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Noah Schutte
Mr. Jourdan
Sports Literature
20 December 2013

Roy Hobbs:
A Natural Born Hero
What makes a person a sports hero? There are many different answers to this question,
and it all depends on which type of hero you are describing. Roy is a man that breaks many
records and has many great achievements in the game of baseball, but in the end he fails to
redeem himself and he strikes out in the last inning of the game to win the pennant. Many people
believe that since he didn't win the game, he is not a hero, but according to the vegetative hero
cycle, which is the cycle that he follows, he is a hero because he follows the seasons and
something different happens in each season. In The Natural, Roy goes along a path that follows
the natural seasons, making him a vegetative hero; however, he fails to prove himself and bring
in the bounty at the end of the cycle.
Spring is a time of planting, new life, and youth; and during this time, Roy comes back to
life and starts playing like he did when he was young. The spring season of the vegetative hero
cycle is described as a time of rebirth. When it was Roys first at bat, Pop told Roy to knock the
cover off of it and when he hit it the ball, There was a straining, ripping sound and a few drops
of rain spattered to the ground (Malamud 70). The drops of rain spattering to the ground were a
sign of rebirth; rain is what brings the crops to life in the spring, and this rain, which lasted for
three days, was showing him coming back to life like he was in his youth. The straining, ripping
sound was the sound of Roy hitting the cover off the ball; he had recently been benched and he

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was finally given a shot to prove himself. When given this chance, he hit with such force that the
cover came off the ball, bringing him, and his hitting, back to life.
During the Summer, it is hot, dry and a time for care. In the summer, Roy goes on a
slump, which is represented by a drought that he has to try and fix. In a drought, nothing is going
well; crops are dying and water is running low. It takes the life out of everything. Roy had gone
many games without getting a hit but since he had never before gone without a hit more than six
games in a row, there was talk now of a slump (Malamud 118). Roys slump continues and
people become worried. They wonder if the heros skill had been lost, but they are reminded that
it is the same Roy when a girl named Iris stands up when he comes up to the plate. This gives
him faith that people still believe in him, and he hits a homerun. He starts off in a slump, works
on it, and gets input from others that ends up fixing his hitting problem.
During the season of Fall, it is a time to show who you are and show everyone
what you can do; and in one case Roy does prove himself, but later in the season, he fails to do
so. Before the game in Chicago, a man approaches Roy and asks him to hit a homerun to save his
boy who had been hospitalized after he had been hit by a car. Roy starts off the game getting no
hits. At his last at bat, Roy hits a homerun and "Everybody knew it was Roy alone who had
saved the boy's life" (Malamud 134). The father was hoping all game for him to hit it, and in his
last at bat, he hits a homerun and proves that he can hit the ball once again. In the game to win
the pennant, Roy has a lot of pressure on him and he can throw the game or try to win it. Roy
realizes that throwing the game would be wrong and that it is not what he wanted to be known
for, so he tries to win it. A hit, tying up the game, would cure what ailed him. Only a homer,
with himself scoring the winning run, would truly redeem him" (Malamud 210-211). If Roy
would have hit a homerun, he would have been one of the best there ever was and there would be

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no suspicion, but he strikes out and this is what led to his death.
Winter is a time where everything freezes over and everything dies. During the
winter season of Roy's cycle, death is the word to describe it. "Roy caught the pitcher's eye. His
own had blood in them. Youngberry shuddered. He threw-a bad ball- but the batter leaped at it.
He struck out with a roar" (Malamud 214). If Roy hit the ball over the fence and won the game,
everyone would have rejoiced in his feat, but he fails. This situation is very similar to when he
struck out the Whammer, changing the remainder of his career. Roy has gone through winter,
and his baseball career is coming to an end. He is no longer the same baseball player he was in
the other seasons, he is now old and lifeless. When Roy strikes out, it shows winter, a time of
death.
All in all, Roy is a hero to some and to others he is not. Many people think that
Roy is not a hero because he did not win the game for the Knights. However, if you look at him
as a vegetative hero, he would be considered a hero. He is this type of hero because he follows
seasons, not just baseball seasons, and each season he experiences a change in himself. He fits
each season, and in the end, he fails to hit the homerun to win the game, but he still meets the
requirements of a hero. Roy surprises us in many ways, his bad decision making, his amazing
hitting, and his moments where he cant hit. In the end, Roy meets all the requirements and he is
a vegetative hero.







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