Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Rabbit is Rich was the third novel of the Rabbit series by John Updike that was published in 1981. The novel is the sequel to Rabbit Redux and Rabbit, Run, and the prequel to the fourth and final novel Rabbit Remembered. The story of Rabbit is Rich is set in the late 1970s. The novel by John Updike exactly informs what the aging, late-20th-century industrial East of the US was like in sight, smell, sound, and social economy.
The series began with Rabbit, Run telling the story of Harry Angstrom in his late 20s. He used to be a star basketball player but ended up with a boring job as a salesman. He got married to Janice only because she got pregnant. Frustrated with life in his hometown of Brewer, Pennsylvania, Harry meets a young girl, Ruth, pregnant, but leaves her before finding out whether she kept the child; his wife Janice drunkenly and accidentally drowns their newborn daughter in the bathtub. In the second novel, Rabbit Redux, Nelson grows into a teenage boy. He falls in love with Jill, a Hppie girl from a rich Connecticut family who starts living at Rabbit’s house as Janice leaves him for another man Charlie. Their house is burnt down and Jill dies in the fire. Nelson blames Harry for her death and grows to hate him while Janice decides to return to her husband and son. Rabbit is 46 years old now and he is worried about Nelson who is 22 years old now. Rabbit decided to leave pregnant Ruth for the sake of Nelson and Janice, but now when Nelson is a grown-up man, he wonders if he took the right decision as he craves a daughter.
Characters of Rabbit is Rich:
Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstorm is a 46 years old middle-aged man who inherited a Toyota dealership from his father-in-law. He is leading a rich affluent life. As his home was burnt down, he lives at Janice’s father's house. Bessie is Rabbit’s widowed mother-in-law. Angstorm faces issues because of his libido. He had an extramarital affair with Ruth who got pregnant. Rabbit decided to leave Ruth for his wife Janice and son Nelson who was 4 years old then. During the same time, Janice accidentally drowned their infant girl child in the bathtub. Rabbit is not aware if Ruth gave birth to that child. Nelson is 24 years old now. He still blames Harry for the death of Jill, the Hippie girl from Connecticut who got burned to death when Harry’s home was set on fire. Nelson is studying at Kent State University but he is aimless, confused, and indecisive. Charlie Stravos is the man with whom Janice had a short extramarital affair but she returned to Rabbit and Nelson after some time. Now Charlie works with Harry at the Toyota Dealership as a partner and he is a good friend of Harry. Melanie is a college friend of Nelson. Pru is Nelson’s fiancee whom nobody knows until she arrives in Brewer, Pennsylvania. Thelma is the wife of one of Rabbit’s friends.
Summary of Rabbit is Rich:
It is the summer of 1979. Rabbit has settled with Janice at her father’s house as his house since their house burned down. The Hippie girl Jill from Connecticut was burned to death in that accident. Nelson blamed his father for her death and never forgave him. He is 20 years now and studying at Kent State University. Harry inherited the ownership of the Toyota Dealership in Brewer, Pennsylvania after the death of his father-in-law. Janice’s mother Bessy is living with Harry and Janice. Charles Stravos is now a good friend and partner of Harry Angstrom as they both work for the Toyota dealership. Janice had a short affair with Charles but that ended up. Despite being rich, Harry’s life is troubled. He often hears the sound of his dead daughter Rebecca and his dead mother. He still remembers Jill and Skeeter and often dreams about hugging them in the heavens.
One day, a young man and a 20 years old girl visit their shop and Harry takes them on a test drive. Harry feels familiar with the girl and wonders if she is his daughter from the relationship with Ruth. He still misses Rebecca, his and Janice’s daughter who was drowned by accident. When he reaches home, he finds a letter from Nelson informing him that he is returning from college with one of his friends named Melanie. Rabbit is confused and wonders why Nelson is leaving his studies midway.
After some days, Harry takes Janice to a country club to have some fun but they get a message in the club to return home as Nelson arrives with Melanie on the same day. Melanie greets Harry and Janice warmly but notices that Nelson doesn’t have a good rapport with his father. He still blames Harry for the death of Jill who was his first crush.
