Rabbit at Rest Group

Question:

butchvincent
butchvincent
Student
Graduate School

How and to what extent does John Updike's Rabbit at Rest deal with the issue of America vs Japan (social, cultural, economic differences, the works)?

Answers won't need to be very thorough -- I just need a few pointers to get started on a (very!) brief commentary I'm giving for one of my classes. 

Any and all help would be much appreciated. :-)

B.V.

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Posted by butchvincent on Sunday April 27, 2008 at 2:56 PM and tagged with america, harry angstrom, japan, john updike, rabbit at rest.

Answers:

  1. appletrees
    appletrees Teacher
    College - Junior

    eNotes Editor

    The most obvious element in the book that underscores the issue of Japanese competition is that Rabbit has grown affluent as a result of selling Japanese cars. His character has many quintessentially "American" characteristics (his skill at basketball, his love of junk food, his laziness) and his curiosity about other cultures is that of a dilettante as opposed to representing any true intellectual interest. He and Janice purchase Kruggerands because the value of many foreign currencies is at a high, but they also choose them because they can get them in solid gold; the idea of having the equivalent in Japanese Yen is inconsequential to Rabbit.

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    Posted by appletrees on Friday August 22, 2008 at 5:54 PM