How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"He was just unlucky," Pop said, "and there wasn't a thing anybody could do to take the whammy off of him and change his hard luck. You know, Roy, I been lately thinking that a whole lot of people are like him, and for one reason or the other their lives will go the same way all the time, without them getting what they want, no matter what. I for one." (10.22)
Another uplifting pep talk from Pop. We're sure this isn't exactly what Roy wants to hear, given that he's trying to turn things around in his career. Pop seems to think that some people are just destined to have bad luck, and there's nothing they can do about it. The worst part is, he thinks he's one of those people. So why does he keep coaching? He must think something might change for the better, right?
Quote #8
He threw—a bad ball—but the batter leaped at it.
He struck out with a roar. (10.153-54)
Remember way back when Pop said that bad ball hitters can make some harmful mistakes? Well, here we have it. Roy has the chance to save the game, and his own honor, by hitting a homer in the championship game. But his old problem, swinging at everything, comes back to bite him. If he had let it go it would have been a ball and he would have had another chance, but he's lost the game. We really can't blame Roy for wanting to go for it. He's tired of waiting.
Quote #9
He thought, I never did learn anything out of my past life, now I have to suffer again. (11.23)
It seems that Roy finally figured something out through his tragic defeat. He realizes that he was supposed to learn something from all of his suffering, and that since he didn't he just repeats the patterns of the past. Do you think he's talking about baseball or women?