Rabbit Redux

Rabbit Redux. The second novel in John Updike's acclaimed Rabbit Angstrom series, it was published in 1971 by Alfred A. Knopf. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the late 1960s, the story finds former high school basketball star Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom aged, working a dead-end job, and adrift in a rapidly changing America. The narrative explores his fractured domestic life, his encounters with the counterculture, and the profound social upheavals of the era, including the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement.

Plot summary

A decade after the events of Rabbit, Run, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom is living a stagnant life in Brewer, Pennsylvania, working as a linotype operator for the local newspaper, The Brewer Vat. His wife, Janice Angstrom, begins an affair with a Greek car salesman named Charlie Stavros, prompting Rabbit to allow a teenage hippie runaway, Jill Pendleton, and her black Vietnam War veteran companion, Skeeter, to move into his home. This arrangement creates a volatile microcosm of the era's conflicts, leading to intense ideological debates about the war, race, and society. The domestic tension culminates in a tragic fire at the Angstrom house, an event that forces a painful reckoning for Rabbit and a tentative, uneasy reconciliation with Janice.

Characters

The central figure is Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, a disillusioned man grappling with his fading youth and relevance. His wife, Janice Angstrom, seeks liberation from her stifling marriage through her relationship with Charlie Stavros. The two interlopers who disrupt Rabbit's life are the affluent, troubled runaway Jill Pendleton and the radical, messianic Vietnam War veteran Skeeter, who models himself after figures like Stokely Carmichael and Eldridge Cleaver. Rabbit's son, Nelson Angstrom, observes the adult chaos with adolescent anxiety. Other significant figures include Rabbit's parents, his sister Mim Angstrom, and his co-worker Buchanan.

Themes and analysis

The novel is a dense exploration of American decline and racial anxiety, set during the Apollo 11 moon landing, which serves as a counterpoint to the national unrest. Updike examines the collapse of traditional WASP authority and the fraught sexual and political revolutions of the time. The character of Skeeter embodies the era's racial violence and revolutionary rhetoric, while Jill Pendleton represents a doomed, naive idealism. Central themes include the failure of communication, the search for redemption, and the corrosion of the American Dream, all filtered through Rabbit's limited, often prejudiced, perspective. The work interrogates the legacy of the Vietnam War and the upheavals of the Civil Rights Movement.

Literary significance and reception

Upon its release, *Rabbit Redux* solidified John Updike's reputation as a major chronicler of American life. Critics praised its ambitious engagement with contemporary history and its technical mastery, though some found its portrayal of racial conflict controversial. The novel was a finalist for the National Book Award and is considered a vital component of Updike's Rabbit Angstrom series, which later won the Pulitzer Prize as a whole. Scholars often place it within the canon of great American social novels alongside works by Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, analyzing its depiction of the counterculture and the New Left.

Publication history

The novel was first published in 1971 by Alfred A. Knopf in the United States. It has remained continuously in print through various editions from Random House and its imprints. The book was later included in the omnibus volume *Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels*, published by Everyman's Library. It has been translated into numerous languages, cementing its international status as a key text of postwar American literature. The critical edition is part of the Library of America's collection of Updike's works. Category:American novels Category:1971 American novels