Rabbit, Run

Confession time comes first. I hadn't finished reading the total of the book before class started. I had read up to the point right before Rabbit left his wife when she wouldn't "love" him. The ending supprised me and I am still left confused as to who he picked to finally be with. Is that the way Updike wants us to be? I think Updike wrote this to make us think and to let us know that we have to be accepting of the punishment that comes with the mistakes we make. Ruth let Rabbit into her bed knowing that he would leave her. She wound up pregnant and something tells me she will be taking care of it on her own. Rabbit left his wife and must deal with the anguish of losing his child.

I have no idea why Updike would write such a novel. Part of me thinks maybe he experienced this in his own life or through it with a friend, but who knows for sure. I think he wants us to really think about the actions we take in life. Most every decsion we make can affect our lives in a good way or in a bad way. It can also affect the people around us. We have to take into concideration how what we do can hurt those around us. We should learn to not be selfish but to put others first.