The Natural
August 1st, 2007 by Rhubarb_Runner
[contributed by: Freealonzo]
The Natural
by Barnard Malamud
Copyright © 2003 (reprint) by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
paperback, 248 pages
About the Author: Bernard Malamud was born in Brooklyn, New York into a Jewish family in 1914. He is known mostly for filling his short stories with oblique allegories often set in a dreamlike urban ghetto of immigrant Jews. The Natural was his only book about baseball.
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The book follows Roy Hobbs and his meteoric rise and fall as he tries to become the "greatest ever to play the game." Cut down by a bullet in the belly when he was 19 and on his way to a tryout with the Cubs (the Cubs curse exists even in fiction), the reader finds Roy 15 years later as he latches on to the fictional New York Knights baseball club. Mysterious women, greedy team owners, shady bookies, adoring (and hateful fans), and voracious appetites are obstacles in the way of Roy’s quest. In the end it’s Roy’s poor judgment and own decisions that end his career, not a bullet from a crazed fan.
The Natural was the first book about baseball that falls under the description of "serious literature" and the book at parallels both Arthurian Legend (Roy’s quest for success is similar to Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail) and with Aristotle’s Tragic Hero. The Aristotelian Tragic Hero must be high born, have a tragic flaw, must move from ignorance to knowledge and be blessed by the gods. However his human flaws overcome his heavenly blessings. Roy has natural and physical abilities and is given a gift from the Gods when he receives a magical baseball bat. This bat was carved out of the wood of the tree that his dad died under and is seen as a gift to help him hit. Tragically, Roy has too much pride in his game and allows arrogance to overshadow his abilities and judgment.
Filled with classic baseball characters like Red, Pop, The Judge, Gus the Bookie, and Max the Reporter, the book is quite comfortable in 1930’s baseball. The baseball in The Natural is the "National Pastime," it’s rural, Southern, and white. Although Malamud was somewhat of what we could consider an effete, Jewish intellectual, he describes the game quite accurately; the passion of the fans is quite palatable and the descriptions of the game are thrilling to read.
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Personal notes:
- Don’t you hate it when you say you like such and such a movie and someone dismisses your opinion by saying "the book was better?" I’ve unfortunately have been that guy at times as it relates to The Natural. If you read the book first then watch the movie you will be disappointed. However, if you see the movie first and then read the book, you will also probably be disappointed in the book. The book has a much different ending than that found in the movie. I’ve come to love both movie and book and feel that they are different takes on the same subject.
- The book is easy to read and can be finished in a few sittings. It’s easily obtainable from the public library or from any bookstore. The movie has obviously been instrumental in prolonging the book’s continued printing.
- The book is rife with modern day (at the time) baseball references including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig’s speech at Yankee Stadium, The Black Sox Scandal, and Ted Williams.
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This entry was posted by Rhubarb_Runner on Wednesday, August 1st, 2007 at 5:00 am and is filed under SBG Library. It is one of 84 entries by the author. We are no longer accepting Letters to the Editor on this post.
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AMR replied on August 1, 2007 at 8:13:30 am
My dad talked up the movie a lot when I was a kid, but I don't think I really got it (and I can't remember the ending exactly). Maybe I should revisit...
Algonad replied on August 1, 2007 at 9:31:42 am
I never really got into that movie either. It's good. I just wasn't as big of a fan as a lot of others I know.
SBG replied on August 1, 2007 at 12:50:08 pm
This is a book that I have not yet read. I'll have to get to it one of these days -- even though I know how it ends. I've always thought that the movie's ending was hokey.
twayn replied on August 1, 2007 at 5:13:39 pm
I'll have to read the book now, but I'll always love the Wilford Brimley portrayal of the Knight's manager in the movie.
"I shoulda been a farmer."
Andrew replied on August 1, 2007 at 8:51:48 pm
Wilford Brimley is always a good time. As a running joke in college (man, that's weird to write) we used to "converse" with Wilford when the Liberty Medical commercials.
"Hi, I'm Wilford Brimley for Liberty Medical"
"Hi Wilford. What's up?"
"I test my blood sugar, and test it often. There's no reason not to."
"That's a good point, seeing as how you have diabetiss."
And so forth.
Can someone tell me - can I still do this stupid stuff now that I have to enter the "real world"?