The first image that the reader has of Roy Hobbs in the novel is him riding the train through the tunnel. The emergence of the train from the tunnel is a representation of birth. At the age of nineteen Roy is being born into a new world. This is the first time that Roy has left the comfort safety of the bucolic surroundings of his home. Roy is very nervous and unsure of how to act. “ Eddie practically took him by the hand and led him to it. Did y

ou hand him a dime after that or grunt a foolish thanks as he had done? He’d personally be glad when the trip was over, though he hated to be left alone in a place like Chicago.” (Pg. 6). This example illustrates how naïve and frightened Roy is. Roy is unable to take care of even his most basic needs, like finding a bathroom. Another example of Roy’s naivete is when the waiter hands Roy an ordering slip. “When the waiter handed Roy the pad he absently printed his name and date of birth…” (Pg. 10). This again shows Roy’s youthful greenness. In this opening scene on the train we glimpse Roy’s first actual expierience and unfamiliarity with the real world. He is unsure of how to act and behave and is experiencing a great many things for the first time. This is evidenced by the way he interacts with the porter and clings to the only familiar face that he recognizes, Sam Simpson. This first image of Roy on the train, is a vivid symbol of Roy leaving the comfort and safety of his home and venturing out into the harsh realities of society as a raw, inexperienced youth.

The train also appears in the novel when Roy is frightened. He reverts back to the image of the train because to him when he enetered the train he was still a boy who enjoyed the comfort of the sun splashed countryside. So when the Roy is frightened it is only natural that he would revert back to what he knows, his childhood. A prime example of this is during Roy’s slump. “He longed for a friend, a father, a home to return to-saw himself packing his duds in a suitcase, buying a ticket, and running for a train…The train sped through the night across the cournty. In it he felt safe.” (Pg. 133). This quote illustrates the fact that when Roy’s life starts to become difficult or unpleasant he thinks back to the train and ultimately his home.

Some topics in this essay:
Harriett Bird, Sam Simpson, Roy Roy, Roy Hobbs’, Roy Hobbs, Bird Roy, Pg151 Roy’s, Iris Roy, Chicago” Pg, Michael D’Amico, comfort home, baseball player, train tunnel, harriett bird, hears train, novel roy, example roy’s, uncover roy’s insecurities, home novel, afraid forgotten, symbol roy, train appears novel, home novel train, comfort home novel,