Images in Rabbit， Run from Archetypal Perspective

付曉芳

【Abstract】John Updike is regarded as one of the greatest American novelists in the 20th century. His Rabbit series brought him a worldwide reputation， especially the first one Rabbit， Run is considered as his magnum opus and has drawn the most concern from the critics. This thesis is intended to shed light on Rabbit， Run by applying some important archetypal terms， especially the archetypal images. By sorting out the employment of images， this thesis aims to prove Harrys plight and to dig out the theme of the empty mental condition of the whole society. Therefore， it hopes to provide a new way to interpret this novel.

【Key words】Rabbit； Run； archetypal criticism； images

1. Introduction

John Updike （1932-2009） is generally acknowledged to be one of the most successful contemporary American writers. His outstanding achievement is not only reflected in his great quantity of the works but also in the high quality. Especially he established his famous reputation for his Rabbit series， including the novels Rabbit， Run； Rabbit Redux； Rabbit Is Rich； Rabbit At Rest； and the novella Rabbit Remembered. His works mainly discuss about the suburban life of American middle-class in extreme details， which is mixed with tensions， dilemmas， frustrations， joys and sorrows. Rabbit Run， set in Pennsylvania in the 1950s， depicts a young former basketball player Harry Angstroms five-month life. He is tired of the tedious daily life and tries to evade the constraints of his life and suffocating society. He abandons his wife and son and runs away.

Archetypal criticism， considered as a kind of influential literary criticism， thrived in the 1950s and 1960s. Rooted in social anthropology and psychoanalysis， it is extended to literary field which is the main direction of later research. For example， it analyzes and distinguishes the diverse recurring literary phenomena， such as characters， symbols， motifs， and narrative structure， to manifest the universal myths and archetypes， expose the correlation between literature and myths and reveal the essence of literature as well as the universal thought and behavior patterns of a nation or a group of people.

2. Archetypal Images

Archetypal images are recurring symbols that are used to represent certain ideas and meanings. In Northrop Fryes view， archetype is “a typical or recurring image…a symbol which connects one poem with another and thereby helps to unify and integrate our literary experience” （Frye 2009：99）. Archetypal images can be considered as a branch of archetypes which are provided with different significant symbolic meanings. For example， water， fire， colors， trees， desert， serpent， mountain and garden are some of the typical and universal images. The employment of these images in literary works， involved with human unconscious experience， helps to enrich the symbolic connotations and deepen the thematic interpretation. Rabbit， Run， which is mainly discussed here， contains the images of water， garden and the mountain Mt. Judge， all of which seem separated but closely-related. The meaning of the image of water transforms from vitality， danger to death. The garden is the sign of the Garden of Eden， the material and spiritual paradise for the protagonist. Besides， the mountain Mt. Judge embodies the meaning of essence of life. They are connected together and endowed with further implications which suggest Harrys running is destined to be a failure and the confusions that he has during his running.

2.1 Water—From Vitality to Death

First of all， water symbolizes vitality， hope and beautiful dream for Harry. Water， the vital lifeblood， is the source of life and indispensable element for humans. The fluid water often stands for joy and passion. At the beginning of the novel， Harry wants to drive for the Gulf of Mexico， lies on the beach， experiences the “rustling of the sea” （30）， enjoys the peace of the seaside and relaxes on the soft beach. Here， the warm and soft sea water represents relaxation and energy. Just thinking of his dream destination is enough to make Harry energetic and excited and motivates him to quest.

Secondly， being underwater can be regarded as a euphemistic expression of sexual behavior. Before their marriage， Rabbit often meets Janice in the chamber， “with the dim light and green floor like something underwater” （10）. Here， water combines with the color green to form one image group which describes the harmonious and joyful sexual relation between them and conveys the couples lust for love and being loved.

In short summary， the image water represents liveliness and dream for him. Especially， when combined with the color green， it is related to Harrys sexuality， that is his strong lust for sex and love. Through staying with Ruth， Harry regains the powerful and energetic feeling and tastes the pleasure of success again. He senses that he is someone special so that he can control everything again through the passionate sexual relation with Ruth.

