An Interpretation Of Harry’s Self-Salvation In Rabbit, Run From The Perspective Of Kierkegaard’s Existentialism

John Updike is a famous contemporary American writer, and once won the nomination of Nobel Prize in Literature for many times. He, under the deep influence of Existentialism put forward by the Danish psychologist Soren Kierkegaard, is one of the representatives of modern Existentialism Literature. Most of his works describe the middle class, showing their real life and psychological activities as a single individual in a society who is chaotic, ridiculous and lacks belief. Rabbit, Run is the first volume of Updike’s representative works Rabbit Tetralogy. The novel tells a story of a young man Harry nicknamed Rabbit, who escapes four times to break with the social fetters and seeks for his self-salvation owing to his dissatisfaction with his life, and sets Rabbit and his family life in an all-covered society, giving a true depiction of the present situation of the middle class in America. The novel also shows the conflicts between spirit and flesh, between individual and society, exploring issues as marriage, family and sexual morals related to religion.Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard is usually regarded as "the father of modern existentialism". He believes that existence precedes essence:the individual has the freedom to choose to change his essence by existence of destiny, that is, to choose to be the kind of person he wants to be, and choose to do the things he wants to do, which constitutes his essence. He objects to idealism and advocates that existence represents the existence of an individual with flesh and blood, here and now, but an individual is controlled by such negative emotions as fear, tremble, sadness and despair. Because of those emotions, an individual will take actions and make one choice or the other, which is called a leap. But only rationality is not adequate to accomplish a leap; what is of most importance is passion such as love and belief. This kind of passion is called individual inwardness or subjectivity. In Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Harry feels solitary and despaired in the chaotic real life. His personal subjectivity or inwardness causes his escape and abandonment of his two-year-old son and his wife who has been pregnant for six months. However, this action fails to help him to find the real ideal life. He further degenerates and gets lost in the meaningless life. This thesis makes an interpretation of Harry’s trying to get rid of the social constrains in order to have his self-salvation from the perspective of Kierkegaard’s Existentialism. The introduction of the thesis briefly introduces the author John Updike and his literary achievements, sorts out the studies on Rabbit, Run at home and abroad, elaborates Kierkegaard’s influence on Updike and gives the framework of the thesis.The body of the thesis is made up of three chapters. The first chapter mainly explores the personal motives for Harry’s self-salvation. Deeply influenced by Kierkegaard’s Existentialism, Updike exposes the motives for Harry’s self-salvation from the perspectives of aesthetics, ethics and religion. To be specific, Harry’s glorious past, his obsession with sex and his loss in religion are the three personal motives for his self-salvation.The second chapter mainly analyses the social reasons for Harry’s self-salvation, namely the religious background of America, the conflicts between sex and God, and the family as a burden on Harry. By analyzing the political, economic, social and religious background of America and the characters in the novel such as Eccles, Kruppenbach and Ruth, this chapter emphasizes Harry’s disappointment at the real life, his endless pursuits for his selfish desires, his inner solitude, anxiety and struggles, and his hesitation among self-satisfaction, responsibility and religion so as to expose the absurd world most incisively, where people’s lack of beliefs and disorder of behaviors are hidden behind the material prosperity of America after the Second World War.The third chapter mainly makes an interpretation of the approaches to Harry’s self-salvation as an Existentialist. There are two ways:on the one hand, as a single individual, Harry struggles for his self-salvation in terms of the aesthetic existence, the ethical existence and the religious existence which are the three stages of Kierkegaard’s Existentialism; on the other hand, Harry takes his four runs for his self-salvation. In Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Harry abandons his son and wife. He even co-habitates with a prostitute called Ruth, thinking of her as a perfect female. At this time he is at the stage of the aesthetic existence. The predelivery labor of his wife triggers his sense of responsibility, which makes him go back to his wife and feels proud of his daughter’s birth. At this stage his sense of responsibility arises. It seems that he goes into the stage of the ethical existence. However, he leaves his family again because his wife refuses his sexual request. He goes back when he knows his daughter’s death only to be unwilling to admit there is any connection between him and his daughter’s death. It shows that Harry is fluctuating between the aesthetic existence and the ethical existence. He struggles between satisfying his selfish desires and consuming his social responsibilities. Although his relationship with Ruth is ended, it is unknown whether he is back to his family finally in the novel.By depicting Harry’s motives, reasons and ways to self-salvation, the thesis comes to a conclusion that influenced by Kierkegaard, Updike profoundly reveals that in contemporary people’s life, secular religion cannot become their spiritual guidance. Besides, through a discussion of contradiction and conflicts between the status of sex and the value of religion, Updike explores the deep root for Harry’s self-salvation. According to what has been mentioned above, we can safely say that all those make John Updike’s Rabbit, Run a masterpiece of modern existentialist literature deeply influenced by Soren Kierkegaard.