The Shadow-gloom and Weight of the Sacred

You can find overviews and summaries of Rabbit, Run on other websites which are better than anything I could provide. What I really want to do is just share some thoughts and impressions that I've been left with after reading the book. But, in brief, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom is a former high school basketball star who runs out on his wife while she is pregnant with their second child. He moves in with a woman in a neighboring town who may or may not be a prostitute. Rabbit, Run tells the story of how Harry deals with a life seemingly unfulfilled while searching for the thrill that was high school basketball and the story of how other people in Harry's life, each through their unique and distinctive methods, try to bring him back to his family.

Harry is without a doubt one of the most intriguing characters I've read in literature. He truly is an antihero. By that, I mean that he truly is a character that places the reader in conflict with himself of herself. Traditionally, the good guy (the guy you're supposed to cheer for) and the bad guy (the guy you're supposed to cheer against) are obvious. The Antihero is supposed to blur this line, thus making a statement about our culture, ourselves, etc. I really wonder how many antiheroes are truly antiheroes. Consider Vito Corleone and his sons, especially Michael, of Mario Puzo's The Godfather (and, of course, Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation). The reader or moviegoer is never really conflicted with the morality of cheering for Vito Corleone even though he is certainly no less evil or despicable than his enemies whom we want to see defeated. But, this is not the case with Harry Angstrom, Updike's character is incredibly well-constructed and thoughtfully developed so that we are left longing for resolution. But, resolution is not provided. Justice is seemingly withheld and we have to search within ourselves to find these things and determine their definitions. It's worth reading Rabbit, Run just to see where you'll end up at the end of the book: pro-Harry or anti-Harry. Though I found his behavior deplorable (and really want to see him punished), I think I might have to read a little more of his story in the subsequent novels before I can really say for certain.

My favorite part of the novel is the interaction between Reverend Jack Eccles and Harry and the town's reaction to this relationship. The reader gets the idea that the Reverend is living out his own debauchery through Harry's life just as much as he is trying to help reconcile him with his wife. It was an interesting contrast that Updike masterfully weaves throughout the novel until its tragic ending. If you haven't read this book, put it on your list.

The Gypsy Rating: 9 of 10