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Zachery Esponda
Ms. Gardner
English 10H, Period 2
14 November 2014

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Suffering; Its Natural

Aarons, Victoria. "The Natural." In Cronin, Gloria L., and Alan L. Berger, eds.Encyclopedia of
Jewish-American Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009.Bloom's Literature.
Facts On File, Inc. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.

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This article, from the Encyclopedia of Jewish-American Literature, provides a brief
summary of Bernard Malamuds novel The Natural, in which a young boy is faced with
extreme adversity. Although faced with mountains of suffering, Roy Hobbs refuses to
burden anyone else with his ominous struggles. Victoria Aarons clearly reveals this to the
reader by referencing another one of Bernard Malamud's novels and comparing the two.

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Aarons analysis of the novel provides an insightful meaning to the suffering we face in
life. By describing the attitude and nature of Roy Hobbs, Aarons also reveals the human
aspects in The Natural cleverly drawing in the audience while providing a brief yet
thorough analysis. In exploring the human nature of Roy Hobbs, his obscured fatal flaw
is revealed inclining the reader to pick up a copy of The Natural and read it for
themselves. Overall, this article provides a clear and insightful analysis allowing the
reader to better comprehend Malamuds novel.

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Avery, Evelyn. "Malamud, Bernard." In Cronin, Gloria L., and Alan L. Berger, eds.
Encyclopedia of Jewish-American Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009.
Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.

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Through this article Avery enlightens the reader with the background of Malamud and
several brief summaries of his works. The challenges and suffering that characters face
in Malamuds novels is apparent. After these descriptions Avery goes on to write of how
Malamuds ethics and beliefs are revealed through his novels.

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In this article Avery provides the audience with several bits of useful information to
decoding the deeper meaning to Malamuds novels. By talking about Malamuds life and
summarizing several of his novels, Avery clearly and insightfully reveals how the
suffering that Malamud faced is incorporate in his work. Avery also writes about
Malamuds ethics and beliefs clearly connecting this to his novels. This allows for the
reader to connect to The Natural in a deeper and clearer way, truly comprehending it.

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Carino, Peter. "History as Myth in Bernard Malamud's The Natural." Project Muse. N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

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Through the course of this article Carino addresses a very controversial topic in The
Natural. In Malamuds novel the main character, Roy Hobbs, becomes a man of

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legendary status, one of mythical proportions. Many scholars find fault in integrating
myth with something as simple as the game of baseball, however few do not. Carino
explores these different view and provides the reader with a foundation of which to build
their own opinion of Malamuds literary work.

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By approaching several different opinions though his article, Carino has managed to
created an excellent analysis of the The Natural. He has provided the reader with
evidence as to why Malamuds novel is a great example of proper use of mythological
influences and why it is not. Carino explains each view deeply and insightfully allowing
the reader to comprehend both as well as understanding why mythology was incorporated
in The Natural. This article clearly explains itself, however it leaves room for the reader
to create their own opinion and let their mind expand on the subject.

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"Malamud, Bernard." Student Research Center. Ebscohost, n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.

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The Encyclopedia Britannica provides an article on Bernard Malamud briefly revealing
his gloomy and unsatisfied past. Several of Malamuds works are referred to revealing
how his past has greatly influenced his writing.

For the reader, this article, although brief, packs a punch full of information of Bernard
Malamuds life that is vital in order to better understand his novels, such as The Natural.
The Encyclopedia provides essential knowledge of Malamuds life, however it lacks

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academic diction and sentence variety making it less appealing to read. This aside, the
article reveals the fact that the suffering faced by Malamud in his past can be seen
through his novels. This article has directly related Malamuds past to his literary works,
greatly benefiting the reader.

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Rubin, Lance. "The Natural." In Werlock, Abby H. P., ed. The Facts On File Companion to the
American Novel. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literature. Facts On
File, Inc. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.

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Lance Rubin offers a mythical analysis of The Natural in his article providing a new
and thought-provoking way of comprehending literature. He briefly refers to Malamuds
other works revealing how, in this novel, he has strayed from his traditional writing style.
Rubin also compares the story of Roy Hobbs to the legends of Arthurian knights
providing a new angle at which to view the story.

In this article Rubin does an amazing job of relating two seemingly non connectable
stories revealing how one plays off the other. He does so in incredible clarity and reveals
how there is a hero in every situation. By relating the two stories, Rubin shines a light on
the fact the Roy is a hero and is faced with the same yet different challenges that
medieval knights encountered. This analysis of The Natural more clearly reveals the role
that Roy Hobbs plays giving the reader a different approach to perceiving the novel.

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Synder, Matt. "What Makes Baseball Great." CBSSports.com. N.p., 4 Apr. 2014. Web. 13 Nov.
2014.

In this article Synder provides several examples as to what makes baseball the greatest
game that there ever was and is. It is through these examples that he reveals the passion
and excitement and suspense that makes baseball an amazing sport in the eyes of so
many.

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Although not directly related to Bernard Malamuds novel The Natural, this article
provides clear pieces of evidence that reveal why baseball is viewed as such a great
game. This is beneficial to those who dont view baseball in the same way, as it serves as
a guide to them in understanding why many people view baseball as great game. With
this knowledge the perspective that one reads the book from can be turned into an
appreciative one because they now understand the importance of the game.