A Feminist Reading of Updikes Rabbit, Run Essay -- Feminism Feminist

A Feminist Reading of Rabbit, Run  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   I do not like Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom. This creation of John Updike, this man who abandons his pregnant wife and young child, and his alliance to the late 1950's feeling of unrest and rebellion makes me angry. Many times throughout this novel my cheeks flushed furiously and I could not contain my exasperated sighs. When I read the last sentences of Rabbit, Run and closed the book, I was disappointed. It was not because Updike fails to make it clear where or to whom Rabbit runs (home to his wife? back to the prostitute?). Surprisingly, I was most disappointed because the novel had come to an end. Although my reaction to Rabbit was negative, it was a very strong reaction; I had become emotionally involved. Because Updike created this anti-heroic but fascinating main character, I was absorbed into his world. I do not like Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, but because Updike's writerly skill, I understand him. And, by understanding him, I am able to realize the importance his place i s among the most influential (particularly American) literary characters.   Part of the reason that Updike's novel (and the subsequent three Rabbit novels to follow) has become such an essential piece of literature in the American tradition is Rabbit himself. Although he is not likeable, there are various important aspects and depths to the character of Harry Angstrom that cannot be overlooked. Some critics choose to look at the surface and explore Rabbit's nature comparatively with rabbits (the animal). There are many instances when we do see Rabbit acting much like his namesake. For example when he visits his parents home Updike describes this in very rabbit-like terms: Rabbit stealthily approaches hi... ...h him for anything.    Works Cited Detweiler, Robert. John Updike. Indianapolis: Indiana University, 1984. 33-45.    Kielland-Lund, Erik. "The Americanness of Rabbit, Run: A Transatlantic View." New Essays on Rabbit, Run. Ed. Stanley Trachtenberg. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. 77-94.    O'Connell, Mary. Updike and the Patriarchal Dilemma. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1996. 13-36.    Pinsker, Sanford. "Restlessness in the 1950s: What Made Rabbit Run?" New Essays on Rabbit, Run. Ed. Stanley Trachtenberg. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. 53-76.    Stevick, Philip. "The Full Range of Updike's Prose." New Essays on Rabbit, Run. Ed. Stanley Trachtenberg. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. 31-52.    Updike, John. Rabbit, Run. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1960.