Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1984

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Coyle, William

Abstract

John Updike's trilogy, Rabbit, Run (1960), Rabbit Redux (1971), and Rabbit Is Rich (1981), provides insight into the evolving roles and attitudes of men and women in contemporary society. The characters reflect the psychological and sociological milieu of three successive decades in suburban American life. Although feminists have described Updike's treatment of women as condescending, the women in this trilogy emerge as strong and spirited characters who exist more comfortably in the world than do their male counterparts. To impart strength to these women, Updike continually associates them with Nature and circle imagery, reinforcing their innate connection with the organic rhythms of life. Sharing with Nature the function of life-giving, women exist on an eternal plane as integral parts of the birth-death-rebirth cycle.

Extent

115 p.

Comments

Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1984.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

Identifier

FADT14212

Format

pdf

Download

Share

COinS