Anxious Rabbit

John Updike is one of the most prolific and significant American novelists. As his most representative work, Rabbit Tetralogy comprehensively illustrates material and psychological life of America’s middle class in the 20th century. He chronologically depicts Americans in different historical stages. And it reflects distinct psychological state and social conditions. As the first work of Rabbit Tetralogy, Rabbit Run is the most reputed one. It focuses on anxiety and the consequence of anxiety, interpreting Rabbit’s psychological trap. Rabbit series have gained great value and extensive studies in literary circles domestically and internationally.Rabbit Run as study object, this thesis, based on Freud’s psychoanalysis theory, explores prevalent anxiety of Harry in this novel in three categories of Freud’s psychoanalysis theory, which are personality theory, anxiety theory and defense mechanism. It respectively analyzes the development of anxiety, reasons for anxiety and solutions to anxiety in a logical and coherent way.This thesis primarily introduces the current situation of the studies of Rabbit Run domestically and internationally, and summarizes those studies into different categories. And then it introduces the theoretical basis, indicating three categories of Freud’s psychoanalysis theory used in this thesis to analyze Rabbit’s anxiety. Further, the thesis analyzes how the Rabbit’s personality of anxiety develops by Freudian personality theory. It finds that the anxious behaviors are actually the consequences of the conflicts among ID, ego and super-ego. The reasons why the anxiety comes into being are followed by, which are divided in three categories of anxiety ---realistic anxiety, neurotic anxiety and moral anxiety. Defensive solutions to anxiety by Freudian defense mechanism are put forward to alleviating anxiety. Finally, it concludes that Rabbit’s anxiety is attributes to the imbalances of id, ego and superego. The failure of manipulation on ego, id and superego respectively leads to reality, neurotic and moral anxiety. Rabbit is selfish and reckless. He is easily frightened and sexually active. This thesis portrays a prevalent psychological world of anxiety amongAmerican’s middle class in the 1950’s.This thesis casts a focus on anxiety theory with selective theories of personality theory and defense mechanism, centering on anxiety in Rabbit Run. It probes that how anxiety develops and why it comes into being and what solutions can be taken to alleviate anxiety. Among considerable studies on John Updike’s works, this is a relatively new one from perspective of anxiety theory. It is added as a supplementary study to explore the anxiety trap in America’s middle class. It is more of significance for modern people’s coping with anxiety in a scientific and effective way as a beneficial reference.