The Natural begins ...

1952

What's going on in the world & the US? (7 mins)

• Cold War (1945-1991): political tension between Eastern Bloc countries (Soviet Union & Warsaw Pact) and Western Bloc countries (US, NATO & allies)
• Korean War (1950-1953): North Korea invaded South Korea. US supported South and supplied almost all of the international soldiers needed to fight the war against the communist north; world looks bleak.
• Second Red Scare (1947-1957): period of heightened awareness of communism and its possible influences on American politics and systems; Federal Employee Loyalty Program under Truman; Climate of terrible fear (unnecessary). Truman could have stopped all of this, but he didn't. More about his political position.
• 1949: Atomic Bomb exploded by Russia; communist revolution in China

BIG QUESTIONS: What was the political climate in the US during this time? How were those attitudes manifesting themselves in the public discourse?

 

What was going on in baseball?

• Chpt 1 & 2 (12 min), Chpt 3 @ 21:23 (Jackie Robinson), Chpt 5 (Dodger v Giants pennant race), Chpt 10
• Leaving WWII Era (1939-1949): Dimaggio, Mel Ott, Stan Musial, Hank Greenberg; integration finally happens (slowly ... all teams integrated by 1961);
• Golden Age of baseball (1950s-1965 ish): more integration; Clemente, Robinson, Aaron, Mays, Williams, Mantle, Campanella, Berra all playing;
• Williams, Greenberg, Dimaggio all serve in the military, putting careers on hold
• 1953: Boston Braves move to Milwaukee (until 1966)
• 1954: St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore (becoming the Orioles)
• 1955: Philadelphia Athletics move to KC (stay until 1968)
• 1957: Dodgers leave NYC for LA (bad idea!)

BIG QUESTIONS: How is the national pastime growing? How is it becoming more universal? How has baseball claimed and defined the American hero?

 

THE NATURAL: A converging of these two worlds. There is the celebration and excitement of the golden age of baseball set against the backdrop of worry and fear found during the Cold War. One of the major themes of this novel is the conflict between myth (baseball) and reality (living in a Cold War world).

Most titles give us an idea what the story is about, and what we will experience if we read. But some authors use titles to do more than that; some use metaphors so their titles create additional meanings.

In the world of sports, talent scouts, managers, coaches, writers and fans examine the talent of newcomers and wonder whether they will be successful. A player whose skills seem to need no training, or whose skills seem God-given, is called a natural.

In the Middle Ages (approx. 500A.D. to 1350 A.D.), the term natural referred to an idiot, a kind of foolish innocent person whom it was thought God protected.

How does Bernard Malamud use the title of the book to allude to Roy as a natural in both senses?

Discussion

1. NYTimes Book Review

2. Allegory

3. Parzival/Percival: What parallels are present?

4. Where can we see myth-making in the first section?

5. Symbols present and what might they signify?

 

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