Metaphorical marriage
Even though Roy is infatuated with Memo, she is not his match and she can’t be his Fertility Goddess because of her sick breast. Despite this, Roy continues to pursue Memo and the consequences appear almost immediately; Roy loses his character of heroism and is no longer able to hit the balls thrown to him, Pop Fisher’s itchy hand appears again and the team starts losing game after game. This changes when Roy meets Iris, who gives him power to become the player he was before he meets Memo. Roy and Iris’s first date is also the complete opposite of Roy and Memo’s date and Iris and Roy end their life by making love, signaling a metaphorical marriage between Roy and Iris.
Desires
In the third chapter appear three characters that can be considered as being the embodiments of Roy’s desires; money, sex and fame. Memo represents Roy’s sexual desires and lust. Gus tempts Roy with money so he represents Roy’s desire for wealth. Mercy represents Roy’s desire to be praised and to be famous. The three characters have a metaphorical value, but for Roy it is not obvious what they represent so he tends to ignore the signs that point towards the character’s dangerous traits.
Bad eyesight
Many characters in the novel have problems with their eyesight. Gus, for example, has a glass eye and the Judge spends his time in a dark office surrounded by smoke which makes it hard for him to see properly. The idea that the characters are unable to see things properly has a metaphorical value because it points towards the fact that those characters are also unable to see Roy for who he is and so they end up underestimating him most of the time. It also points towards the idea that those characters don’t have a realistic view and that they tend to fall into on extreme or another, making them appear as being flat characters. The Judge for example, is so blinded by his desire to make money that he becomes almost demon-like in both appearance and manner.
Wonderboy
Wonderboy is Roy’s bat and is personified to a great extent. In the last chapter, the bat almost comes alive, having a mind of its own. While Roy decided to take the Judge’s deal and lose the game, he felt as if the bat had a mind of its own and was itching to hit the balls thrown towards him. Towards the end of the chapter, Wonderboy splits in two with a thundering noise. In the last chapter, Wonderboy is used as a metaphor for Roy’s desire to be a hero and just like Roy’s desire to be a hero was destroyed by the temptations thrown his way, Wonderboy was broke by the baseball balls.
Metaphor for death
Roy losing the game on purpose is used as a metaphor for death in the last chapter. When Roy misses hit after hit, the environment changes as well; the field dries, Pop Fisher ages and the world turns back to grey. When Roy decides to accept the Judge’s offer, he offers his soul to his desires and so he becomes controlled by them. In a way, the decay described in the last chapter also points towards Roy’s "death’’ as a baseball player, and to the fact that sold his soul to the devil in order to gain material things.
