The patriarchal dilemma: A study of masculinity in John Updike's Rabbit novels

With the publication of Rabbit at Rest in October 1990, John Updike completed his chronicle of the life and times of Rabbit Angstrom. By examining the role of masculinity in the Rabbit novels, this discussion demonstrates that the tetralogy provides a comprehensive representation of the dominant version of masculinity in our society and places Updike among the precursors of the contemporary movement among men to re-examine their cultural inheritance as males.; The chapters devoted to Rabbit, Run establish the interpretive framework; Harry not only suffers an existential dread of annihilation, he also conceives of the world in an oppositional framework in which the desirable other, the non-self, offers the possibility of transcendence and the threat of destruction. The learned attitudes, values, and behaviors associated with socially constructed masculinity exacerbate Rabbit's fears and mold his responses to the extent that he habitually obstructs the realization of his goals. These chapters explore Rabbit's gender role formation in the Angstrom family and under the influence of his high school basketball coach and examine the negative effect of his gender-based attitudes, values, and behaviors on his personal development and relationships. The influence of masculinity on the novel's structure and language is also noted.; The chapters devoted to Rabbit Redux consider the social implications of his gender-based attitudes and behaviors. This section questions Rabbit's withdrawal into technology and violence, looks at male bonding, and speculates on the younger men's destruction of Jill Pendleton in their pursuit of revolution.; The discussion of Rabbit Is Rich traces Rabbit's adjustment to the inevitable losses of middle age, focusing on his reaction to the son who threatens to displace him and on his recovery of the lost feminine in his granddaughter.; The final chapter observes that although Rabbit at Rest returns to a more direct consideration of Rabbit's existential and religious dilemma, Harry's fear, his gradual withdrawal, and even the manner of his dying are shaped by his masculinity.