The Characters Of Arthurian Hero In Bernard Mallamuds The...

American novelist and author of The Natural Bernard Malamud once said, â€Å"Without heroes, we are all plain people and dont know how far we can go† (Brainy Quote). The Natural features a young baseball phenom named Roy Hobbs as the story’s hero. His journey to become an aspiring baseball player for the Chicago Cubs is cut short as he meets multiple enemies that bring his dream to a halt. Later in his career, Roy returns to baseball as a player for the New York Knights where he encounters even more obstacles. On top of all his struggles, Roy has a bad tendency to fall in love with women who will hurt him and distract him from becoming the hero he is supposed to live up to. In the end, he fails to amount to anything great and loses his chance†¦show more content†¦In addition to characters, symbols are also prevalent when comparing the two stories. In The Natural, the novel uses the pennant Pop needs to symbolize the Holy Grail that Fisher King needs in his own story. Both objects serve as the ultimate goal for the two characters, but since they are unable to obtain the objects themselves they must trust the heroes (Roy and Perceval) to do it for them. Obtaining the Holy Grail and the pennant will cure both Pop’s and Fisher King’s illness. When Roy finally begins to accept his role as the savior and hits his first ball out of the park, he brings back life to both Pop and the Waste Land (baseball field). Later in The Natural, Roy faces a difficult decision when the Judge, owner of the Knights baseball team, asks Roy to throw the game, and in return the Judge will pay Roy thirty-five thousand dollars. Roy must choose if he wants to be a hero and save the team like Perceval did when he healed the Wasteland and Fisher King. In mythological terms, this event marks a trial of temptation for Roys Perceval-like character. Unfortunately, unlike Perceval, Roy is unable to obtain his own Holy Grail, and the story ends on a pessimistic n ote. Another story The Natural borrows characters, symbols, and events from is King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. One example of this is through the use of Gus Sands as a Merlin figure. A Merlin figure is someone who can see into the future using the power of magic and is often seen a