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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Max Mercy do to Roy that angers him so much?

2. What does Roy tell Memo about his mother?

3. What is Roy's great fear that drives all his motives?

4. What is wrong with Roy at the beginning of Chapter 6?

5. What is the result of Roy's striking out?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dreams appear throughout The Natural. Choose a couple of scenes including dreams and discuss how the dream scene relates to the overall narrative and its themes.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Malamud paints the ballplayers as "larger than life" in the novel. Discuss passages in the book where the reader can see ballplayers rendered in a majestic, larger-than-life, or deity-like manner.

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This section contains 318 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample