The Interplay between History and Religious Ambivalence in John Updike's Rabbit Tetralogy

Author

Kathryn Sewell Gillen

Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

English

First Advisor

David Galef

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The protagonist of John Updike’s Rabbit Tetralogy, Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, is examined and explained in terms of his ambivalence and spiritual concerns. Rabbit is commonly accepted as a socio-historical symbol - an “American Everyman” - but this explanation alone fails to account for his inclination towards the unknown. Combining Rabbit the symbol with Rabbit the individual allows for a more complete understanding of Updike’s intent to make a statement that is both political and theological. Rabbit’s continual movement between extremes (his ambivalence) is considered foremost. Rabbit’s indecision is a constant throughout the four novels, his most defining characteristic. Once this constancy is realized, socio-historical concerns of the American 1950s to the 1980s are pulled into focus, and Rabbit is comprehended as both a symbol of the cold war era and an artistically complex fictional creation.

Recommended Citation

Gillen, Kathryn Sewell, "The Interplay between History and Religious Ambivalence in John Updike's Rabbit Tetralogy" (2007). Honors Theses. 2211.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2211

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