Bailey becomes nervous that Roy is taking his place in the hero role of the Knights. Bump decides that he is going to win back the affections of his team and the fans by working hard in an effort to outperform Roy. In his enthusiastic effort to overachieve, Bump cracks his skull against the surrounding wall of the diamond and he dies as a result of the trauma to his head. After a period of mourning, the fans embrace Roy and his popularity heightens as the team’s only superstar. …show more content…
He is constantly involved with love triangles, gambling, and more than his fair share of death. This book begins with the woes that Roy Hobbs experiences while a member of the Chicago Cubs, and coincidentally, the 2016 World Series just provided the first world victory for the Cubs since 1908. As I watched some of the games a few weeks ago, I could not help but wonder about the extreme highs and the destructive lows which a professional athlete must
The second section of The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, resumes the story of Roy Hobbs fifteen years after the shooting incident with Harriet. The manager of the New York Knights, Pop Fisher, reluctantly takes a chance on the aging star, signing him to a minimal contract. The team is not very accommodating towards Roy, largely due to the fact that they are very protective of their current leader, Bump Bailey. Roy and Bump experience numerous power struggles on the field and off as they both have feelings for Pop’s niece, Memo. Roy eventually wins over most of his teammates with his stellar hitting and Pop makes the decision to insert him into the lineup. In one of the first games, Roy drills the ball out of the park and the fans go crazy. He continues to show off his superior talent as the season evolves and Bump Bailey becomes nervous that Roy is taking his place in the hero role of the Knights. Bump decides that he is going to win back the affections of his team and the fans by working hard in an effort to outperform Roy. In his enthusiastic effort to overachieve, Bump cracks his skull against the surrounding wall of the diamond and he dies as a result of the trauma to his head. After a period of mourning, the fans embrace Roy and his popularity heightens as the team’s only superstar. …show more content…
He is constantly involved with love triangles, gambling, and more than his fair share of death. This book begins with the woes that Roy Hobbs experiences while a member of the Chicago Cubs, and coincidentally, the 2016 World Series just provided the first world victory for the Cubs since 1908. As I watched some of the games a few weeks ago, I could not help but wonder about the extreme highs and the destructive lows which a professional athlete must