Disque 1 Maureen Disque Mr.

Jourdan Sports Literature 16 December 2013

Mythic Hero
Is it possible for a true hero to make the same mistake twice? For Roy Hobbs, his journey is unlike most. His relentless drive to be the best is displayed throughout the novel, but the major question for this novel is, is Roy a true hero? This controversy is something that has been discussed many times, and many will argue whether or not Roy is a true hero. Despite Roys inabilities to obtain the pennant, he still acquires the supernatural abilities of a true Mythic hero. Roys call to adventure is the first stage of his journey, and after many obstacles he finally makes it into the big leagues to play for the New York Knights. Even though he has passed what he thought would be his hardest obstacle, he still has many more to overcome. Pops first response to Roy joining the team is that the Judge is doing it only to hurt the team, and to keep Pop from winning the pennant. Roys age is when most players retire, but for Roy he is only a rookie, rookie at thirty four years old. When Roy first joins the Knights, they are in last place, and the field is barren, and Roy knows he has to prove himself to Pop and the team: Let him play me, and he will get the best (Malamud 55). Red, the assistant coach for the Knights, sees something in Roy, and believes he can help the team become the best, and hopefully, win the pennant. Given the chance, Roy can show his supernatural abilities with Wonderboy, his baseball bat. With only one change, Roy does exactly that. Roys power with

Disque 2 Wonderboy sends his first pitch into the left field stands. Try this one, grandpa (Malamud 60). After passing another stage in the mythic hero journey, Roys next threshold is to gain the fans attention. Even before hes up to bat, the fans are doubtful of Roys talent. Knock the cover off of it (Malamud 70). The amazing talent Roy has is his ability to control where he hits it. In the novel, the moment we realize Roys talent to its full extent is when he does exactly what Pop asked, to knock the cover off of the ball. Roy makes more than one mistake throughout his journey. All of which deal with girls. Memo Paris, Pops niece, distracts Roy from his mythic hero path. Falling into a slump is when Roy reaches his innermost cave. Whats worrying your mind? (Malamud 120). After Red talks to Roy about his troubles, Roy tries to deny that Memo could be the problem. Pop, on the other hand, thinks the problem is Wonderboy. When will you get rid of that danged Wonderboy and try some other stick? (Malamud 125). Even with the pressure of his peers, Roy knows whats best for him, and that is to stick with Wonderboy. Like a true hero, Roy came back from his slump and was reborn. Roy brings the team into third place, behind the Phillies and the Pirates, while on a seventeen game winning streak. The Reds snapped the Knights streak at seventeen (Malamud 159). Throughout his mythic hero journey, Roy led the Knights into the game for the pennant, and even though they lost, it was Roy who brought them there. Roys mistakes were only obstacles in his journey, and he overcame them despite what others thought. He made mistakes along the way, but never gave up. With the help of his many mentors (Sam, Red, Pop) Roy became a better player, and an

Disque 3 even better hero. Throughout the novel Roy makes both good and bad judgments, but overall Roy proves to be a true mythic hero within.

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Works Cited
Malamud, Bernard. The Natural. New York: Avon Books, 1980. Print.