Humans by nature have a drive to fight for what they believe rightfully belongs to them. The “what” ranges from a vast number of things being other humans, or even objects. It is within these possessions that Warriors feel will give their life meaning and consequently allow them to achieve true happiness. Psychology author Carol S. Pearson explains in her book, The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By, that to win any battle, Warriors must first go through a journey within their lives to truly find themselves and obtain their goals. In Bernard Malamud’s novel, The Natural, the main character, Roy Hobbs, is a young, cocky baseball rookie who is on his way to the big leagues. He knows that he must fight whatever comes his way to make it to…show more content… Lamentably, as a young girl, Iris found herself needing to become a Warrior for her unborn child after being shunned by her family, despite losing her innocence by force. Upon reading Roy’s triumphs and losses in the newspaper, she became unexplainably attracted to him. She finally had the opportunity to meet him when his team was set to play in her city against the Cubs in their hometown of Indiana. She seized the opportunity and made sure she stood out among the crowd “…showing her confidence to him” (Malamud 141); leading Roy to ultimately catch her in admiration. After spending time with Iris, Roy felt safe and confident. Void of restrictions, he reveals freely about his past to her, which he had never dared tell anyone before. Pearson states that “when an archetype is activated in your life, it provides a structure that makes immediate growth” (Pearson 21). With Roy ultimately releasing the memory of pain and loss off his chest, he is now able to start the journey to his destiny. By letting go of the past and ending the self-pity, Roy is conclusively moving forward from the Orphan archetype to the Warrior. According to Pearson a true warrior “…gain[s] the courage to face [the] dragons and to develop the discipline and skill necessary to succeed in the world” (Pearson 20). Iris awards Roy the courage he needs to believe in himself and pull through the slump he was in, the moment she stood up in the
