An allegory is a literary form in which objects, persons, and actions make coherent sense on a literal level but also are equated in a sustained and obvious way with abstract meanings that lie outside the story. A symbolic story or sustained analogy. (You should put this in your glossary.)
The Natural is said to be an allegory. If so, what is the symbolic story beneath the surface story of Roy Hobb's baseball career?
(It will be difficult for 18 people to write about this without beating a dead horse, so feel free to be brief, and if you feel the question has been answered, say so. I'd rather you put more energy into the other prompt. This was simply something we didn't get to in class...)
I'm not sure if I'm going the right direction with this, but when I look back on the story of The Natural, I can't help but draw comparisons to the Odyssey. The various women that distract Roy throughout the book are parallels to the sirens that draw Odysseus and his sailors off-course. Both Roy and Odysseus are older than the usual hero. Gus, an enemy of Roy, has only one eye, and Polyphemus, an enemy of Odysseus, also has only one eye. The stories don't line up completely, but the similarities are striking. In terms of theme, I think the two stories are alike in that both are about men with obvious flaws who undergo trials, and the experience ends up being mostly for naught.
ReplyDeleteI've never been good at picking out symbols or answering questions like these, so here goes nothing!
ReplyDeleteI think the greater meaning behind The Natural is to let everything happen 'naturally', or, in other words, to not harbor any extravagant expectations, or one will constantly be waiting instead of living. Now that I think about it, this is probably why Roy never learned anything out of his past life and has to suffer again; he was never living in the first place.
Also, something I find interesting is that Roy states he's always waiting, but at the same time the train motif implies he's always in motion... I don't really know what to think of that. Maybe it means one can be doing something (in Roy's case, playing baseball), but if they're waiting for something instead of working towards that something, what they do will never be productive? In the end, Roy's career flops, so perhaps that's what Malamud means?
I agree with Alex on this. While I was reading The Natural I couldn't help but make connections to The Odyssey. This seems to be the deeper meaning of Roy's actual story. It is safe to say that The Natural is not based on The Odyssey, however it does bring up some shocking points that at first, the reader may overlook and not notice. One part that really stuck out to me in relation to The Odyssey was when Roy had a hard time with the woman throughout the book, which directly correlate to the distracting sirens in which Odysseus had to encounter. I think along those lines, the symbolism and depiction of an allegory fit this book correctly. It is whimsical at times, but then it is also very firm and straightforward.
ReplyDeleteJonny and Alex bring up a good point that I didn't notice until we discussed in class the other day about the correlation between the Natural and Greek mythology, especially the Odyssey. I also noticed something that I think Emily touched on when she said its about letting things happen "naturally." The characters who were always in search of fortune and fame either were unhappy or had very bad morals. For example, Memo lived her life in search of money and she never was truly happy in any of her relationships. Bump was very wrapped up in his fame and he died playing the sport that made him famous. And Roy ended up sacrificing his career for money and essentially Memo.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comparison to The Odyssey, but I also wanted to bring up some other ideas. Part of the definition of an allegory is a symbolic story. The Natural has a lot of symbolism and it starts with the title. Nature is a symbol in the novel. As we briefly discussed in class, when Roy has his first hit, a downpour of rain occurs and stays for a few days. He catches a bird one day and Harriet's last name is bird. His precious bat is made of wood. Also, Iris Lemon's name represents nature with a flower and fruit. She lightens his life and encourages him. I'm sure there are more, but those are a few of the symbols of nature that could relate to the story as an allegory.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the myth comparisons, the Odyssey, and Emily. The fact that Roy goes full circle is not all that surprising considering that he always wanted more of what he already had, and thought about getting to the top the wrong way. He let the woman and the fame go to his head instead of leaving the world with the legacy of being a 'Natural' at the game of baseball-A tragic and yet unsympathetic hero. (I agree with everybody.)
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comparison between The Natural and The Odyssey, however I wanted to bring up another legend I saw in Malamud's writing. The book itself reads, “David jawboning the Goliath-Whammer” (27). Once again, I don't think Malamud puts anything anywhere without a reason. The story of David and Goliath stood out to me in this because the Whammer is a respected MVP baseball player while David is a young man of next to no importance. But he beats the Whammer with only his skill. David takes down the giant Goliath with only his slingshot and his skillful precision. The similarities in the two stories are quite compelling, though not identical.
ReplyDeleteI like the comparisons between the Natural and the Odyssey as well as David and Goliath. To me, finding these comparisons helps me to understand the true meaning of the novel. I think Malamud uses allegory to help the reader understand and relate to stories we've known for years prior to our reading of this book. One idea Andrew brought up in class last week was the mythological story of Narcissus who ends up falling in love with his own reflection. Fame and Glory can bring down a hero and as we discussed in class also, Roy is an anti-hero. Roy was told, " 'We have two lives, Roy, the life we learn with and the life we live with after that. Suffering is what brings up toward happiness' " (152). This is a myth of good vs. evil that is highlighted in many books. The symbolism Malamud uses in The Natural helps us to connect some dots just as Carolyn explained earlier.
ReplyDeleteI like how people have made the comparisons to other novels or myths, but I feel that it is somewhat overlooked that an allegory commonly serves to teach a lesson. Roy's journey from a young, undiscovered baseball player, to the a hero who receives recognition for his contributions to the Knights, can be related to the American dream. Just as "The Great Gatsby" proves, "The Natural" points at the unrealistic-even damaging-effects that fame can have on a person. Almost every kid dreams of being a professional athlete at some point in his or her life, but this dream of fame and fortune-though, in Roy's case, not fortune-is an unrealistic idea that Malamud adequately proves through Roy's character. The American dream is merely an unattainable idea that, while it creates zealous workers, results in a population that is never satisfied with what it has. Roy's drive for money, even after he achieves the fame of which he earlier discussed with Harriet, is a reflection of his mercenary personality that is ultimately his fatal flaw. Ironically, through Roy's heroism, "The Natural" proves to be an allegory to the faulty American dream.
ReplyDeleteI think everybody is going in the right direction with their comparisons between the natural and mythology. Throughout the novel, I found the Memo portrayed a similar character to that of a siren in mythological stories. Her looks and her demeanor have the ability to capture and consume those who see her. An allegory often communicates a message through a symbolic character or action. In this case, Wonderboy acts as that symbol. It symbolizes power and invincibility and only he who possesses it can feel the magic of this bat. However, it results in the revelation that he who swings the bat does not possess that power and security within himself. In fact, the Wonderboy could be easily broken or taken away. It teaches the lesson of what harm can come out of having a crutch such as Wonderboy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what everybody has said before. I particularly like what Andrew said about an allegory teaching a lesson. There are many mythological similarities in The Natural, but I also feel like there is something more. Malamud creates Roy as a character with obvious natural abilities. It is not stretching too far to say that Malamud is showing how sometimes people ride only their natural abilities, but end up needing something more in order to succeed.
ReplyDeleteI think that this can also be a reflection on society. We, as a society, tend to live with our own interests in minds. Malamud could be warning us that we need to stop and learn from our past mistakes in order to create a better future before it is too late.
Just like everyone else before me, I agree with the comparisons that have already been made. I had never thought of the connections between "The Natural" and "The Odyssey" before Alex brought it up. I had actually noticed the similarities between the novel and the quest for the holy grail before it was brought up in class, so I was happy to hear that I was right on with that comparison. I feel that Malamud uses these comparisons as a way for the reader to better understand the moral or overall theme of his novel. By using these comparisons, it gives the reader another perspective of the characters and their interactions. With more perspectives comes better understanding. Just like I wrote about in my blog about "Animal Farm", reading "Animal Farm" gave me a better understanding of the Soviet Union and the people that led it. By seeing the connections the novel has with "The Odyssey" and the quest for the holy grail and how they relate, the reader can understand the novel to a greater extent.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with what others have said in comparing this story with the Odyssey because there are several points in which Malamud tries to portray Roy as a traditional hero. To go more out on a limb (regarding the definition of "allegory"), I think that Roy is kind of a symbol for the idea of sports "role models". Perhaps Malamud is trying to make a statement about how reliable (or unreliable) sports stars are as traditional heroes for people. Alright. Other than that one idea, I am pretty much in agreement with the others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrew and Emily in that the allegory behind The Natural is not necessarily a specific story like the Odyssey but instead a lesson or other allusions to life experiences. Malamud intentionally left out an element of hope to the story of a hero maybe to contradict original feelings about Roy and the novel as a whole.
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