“Oh all the world loves you,” Ruth says suddenly. “What I wonder is why?”
“I’m lovable,” he says. [Rabbit, Run]
So begins to story of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom in Rabbit, Run, a former rustbelt Pennsylvania high school basketball star who is now in his mid-twenties, married, and selling cheap kitchen gadgets door to door. At this point in his life, Rabbit’s existence can be described in one word: discontent.
Written by John Updike in 1960, roughly corresponding with his own age, the author would go on to follow the life of Harry Angstrom in three sequels (Rabbit Redux [1971], Rabbit is Rich [1981], Rabbit at Rest [1990]) two of which would go on to win Pulitzer Prizes and a National Book Award.
The novel is brutally honest in its depiction of the protagonist Rabbit, and it’s heart-wrenching as his apathetic, depraved, and selfish behavior hurts those around him time and time again. Updike does not shy away from the darker side of our humanity, the parts of ourselves that we wish to not speak about.
Thirty-six years old and he knows less than when he started. With the difference that now he knows how little he’ll always know. [Rabbit Redux]
Through Rabbit (and eventually his son), Updike explores the depravity of our minds, the honest darkness that lurks deep in each of us, yet rarely do we exert, shedding political correctness all while exploring each era’s mixed feelings on the evolving political and social makeup of the time. The prose is not always easy, a conversation may explore a single seemingly irrelevant topic for pages at a time, and the long stream-of-consciousness passages that pepper the series can be exhausting, but the reward is well-worth it. I’d wager that Rabbit Angstrom is amongst the finest and most developed characters in American literature.
If you’re yet to have a taste of Updike’s prose, I’d recommend checking out his short story A&P, which introduced me to his work during a Introduction to American Literature class back in my freshman year of college. It’ll give you a sense of his style. Then, do yourself a favor and purchase these novels. You may be depressed afterwards, but you won’t be disappointed.
When Harry looked down at him rouged in the coffin he saw it had been coming, Fred hadn’t much changed. From the way Janice and her mother carried on you would have thought a mixture of Prince Valiant and Moses had bit the dust. Maybe having already buried both of his own parents made Harry hard. He looked down, noticed that Fred’s hair had been parted wrong, and felt nothing. The great thing about the dead, they make space. [Rabbit is Rich]
Purchase Updike’s “Rabbit” novels:
Rabbit Run ($0.35 used)
Rabbit Redux ($1.76 used)
Rabbit is Rich ($1.98 used)
Rabbit at Rest ($1.61 used)
![“Oh all the world loves you,” Ruth says suddenly. “What I wonder is why?”“I’m lovable,” he says. [Rabbit, Run]
So begins to story of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom in Rabbit, Run, a former rustbelt Pennsylvania high school basketball star who is now in his mid-twenties, married, and selling cheap kitchen gadgets door to door. At this point in his life, Rabbit’s existence can be described in one word: discontent.
Written by John Updike in 1960, roughly corresponding with his own age, the author would go on to follow the life of Harry Angstrom in three sequels (Rabbit Redux [1971], Rabbit is Rich [1981], Rabbit at Rest [1990]) two of which would go on to win Pulitzer Prizes and a National Book Award.
The novel is brutally honest in its depiction of the protagonist Rabbit, and it’s heart-wrenching as his apathetic, depraved, and selfish behavior hurts those around him time and time again. Updike does not shy away from the darker side of our humanity, the parts of ourselves that we wish to not speak about.
Thirty-six years old and he knows less than when he started. With the difference that now he knows how little he’ll always know. [Rabbit Redux]
Through Rabbit (and eventually his son), Updike explores the depravity of our minds, the honest darkness that lurks deep in each of us, yet rarely do we exert, shedding political correctness all while exploring each era’s mixed feelings on the evolving political and social makeup of the time. The prose is not always easy, a conversation may explore a single seemingly irrelevant topic for pages at a time, and the long stream-of-consciousness passages that pepper the series can be exhausting, but the reward is well-worth it. I’d wager that Rabbit Angstrom is amongst the finest and most developed characters in American literature.
If you’re yet to have a taste of Updike’s prose, I’d recommend checking out his short story A&P, which introduced me to his work during a Introduction to American Literature class back in my freshman year of college. It’ll give you a sense of his style. Then, do yourself a favor and purchase these novels. You may be depressed afterwards, but you won’t be disappointed.
When Harry looked down at him rouged in the coffin he saw it had been coming, Fred hadn’t much changed. From the way Janice and her mother carried on you would have thought a mixture of Prince Valiant and Moses had bit the dust. Maybe having already buried both of his own parents made Harry hard. He looked down, noticed that Fred’s hair had been parted wrong, and felt nothing. The great thing about the dead, they make space. [Rabbit is Rich]
Purchase Updike’s “Rabbit” novels:Rabbit Run ($0.35 used)Rabbit Redux ($1.76 used)Rabbit is Rich ($1.98 used)Rabbit at Rest ($1.61 used)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwjch74WNs1qa9jp3o1_1280.jpg)