Charlie is getting old and Nelson takes his job at the Toyota dealership while Melanie gets a job at a local restaurant. Harry takes Charlie to that restaurant to meet Melanie and they develop a good friendship with her. Nelson is not too happy with Harry being friendly with Melanie. He takes Harry’s car for a drive and meets an accident scratching his car.
Harry is still wondering about the girl whom he gave a test drive. He wonders if she really is Ruth’s and his daughter. He decides to go to Galilee where Ruth is living nowadays and questions her about their child. However, he fails to gather enough courage to face Ruth and question her and thus he returns back right from the front of her house.
After his return, Janice and Bessie make a plan with him to go to Pocanos for a vacation while leaving the Toyota dealership under the management of Nelson. In Harry’s absence, Nelson decides to buy two convertibles and hopes that Harry would appreciate that as a beneficial deal. When Rabbit returns, he disagrees with the purchase and argues that convertibles require a lot of gasoline and since the economy of Brewer isn’t doing well, not many people will prefer buying convertibles. This frustrates Nelson and in his anger he deliberately crashes one of the convertibles into another, destroying both. Harry is pensive about Nelson’s rash and unpredictable behavior. Charles soothes Nelson and Harry both.
One day, when Janice and Harry were again having a fun time at the country club, they get a message that a pregnant girl named Pru has arrived at their home and she says that she is the fiancee of Nelson. Nelson never talked about this girl and Janice and Harry believed that Melanie was Nelson’s girlfriend. Harry goes to the shop first and talks with Nelson. He asks him about Pru to which Nelson admits that he impregnated her. Harry says that he will support Nelson if he agrees to marry Pru to which Nelson happily agrees. Harry and Janice plan for their marriage and Nelson and Pru get married a few days later. After their marriage, Harry again finds himself wondering about the girl whom he offered a test drive. He decides to go to Galilee again and confront Ruth. When he reaches Ruth’s house, a pet dog startles him and he runs back from there.
Harry takes Janice and Pru to a dancing party where Pru falls during the dance and breaks her arms. She soon gives birth to a healthy baby despite all concerns. While the business at the Toyota dealership is lukewarm because of the weak economy, Harry decides to invest some money in gold Krugerrands and eventually sells them for silver coins, making a good profit. His profits offer him a chance to buy his own home and he and Janice decide to move out of Bessie’s house and settle in their own. But they find it difficult to convince Bessie to leave her age-old house and shift to the new house with Janice and Harry.
Harry takes Janice on a tour of the Caribbean with their friends from the country club. On the very first evening, one of their friends suggests that they should swap wives and enjoy some time with the wives of others. Everyone agrees with the suggestion. Rabbit lusts after Cindy, the lovely young wife of one of their new country-club friends but he fails to get her as he is chosen to be paired with Thelma Harrison by a lottery system. Though he is disappointed at first, he spends a good night with Thelma who introduces him to anal sex. Rabbit enjoys the experience and convinces himself that he will get another chance with Cindy. The next morning, he and Janice get a message that Nelson has run away from the home and they decide to go back to Brewer.
Harry and Janice soothe Pru who is worrisome about Nelson. Harry decides to go to Galilee again and this time, he manages to knock on the doors of Ruth’s house. Ruth gets offended by seeing him. When he asks about the child, she informs him that after he left her for Janice, she decided to abort the child. Though she confirms that the girl whom he offered a test drive is her daughter from a subsequent happy marriage, she is disgusted at Harry’s insinuation that she could be his daughter.
At home, Janice succeeds in convincing Bessie that they should move to the new house that Harry bought. Bessie, Janice, and Pru decide to move to the new house on a Superbowl Sunday. Harry gets a postcard from Nelson on the same day informing him that Nelson decided to reenroll in Kent State University and complete his degree. The card further tells that Melanie is with Nelson and he will need money for readmission to the University. Harry tells Pru and Janice about this but finds that Pru is not disturbed by knowing that Nelson is with Melanie. Janice takes Bessie to show her the new house while Pru places her baby girl on Rabbit’s lap. Having lost both the daughters he could have had, Harry takes joy from this new granddaughter that life has given him.
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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