Hello and welcome to the Discourse. John Updike was an American poet, short story writer, novelist, and literary critic. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for fiction for his novels Rabbit is Rich (in 1982) and Rabbit at Rest (1991). He is known for his Rabbit series of novels in which he carved the character of Henry Rabbit Angstrom, a middle-class American everyman. His Rabbit series is considered his magnum opus in which he wrote four novels, Rabbit Run (1960), Rabbit Redux (1971), Rabbit is Rich (1981), and Rabbit at Rest (1990). In addition, he also wrote a novella titled Rabbit Remembered which was published in 2001.
Characters of Rabbit, Run:
Harry Armstrong is a 26 years old married man who used to be a star basketball player during his school days. However, he failed to attain much success and now he works as a kitchen gadget salesman. He is nicknamed Rabbit for his looks and athleticism. Just like the anecdotal rabbit, Harry never completes the race but takes rest much before the completion. Janice Armstrong is Rabbit’s wife and her childhood love. They were hastily married when Rabbit was only 21 because she got pregnant. Though Janice loves Rabbit, there are tensions between them. She is addicted to alcohol while Rabbit is a careless man. Jack Eccles is a Church minister who likes Rabbit and wishes to help him. He is too much inclined towards religion and just like Rabbit, ignores his familial responsibilities. Ruth Leonard is a single woman in her late 20s. She used to be a prostitute in the past. Nelson is the two-year-old son of Rabbit and Janice and Rebecca is their infant child. Lucy Eccles is the wife of Jack Eccles who is unhappy in her marriage. She blames religion for her husband’s indifference towards her. Ronnie Harrison is also an unsuccessful former basketball player. Rabbit and Ronnie used to play for the same team during the schooldays but both were bitter competitors. Margaret Kosko is a friend of Ruth Leonard who is dating Ronnie. Marty Tothero is the former basketball coach of Rabbit and Ronnie. He used to be a skilled and popular coach but lost his job because of some scandal.
Summary of Rabbit, Run:
The novel begins as Harry Armstrong nicknamed Rabbit is returning home from his business as a kitchen gadget salesman. He sees that some kids are playing a basketball match on the street of Mt. Judge. As Rabbit sees the game, he remembers the old days when he used to be a star basketball player on his school team. He was the most prized player of his coach Marty Tothero but now he is leading a boring, mundane life with not much success or satisfaction. He works as a kitchen gadget salesman and often fails to achieve the targets. Furthermore, his married life is also not going well. For a while, he forgets all his troubles and joins the boys to play the game. After some time, he returns home.
At home, he comes to know that his wife Jaine is again pregnant while they already have a two-year-old son. The two quarrel for some minor reason and then Janice sends irritated Rabbit to fetch some grocery items. Rabbit is so much angry that he decides to leave Mt. Judge and go far away and thus, he moves his car towards the interstate highway. He decides to go to Florida and after driving for a while, he stops for fuel and directions. However, he fails to find any map of Florida. Instead, the fuel station manager tells him, “The only way to get somewhere, you know, is to figure out where you’re going before you go there.” Perplexed, Rabbit leaves the fuel station and moves on. He fails to find out the route and gets lost. He finally turns around and heads back to Mt. Judge but instead of going back home, he decides to go and meet Marty Tothero, his former basketball coach. Marty Tothero is also as broke as Rabbit as he too lost his job as the head coach because of some scandal. Both decide to go to the town and have a fun time. In the town, he meets Ruth Leonard and Margaret Kosko and manages a double date with Marty. However, Margaret looks at Marty with contempt. Rabbit and Marty learn that Margaret is dating Ronnie who used to be Rabbit’s teammate. Meanwhile, Ruth and Rabbit develop a nice rapport and Rabbit spends the night in Ruth’s apartment. They both grow very fond of each other and spend two months together.
