The Natural

The Natural Characters

The novel follows Roy Hobbs as he interacts with other characters, including love interests (Memo Paris and Iris Lemon), members of the baseball world (Pop Fisher, Bump Baily, and Sam Simpson), and outsiders who want to use him (Max Mercy, Gus Sands, and Harriet Bird).

Roy Hobbs

The novel's central protagonist, Roy Hobbs has a deep love for baseball, but outside obstacles and his own ego often curb his success. On his way to his first big break, 19-year-old Roy is shot and nearly killed. He finally enters the baseball world over ten years later and shocks everyone with his raw talent. Despite his athletic abilities, Roy is limited by his ego and tendency to get distracted. He obsesses over Memo and endangers his career by agreeing to throw an important game for money.

Max Mercy

A sports journalist with a penchant for ruining players' lives, Max Mercy attempts to ruin Roy's career. Max cares more about revealing ugly secrets about the players than covering the actual sport. He tries to dig up dirt on Roy when Roy becomes a prominent player for the Knights. At the end of the novel, Max publishes an article accusing Roy of cheating. If the rumor is found to be true, Roy's career is over.

Memo Paris

Roy's indifferent love interest, Memo Paris is only interested in Roy when he starts doing well and has to opportunity to become wealthy. She resents him for her boyfriend's death after Bump Baily dies trying to outdo Roy.

Iris Lemon

A passionate baseball fan, Iris Lemon becomes romantically involved with Roy after watching him play. Roy ends things when he learns she is a young grandmother, but he wants to make things work when he discovers she is pregnant with his child.

Fig. 4 Roy distances himself from Iris until he discovers she's pregnant.

Gus Sands

A seedy bookie, Gus Sands has made a fortune through illegal betting. He and the Judge often work together and want to pay Roy off to throw a pivotal game.

Judge Banner

The wealthy owner of the New York Knights, Judge Banner cares more about making money than his team's success. He often bets against his own team and offers Roy $35,000 to throw the team's most important game.

Pop Fisher

The team's manager, Pop Fisher is initially skeptical about Roy but comes to like him. All Pop wants is for the Knights to win, and he warns Roy about Memo being bad news.

Sam Simpson

A Chicago Cubs talent scout, Sam Simpson is the first person to notice Roy's potential. Sam has ruined his own career through alcohol abuse, but he acts like a father figure to Roy and wants him to succeed.

Bump Baily

The star of the Knights before Roy joins the team and Memo's boyfriend, Bump Baily is an arrogant jokester. He doesn't take the game seriously until Roy's talent threatens his position on the team. Bump dies after hitting a wall while trying to outplay Roy.

Harriet Bird

A mysterious, crazy woman, Harriet Bird finds joy in murdering talented athletes. She shoots Roy after meeting him on the train to tryouts.

The Natural Analysis

On the surface level, The Natural appears to be a baseball story with an unfortunate ending. But it was actually inspired by true events and ancient mythology.

Eddie Waitkus was a professional baseball player for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles. He started playing Major League Baseball in 1941 when he became a star for the Chicago Cubs. Only eight years into his career, an obsessed fan-turned-stalker invited Waitkus into her hotel room, claiming to be someone from his high school, and shot him. Waitkus nearly died and was unable to return to the field until the 1950 season. Billy Jurges, a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, also suffered from gunshot wounds after being shot by one of his romantic partners in 1932.

These real-life events likely informed the basis of Roy's remarkable career, but the legend of the Holy Grail inspired the themes and minor characters of the novel. The concept of the Holy Grail first appears in a written text in Chrétien de Troyes's romance narrative Perceval, the Story of the Grail, written in the late 12th century. Like The Natural, the tale features a heroic underdog, who earns respect against great odds, a quest that is ultimately unachievable, and a turn from selfishness to empathy for others.

The Natural Themes

Two main themes in The Natural are ambition vs. fate and the inability to overcome a fatal flaw.

Ambition vs. Fate

Roy is a highly ambitious character whose talent and drive are curbed only by fate. At the start of the novel, Roy hopes to be one of the greatest baseball players in history. He works hard to make his dreams a reality, impressing Sam and earning himself a spot at the Chicago tryouts. His ambition leads him to take on the Whammer and even to brag to Harriet about his hopes for the future. It is fate that puts him in direct contact with both of these characters, ultimately leading to Roy being shot and halting his career.

Fig. 5 Roy's ambition to be a great player can not overcome fate.

Even when Roy returns to the game 15 years later, he cannot escape fate. His desire to be a great athlete is once again dictated by the obstacles (namely people) fate puts in his way. Max digs up Roy's past, Memo distracts him, and the Judge entices him with an offer he can't refuse. Though Roy ultimately chooses to ignore these obstacles and focus on his career, it is too late. He fatefully loses the game, Max writes a disparaging story about him, and his ambition is once again squandered by his career ending before it has a chance to really begin.

Inability to Overcome a Fatal Flaw

At the novel's end, Roy is on the precipice of losing his career because he is unable to overcome his flaws. His fatal flaws are lust and pride. He is so distracted by winning Memo's attention and being the best that he allows himself to become distanced from his dreams and values. Roy's ego leads him to do reckless things, most notably taking a bribe to impress Memo at the expense of his reputation, career, and morals. In the end, he rejects Memo and his egotistical need to impress her, but it is too late. He cannot overcome his flaws, and his career is ruined because of it.

The Natural Quotes

Below are some of the most important quotes from The Natural.

Wonderboy is the only bat Roy will use after making it himself when he was a child. Wonderboy functions as a sort of Excalibur, elevating Roy to hero status and guiding him in "battles" against other teams. This quote also reveals how Roy is a mirror of Perceval. Not only does Roy bring success to the team, but he also physically revives the drought-stricken field (as Perceval was supposed to heal the Fisher King's lands). Roy brings prosperity and fertility to the team, reinvigorating their dying record.

This quote reveals the division between Iris's worldview and Roy's. While she wants to grow from past mistakes and trauma, he views what he has endured as an unfair burden. This difference reemerges when Roy realizes Iris is a young grandmother and runs away. Iris wants to help Roy through life and build a relationship with him, while Roy is looking for immediate satisfaction and distraction. He chases after Memo because she offers him superficial pleasure, whereas Iris desires a real relationship full of love, happiness, and even the bad experiences that come with a shared life.