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Bernard Malamud's Presentation Of Mythology In The Natural

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A myth is a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon. Mythology in The Natural is the driving force behind the development of the plot and multiple major characters, particularly Roy Hobbs. Bernard Malamud blended multiple myths into the novel which are: baseball legend, the wasteland fable, and Horatio Alger’s hero myth. Malamud’s incorporation of mythology into the novel develops the plot and characters of The Natural. Throughout the novel, Bernard Malamud integrates multiple tales from baseball legend. The novel includes two stories from baseball history, which are the shooting of Eddie Waitkus and Chuck Hostetler’s “flop.” Malamud also fuses the careers …show more content…

Horatio Alger was an American writer who lived in the Nineteenth century. He wrote novels that mostly followed the same theme, which is known today as the “Horatio Alger myth.” The “Horatio Alger myth” was a “rags to riches story” where the hero started poor and obtained wealth. The common parable of a baseball hero followed Horatio Alger’s “rags to riches story.” An example of a Horatio Alger baseball hero would follow a path of starting poor in a rural area, getting recognized for his natural talent, rising to fame, and then retiring happy when his talents decay. Malamud’s hero, Roy Hobbs, was an example of a Horatio Alger baseball hero (Turner 2). Roy grew up poor in a rural area, just like the example of the myth of a baseball hero. A scout discovers Roy and takes him to a big city where Roy displays prodigious baseball talents, and he becomes famous. At this point, Roy is following the path of the Horatio Alger baseball myth, but it soon changes. Roy’s tragic flaw in the novel is that he cannot see outside of the myth. In other words, he is so focused on his legacy which makes him very self-centered. When Roy finds that he most likely would not be able to play baseball again to injury, his selfishness took over. He decided that money is more important than winning the pennant for his team. Sadly, he takes a bribe from Judge Banner and plans to throw the game. At this point in time, Roy detaches himself from the myth of a baseball hero due to taking the bribe. Roy attempts to reattach himself to the myth while in the game. However, he is unable to, and his bat, “Wonderboy,” breaks as a result. In taking the bribe, Roy separated himself from the Horatio Alger heroic myth, and retired from baseball as a villain rather than a hero. Bernard Malamud incorporated the Horatio Alger heroic myth to develop the character of Roy Hobbs and showed how Roy’s decisions changed his

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