What is the role of Wonderboy? Think big, outside the box, beyond "a bat". Reference the text when needed.
OR
In what ways are the "villains" unable to see Roy clearly? And what might Malamud be suggesting in the blindness of the villains? Be specific and reference the text.
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What outside forces distract Roy's talent?
Wonderboy takes the role of the mythological helper (in the hero's cycle) allowing Roy to succeed as a baseball player. The bat, even before its creation, has the appearance of magical qualities. The wood is naturally white and the tree it came from "was split by lightening," (Malamud 63). In movies, superheros are usually created from toxic materials, cosmic storms, or another supernatural act such as being struck by lightening. This signifies to the reader that this bat possesses unworldly qualities, which allows Roy to become a superhero baseball player. In addition, Roy is able to hit bad balls well because of his bat. Pop observes that Roy "sometimes hit[s] at bad ones." However, Roy continues to shatter records concerning "the number of triples hit in a major league debut," (Malamud 79). Even when Roy chooses to hit bad pitches the ball still allows him to hit triples and better his stats. The bat is also a major component of Roy's debut hit. When Roy takes his first swing in the major leagues "Wonderboy flashed in the sun. It caught the sphere where it was biggest ... [The pitcher] grabbed it to throw to first and realized to his horror that he only held the cover," (Malamud 74). Although Roy controls Wonderboy, the bat still plays an important part in the hit. The bat was able to hit the ball in the perfect spot so that the cover came right off the ball. This assistance allows for Roy to be noticed as a serious baseball player and gain recognition.
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The main outside force that distracts Roy’s talent is Memo. From the page that he first saw her, Roy has been obsessed with seeing her and continues to try to convince him that she will eventually fall in love with him. His obsession with Memo does not seem to be negatively affecting him at the moment, but there is evidence of a future problem. One time, when he is up to bat, he looks over to the wives’ box and notices that Memo has her head turned so that she will not see him batting. After Bump’s death, he looks over again and sees that she is absent from the game altogether. Ordinarily, any batter would only be thinking about hitting the ball when they are at the plate. Also, in his free time he tries to imagine a scenario where Memo will eventually fall in love with him so they can live happily ever after. All the time that he spends thinking about Memo is time that he could be thinking about how he plays and how to improve. Even though Roy continues to play well at this point in the novel, prolonged contemplation about Memo may prove destructive to his career.
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Sight plays a very important role in the story, and subtly serves to classify characters. The Whammer is described as losing the ball from his field of vision; Judge obscures himself in darkness; Max Mercy's memory and recognition of Roy is clouded by the years since; Roy notes Gus Sands' glass eye. In all of these cases, an outside force (as far as we know) prevents the character from earning Roy's trust. He hears or senses something in each case that causes him to doubt their trustworthiness and protects him from their often nefarious motives. What makes this especially interesting is the fact that Roy's first encounter with Memo occurred because she couldn't see him in the dark of the hotel room and confused him for Bump (who died, perhaps, because his competitive nature prevented him from seeing the outfield wall). This could be an indicator from Malamud that Memo is similarly untrustable and could be a risk to Roy.
ReplyDeleteBesides Memo, the most prominent distraction to Roy's talent is money. Despite being one of the most popular and profitable players in the league, Roy is paid a pittance of $3000 a season. The more Roy's talent increases, the larger a distraction this insultingly low salary provides because Roy continually develops the idea that he is worth more than what he is being paid for. In the most recent reading, this led to the confrontation with the Judge (who refused to raise Roy's salary), creating tension within the team dynamics, making Roy appear to the team as caring more about his personal issues than the overall success of the Knights, and even leading him to talk to the press, which Roy normally actively avoids. All of those results are either direct or indirect distractions to Roy's performance on the baseball diamond, which would reflect on how his talent is perceived. It is heavily implied that money will continue to be an issue for Roy, as evidenced by the last section with the bookie Gus Sanders (losing hundreds of dollars and owing a favor), and thus its distracting effects will only increase.
ReplyDeleteA significant distraction from Roy's talent is Wonderboy itself. When he first joins the team it is the focus of much attention as the other players questioned the hand-made bat. Even once Red measured it and declared it to be in accordance with regulations, suspicions continued. Sportswriters commented on it and people such as Max Mercy developed an unhealthy obsession with it, convinced that it was some scam and that the bat was responsible for Roy's success, not his natural skills. After he hit the cover off his first game ball, news articles had more coverage on speculation as to how he knocked off the cover than on the comeback that Roy started and the spectacle of him leading the Knights to and unexpected victory. His unlikely story takes away from the idea that he revives a dying team and leads to to victory after victory. Aside from this he is himself very distracted by his personal life. His infatuation with Memo consumes him, and takes away from his focus on the game (although it also drives him). Also his gruesome past and the story of how his youth was stolen by the murderous Bird makes him uncomfortable in certain situations. If he were still in his prime his skills would have been even more incredible and he could have focused on baseball for a greater portion of his life. -- Adam Sterry
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ReplyDeleteRoy’s bat, “Wonderboy,” has two main roles, one literal and one metaphorical. Literally, it is the hero’s weapon he uses to vanquish his opposition, and metaphorically, it represents his manly pride. Returning to the Parcival myth, since Roy does play for the Knights, Wonderboy acts as a sword that brings our hero “wondrous averages in hits, runs, RBI’s and total bases... homers and triples,” (Malamud 85). With his skill, the Knight’s slugger, in his gleaming armor (Roy’s uniform) and wielding his honed blade (Wonderboy), defeats the opposing teams and brings glory to his own. Besides serving as a knight’s sword, Wonderboy represents Roy’s manly pride, which becomes apparent in his encounters with women. Before he repeatedly crushes the ball, he frequently glances up toward where Memo sits and proceeds to blaze “away for her with his golden bat,” (Malamud 84). Leaving aside the sexual innuendoes of this quote, when Roy is at a high point in his life, where he is living his dream of being a baseball star and impressing his dream girl, Wonderboy adapts a golden sheen that practically blinds the eyes of opposing pitchers. The question becomes, what will Wonderboy appear as when things are not going Roy’s way....
The outside force that most distracts Roy's talent is Memo. Since the day he met her, his dream for the future has become less and less about succeeding in baseball and more about keeping her in his life permanently. He fantasizes about her falling as desperately in love with him as she was with Bump, and these thoughts about a life with her completely divert him from baseball. At first, it doesn't appear as though his infatuation will be a hindrance to his performance on the field, but as time progresses and his obsession grows, his lack of focus does as well. For example, while playing in several games, while he at bat, Roy turns to look for Memo, despite the fact that he should be concentrating on hitting. And her inattention while he is batting causes him to lose even more focus, as he wonders why or worries about the fact that she isn't watching him closely. More and more often, Memo dominates his thoughts on and off the field, and consequently Roy is distracted from his future as a baseball player.
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