Meanwhile, Janice is alone at home and she is pregnant. She decides to go back to her parent’s home. When local minister Jack Eccles comes to know about Rabbit’s estrangement, he decides to try bringing him back to his wife and children. Jack meets Rabbit and develops a friendship with him. He invites him to the public golf course where he teaches him how to play gold while suggesting that he must return to his family. Rabbit starts visiting Jack at his home and learns that Jack himself is leading an unhappy married life and his wife, Lucy Eccles is too frustrated by Jack’s leaning towards religion.
Meanwhile, Rabbit has left his job as a kitchen gadget salesman and has started tending the huge garden of Mrs. Smith who is a 75 years old widowed woman and likes Rabbit. Ruth is now a month pregnant yet, she has not revealed this to Rabbit. One day, Rabbit learns that Ruth was in a relationship with Ronnie Harrison, his old teammate. This angers Rabbit who enquires more about her past relationship with Ronnie. Ruth admits that they had casual sex and she used to give him fellatio. This further irritates Rabbit and he forces Ruth to give him a blowjob. Though Ruth submits, her service fails to calm Rabbit down. During the same night, Jack Eccles calls Rabbit to inform him that Janice has been admitted to the hospital as she is in labour. Rabbit hastily leaves Ruth and goes to the hospital. That night, after seeing Janice, Rabbit feels as if he has started a new life. He thanks Eccles and puts the affair with Ruth behind him.
While Janice is still recovering in the hospital, Rabbit moves back into their old apartment with his son Nelson and cleans the place up while spending quality time with the boy. He starts working for Janice’s dad in the business of selling used cars. Janice returns home after some days and finds the house well-maintained. She feels elated and decides never to touch alcohol again. Rabbit and Janice try to strengthen their family for a while but things go sour sooner than expected. Rebecca, the newly born child continues to cry the whole night while Rabbit finds himself consumed with lust for his wife, who is now more or less incapable of having sex. Janice’s disinterest in sex further irritates Rabbit who starts visiting Jack Eccles’s Church and home. He starts flirting with Lucy and one day, he playfully smacks Lucy’s bottom that startles Lucy but she doesn’t complain. The next day, when Rabbit goes to Jack’s home, he learns that he went to the Church. Lucy invites him inside the house which Rabbit mistakes as an invitation for an extramarital affair and says that he is a married man and he won’t engage in an extramarital affair. This angers Lucy who closes the door of her home in Rabbit’s face forever.
Rabbit returns home with a determination to have sex with Janice. He offers some alcohol to Janice. Janice has already stopped drinking but Rabbit insists that a little alcohol won’t harm her. As Janice feels the effect of alcohol, Rabbit tries to have sex with her but she snaps back and shouts "I'm not your whore" - he walks out and wanders the town. Janice becomes wracked with fear and despair, certain that Rabbit has left her again. In her fear, she drinks more alcohol and finally, in a drunken hysteria, accidentally drowns Rebecca in the bathtub.
Rabbit doesn’t return home but he calls Jack Eccles and comes to know that his newly born child is dead. This fills him with sorrow and remorse. He goes to the home of Janice’s parents where she is staying. He apologizes to her and promises to make a strong bond with her again. The husband and wife unite for a while but just after the funeral of Rebecca, Rabbit feels a sudden awakening. He questions himself if he is the reason for the death of Rebecca and thinks that he is certainly not. Janice sees him with questioning eyes to which he gets irritated and shouts "Don't look at me...I didn't kill her."
Rabbit runs away again and reaches to Ruth’s apartment where he learns that Ruth is pregnant. He is happy to know that despite being mistreated by him, Ruth didn’t abort the child. He promises Ruth that he will never leave her and will be a good father to their child. Ruth says that if he wants to live with her, he must divorce Janice, otherwise, he must forget her and her child. Ruth agrees to divorce Janice and marry Ruth. He goes out to bring some food for Ruth but as soon as he comes out of her apartment, he finds himself confused again. He wonders how can he divorce Janice and if he does so, what will happen to Nelson, his two-year-old son. He contemplates and decides that he cannot leave Janice ever and thus, he runs away from Ruth and the ensuing responsibilities.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of American English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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