apace with his given life, we are meant to see the social milieu that he lives in. Readers do get an acute sense of time and place, but what of it? Not that all fiction should strive for the Meaning of Life, but the feeling you get after reading 'Rabbit, Run' is that of caffeine rush which you know will fade. And it does. I don't mean to slight Updike's legacy - he is one of the best writers we have in the States. And read as a tetralogy, the Rabbit books do encapsulate four decades of Americana with a sprawling and lyrical sweep. It truly is an accomplishment. As an individual novel, 'Rabbit, Run' is emotionally involving and a hell of a good read. But it moves us tantalizingly close to showing us what literary greatness is, then ultimately leaves us short.Has life ever seemed to much for you? Do you sometimes just want get away from it all? Well, here is a man that does it all for you, Mr. Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom. He is the man for running away from just about anything that is a conflict for him. Updike investigates this unfortunate soul of the suburban middle-class with the use of many similes, metaphors, motifs, and imagery. In "Rabbit, Run," John Updike's simple language brings reality to the central character of Harry and his boredom and disgust with his present life. In his early years at Mt. Judge High School, Harry was the star basketball player and this game was his life. In the beginning scene of the novel, Rabbit tries to recapture his ex-hero illusion of himself as a basketball star by playing basketball with a group of teenagers on the court. In this scene, we get a taste of Updike's use of rabbit imagery to enhance the rabbit qualities of Harry. When he arrives home, he regains the sour reality of his unfulfilled marriage, and his animal instinct tells him to flee. Like an animal, he can be gentle, but when he goes off on his own, he is the cause of all problems. In fleeing from his home, he experiences marital infidelity...
