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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What does Roy say is the only thing he owes the public?
2. What happens to Sam Simpson?
3. How does Harriet respond when Roy says he wants to be the best baseball player ever?
4. Who is Sam Simpson?
5. How does Pop react to the almost magical quality of Roy's Wonderboy during the first game in which Roy gets to hit?
Short Essay Questions
1. Fatal or life-changing accidents seem prevalent in this story. Discuss at least two of them.
2. When Roy is teased about his bat being white, he makes the comment that it is the bat's true color. What does the color white indicate, and how does this apply to Roy's bat?
3. What does The Judge write in his letter to Roy with the $35 thousand?
4. What does Roy reveal to Harriet and what results from that revelation?
5. How does Iris feel about Roy when she meets him in person, and why?
6. Harriet is more of a philosophical thinker than Roy. How did her views of baseball differ from Roy's view?
7. When Memo comes to Roy's room she talks to him about money and how much it costs to start a good business. Why did she do that, and what else does she tell him?
8. Discuss the dreams of Roy and the failures he has experienced up to this point.
9. What happens to Bump when Roy pitches in his place, and why?
10. When she visits Roy in Boston, what excuse does Memo give for rejecting Roy during his earlier slump?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Discuss The Natural as a novel of magical realism. Magical realism is when a realistic novel contains issues that are stranger than life, unreal, or appearing magical. What purpose do instances of magical realism appear to serve in this novel? Give examples from the novel.
Essay Topic 2
There are many themes developed in this novel. Discuss one of them and show how they are developed through the novel. Explain what Malamud is trying to tell the reader about that theme.
Essay Topic 3
Compare and contrast Roy's relationship with Memo and Iris. In what ways do they parallel, and in what ways are they opposite? What role does each play in Roy's life?
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This section contains 959 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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