The Game of Life in Rabbit, Run Essay - 2407 Words

The Game of Life in Rabbit, Run Perhaps all our lives are simply a game, a game to which society sets the rules and to which we adapt. In John Updikes novel, Rabbit, Run, the protagonist, Harry Rabbit Angstrom lives his life by the rules of the game of basketball. Rabbit is a man who has, until the beginning of the book, played by societys rules. But Rabbits ambivalence is different from that of those around him; he has trouble communicating, and as a result he is often misunderstood and is constantly frustrated by the actions and expectations of others (Regehr). In high school, Rabbit was a first rate basketball player and now, in his late twenties, is a middle-class man; working in a middle-class job, living in a†¦show more content†¦The aspect of running is one of the many allusions to basketball Updike uses in the novel. The metaphor of basketball is appropriate and useful in understanding Rabbits actions and the actions of those around him. Rabbits philosophy, as he learned as a high school ba sketball player, is run for the goal. The sudden changes in American society, and societys expectations of him, seem to suffocate Rabbit so he runs (Trachtenberg). Run until you get there and run until you score. Run to your end of the court, away from people crowding you, toward your end of the court where your teammates are waiting on you. Rabbit runs from Janice because he feels she is crowding him. Though many of these elements of basketball are intended for the reader only by Updike, Rabbit himself is not blind to reality. From Totheros apartment, Rabbit sees The sky of a Saturday morning was the blank scoreboard of a long game about to begin.(37) Rabbit knows that everyone is keeping score on him and everything he does. Rabbit gains points by complying with social standards, and the other team, society as Rabbit perceives it, gains points every time Rabbit runs. At the end of the game whoever wins wins control of Rabbits life, of his freedom. This is the most important game of Rabbits life and he cant seem to find the goal, to getShow MoreRelatedRabbit, Run by John Updike1347 Words   |  5 PagesRabbit, Run by John Updike is a novel about a young man named Harry â€Å"Rabbit† Angstrom who leaves his pregnant wife and young child and begins a journey to find happiness and freedom. He gets involved with a prostitute and stays with her until his wife has their bab y girl. While he is away from his wife he is counseled by Reverend Eccles who tries to help Rabbit’s situation, although it does not do much good. 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