Female characters in "Rabbit, Run" by John Updike

List of Contents

- My subject and how to proceed
- Biography of John Updike
- Summary of “ Rabbit, Run“

Main part
- Characterizationof the female Persons
- Janice
- Ruth
- Mrs. Springer
- Mrs. Angstrom
- Lucy Eccles
- Comparison of the female characters, relationship between them and the intention of “ Rabbit, Run“

End
- Difficulties and other experiences with “ Rabbit, Run“
- Appendix
- Literary references
- Schülererklärung/Einverständniserklärung

My subject and how to proceed

In the book “ Rabbit, Run“ by John Updike the main-character Harry Angstrom struggles with his religious feelings, the difficultiesof being a father and a son, the changes in American society that seem to suffocate him and with his own sexuality.* That's why there are many different female characters shown in “ Rabbit, Run“ :

Janice, Ruth, Margaret, Lucy, Mrs. Springer, Mrs. Angstrom, Miriam, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Arnd, Mrs. Krupenbach, Mrs. Tothero.

Every woman is an own individuum and leaves another impression in Harry's mind. Sex and women are very important for Harry. But what does he really want? His wife, Janice, a mistress, Ruth, and also Lucy, the wife of the priest Eccles, are the reason, why he thinks of sex and all the things connected with this theme.

My task is to describe and characterize the most important female characters. I want to show the connections between them and Harry Angstrom and in what way Harry's life changes through the whole book because of them (or perhaps in what way their lifes change because of Harry). I want to find out, what the author wanted to point out with these differentwomen and their life-stories.

But first I start with a biography of the author John Updike. Perhaps some events in Updike's childhood can explain his kind of writig storries about the uncertaintyof Harry Angstrom.

Later I want sum up the important points of “ Rabbit, Run“. Then I will start thinking about my real subject. There are some ideas in my mind yet.

In the end I want to tell you something about the difficultiesI will have had or about other experiences I will have made with my book.

like also Stanley Trachtenberg says, www.3buch.de 1

Biography of John Updike

illustration not visible in this excerpt

John (Hoyer) Updike was born at the 18thof March 1932 in Shillington, a small town in Pennsylvania as an only child. (Shillington was the model of Updikes fictional town Brewer in “ Rabbit, Run“ .) “ Updike's childhood was shadowed by psoriasis and stammering, but his mother encouraged him to write. In his childhood he lives in an isolated farm, from where he dreamed to escape.“ (www.kirjasto.sci.fi/updike.ht m) His only fun was to consume many books. Updike's father, Wesley Russell Updike, taught algebra in a local high school, and his mother, Linda Grace (Hoyer), wrote novels and short stories. Later Updike got straight A's in high school. After a study in Harvard and at the Ruskin school of Drawind and Fine Arts in Oxford in the year 1955 he joined the staff of The New Yorker. His storries and essays he wrote there were the reason of his literary glory.

In 1957 Updike left the magazine and became a full writer. He moved to Ipswich, Massachusetts, where he lived for seventeen years.

After Updike's first marriage with Mary Pennington (1954) dissolved, he married Martha Bernhard in the year 1977.

Now he still lives together with his wife, and his son has become a writer, too.

Selected works:

- THE CARPENTERED HEN AND OTHER TAME CREATURES, 1958
- HOPING FOR A HOOPOE, 1958
- THE POORHOUSE FAIR, 1959
- THE SAME DOOR, 1959
- RABBIT, RUN, 1960 - JUOKSE JÄNIS -
film 1970, dir. by Jack Smight, starring James Caan, Jack Albertson, Melodie Johnson
- PIGEON FEATHERS, 1962
- THE CENTAUR, 1963
- TELE PHONE POLES, 1963
- OLINGER STORIES, 1964
- OF THE FARM, 1965
- ASSORTED PROSE, 1965
- THE MUSIC SCHOOL, 1966
- THE COUPLES, 1968 - PARIT
- MIDPOINT AND OTHER POEMS, 1969
- BECH: A BOOK, 1970
- MUSEUMS AND WOMEN, 1972
- RABBIT REDUX, 1972 - AMERIKKALAINEN TARINA
- SIX POEMS, 1973
- BUCHANAN DYING, 1974
- A MONTH OF SUNDAYS, 1975
- PICKED-UP PIECES, 1975
- MARRY ME, 1976 - KUNNES RAKKAUS MEIDÄT EROTTAA
- TOSSING AND TURNING, 1977
- THE COUP, 1978 - MINÄ OLEN EVERSTI ELLELOÚ
- AN ODDLY LOVELY DAY ALONE, 1979
- PROBLEMS, 1979
- SIXTEEN SONNETS, 1979
- FIVE POEMS, 1980
- YOUR LOVER JUST CALLED, 1981
- RABBIT IS RICH, 1981 - AUTOKAUPPIAAN UNELMAT -
(Pulizer Prize)
- OTHER JOHN UPDIKE, 1982
- HUGGING THE SHORE, 1983
- JESTER'S DOZEN, 1984
- ed. THE YEARS BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES, 1984
- THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, 1984 -
NOIDAT - film 1987, dir. by George Miller, starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Veronica Cartwright
- ROGER'S VERSION, 1986
- FACING NATURE, 1986
- TRUST ME, 1987
- SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS, 1987
- FORTY STORIES, 1987
- S., 1989
- JUST LOOKING, 1989
- SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS, 1989
- RABBIT AT REST, 1990 - (Pulizer Prize)
- ODD JOBS, 1991
- MEMORIES OF THE FORD ADMINISTRATION, 1992
- COLLECTED POEMS 1953-1992,1993
- BRAZIL, 1994
- THE AFTERLIFE AND OTHER STORIES, 1995
- GOLF DREAMS, 1996
- IN THE BEAUTY OF THE LILIES, 1996
- BEACH AT BAY, 1998
- GERTRUDE AND CLAUDIUS, 2000

- LICKS OF LOVE: SHORT STORIES AND A SEQUEL, 2000

Over his long and distinguished writing career, John Updike has received numerous awards and literary prizes. Among them:

--- The National Book Award for THE CENTAUR

--- Three National Book Critics Circle Awards: for HUGGING THE SHORES, RABBIT IS RICH, and RABBIT AT REST.

--- Two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction: for RABBIT IS RICH and RABBIT AT REST

--- The American National Book Award for RABBIT IS RICH

--- He has received, over the years, the Signet Society Medal for Achievement in the Arts, the Edward McDowell Medal for Literature, the Distinguished Pennsylvania Artist Award, the Lincoln Literary Award and the National Arts Club Medal of Honor.

--- Most recently he was awarded the 1998 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

--- He has twice been on the cover of Time Magazine.

--- Two of his books have been adapted for film: RABBIT RUN and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK