Mindy came up with the Rabbit quote that seemed to sum him up: "If you have the guts to be yourself, other people will pay the price." My (Ed's) choice of Updike's Rabbit, Run provoked a great discussion this month. Whether folks liked the book or not was roughly even split- some loved it, some hated it, even maybe Tim who leaned favorable ( and Chrysanne- I couldn't get a reaction). Terry/Mindy couldn't get beyond Rabbit as a profoundly immature/unattractive scumbag on a weak plot line. Tim found the book depressing, but with literary value reflecting a lot of life's relationship and other complexities. Cindy loved it for it's craftmanship and portrayal of feeling trapped in a small town world. Our guest and hopefully, new member, Lexi was glad to have had the push to read Updike and found the end better than the beginning.We discussed some themes- Rabbit as a rebellious seeker, running from life's traps vs. Rabbit as a superficial, irresponsible, sex driven scumbag. All agreed, Rabbit not an attractive protagonist. We also talked about Rabbit representing the uninhibited picture of chauvinism in the 60's.
I (Ed) had to explain why the Rabbit obsession (which a former member had resisted as a choice for
so long)- it seemed that all of the Rabbit books had merged in his over the hill mind- Rabbit becomes a much more sympathetic and poignant figure in later books.
Overall, the main characters were losers but with internal thought
processes showing them to be very complicated. We found Eccles and Tothero as positive figures or were they bums like the rest? Some saw the book as expressing a dark period in American life. I saw some redeeming qualities in Ruth despite her job history. All agreed it was a slow read with each page exquisitely crafted,
like reading poetry.
Written mostly by Ed and organized by Cindy
Next month we will read The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart and we will meet at Mindy's on August 22 at 7 PM. We welcome Lexi Potter !