Besides having the magic for life， water has the destructive force as well. It can destroy everywhere and swallow everything. Updike knows the features of water clearly and thoroughly so that he connects the image of water with negative connotations. As the story develops， water is endowed the opposite meaning—pressure， danger and even death.

In a word， throughout the novel the meaning of the image of water changes from vitality， dream to pain and death.

2.2 Mt. Judge—Essence of Life

The image of mountain is repeatedly used in literary works and usually is the symbol of eternality and holiness. The direction of climbing is upward， which often suggests climbing the peak of life and trying to pursue the essence and truth of life. Only possessing with courage and persistence， can the climber have the possibility to move up to the summit. The process of upward movement symbolizes the spirit of quest， immortality and significance.

The setting of the novel is shifted from the mountain Mt. Judge and the plain. Mt. Judge is the place where one can overlook the city of Brewer. The mountain is mentioned several times by Harry when he is pressured hardly by the suffocating living environment. The life in the level ground， like a piece of spiritual wasteland， is corrupt and disappointing. People are caught in the spiritual crisis. However， Mt. Judge is different. Harry wants to start freshly by walking up the mountain. Here the mountain contains a deep religious connotation. For him， the mountain Mt. Judge is full of elevation and majesty. He quests for the higher spirit and deeper essence of life.

In summary， the vivid depiction of two images showcases the authors affirmation and approval to the mountain and denunciation and disapproval to the plain. On the plain， he is still caught in the invisible net and burdened under the great pressure. While climbing the mountain， like Mount Judge in the novel， he acquires momentary release as well as spiritual elevation. That is to say， he quests for the essence of life and comfort by climbing Mt. Judge. However， he lacks enough bravery and fails in the end. Anyhow his behavior arouses readers thought and exploration for life， which is advantageous to interpret deeply the theme and intensifies the charm of the novel.

2.3 Mrs. Smiths Garden—the Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden in the Bible is a peaceful and happy paradise without misery or pain. In Rabbit， Run， the image of Mrs. Smiths garden is a symbol of the Garden of Eden and is applied to represent an idealized place where Harry gains material and spiritual wealth as well as relaxation.

On the one hand， working in Mrs. Smiths garden， Harry seems to be set free from all the social pressure. Updike uses a lot of pages to describe the natural beauty of Mrs. Smiths garden after Harrys hard work， including the colorful and aromatic blown flowers everywhere. The working Harry has some similarities with Adam in the Garden of Eden who takes charge of the plants and animals. Whats more， the prosperous beauty in Mrs. Smiths garden reminds readers of the peace and harmony of the Garden of Eden in the Bible.

On the other hand， not only Harry releases from mental tension and gains hope but also the lonely Mrs. Smith gets revitalized and satisfied. Mrs. Smith is very grateful for Harry. Without his help， she can not find and enjoy the joy of life again. That makes her think that life still has hope and vitality. By giving hope and energy to the old widow， Harry also realizes his value and quest for purpose of life. By his hard labor， he obtains the material and spiritual harvest， gets the recognition of the society and the realization of his values again.

In summary， Mrs. Smiths prosperous garden is the symbol of peace and satisfaction， like the Garden of Eden. Contrasted with the empty reality， the garden is the spiritual paradise filled with religious meaning. Actually， the garden not only provides him with financial income but also spiritual motivation. Harry is satisfied with the simple and pure gardening. He can make a living on his diligent hands to harvest the wealth in material and spirit. In his consistent pursuit， he is momentarily far away from the disgusting pain and complexity. Like sports and sex， his ideal work in garden can give him both physical gratification and emotional fulfillment.

3. Conclusion

To sum up， this thesis analyzes John Updikes masterpiece Rabbit， Run with myth-archetypal criticism as the theoretical basis， especially using the archetypal images to reveal Harrys quest and thus the modern peoples spiritual crisis. The archetypal images in this novel such as water， the mountain Mt. Judge and the garden join together to manifest the symbolic meanings and the themes of the novel. On the one hand， the combination of these images， explains the plight and burden Harry faces which is the reason for Harrys quest behavior. On the other hand， it implies that the inevitable result of his quest is failure. In a word， the images play a very important role in illustrating Harrys quest and deepening the novels theme.

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