Nobody wants to fall into the "peaked in high school" category. In John Updike's Rabbit, Run, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom struggles to find himself and his true purpose in the world, after being a well-recognized basketball player. Rabbit strives to become a contributing member to society "In Rabbit, Run John Updike argues that through renewal and self-actualization one must confront relationships and responsibilities in order to realize the repercussions. Updike achieves this by advancing central themes, character development, and plot to help support his message.
The story is told from Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom's perspective, although the narrator will occasionally tell the events from which they occur in other character's heads.
The central themes prevalent in Rabbit, Run promote Updike's main argument. They embody Rabbit's journey for self-discovery. Throughout the story Updike utilizes fear to provide a sense of relief. Rabbit often finds himself in situations where he feels trapped. To negate these situations, Rabbit uses his "instinct" to run away from his fear. He describes this feeling when he states, "Your fear trills like an alarm bell you cannot shut off, the louder the faster you run, hunchbacked, until distinctly, with a gasp of the clutch, a near car shifts gears, and the stumpy white posts of the guard fence dawns behind the pine trunks. (Updike 67) Rabbit ultimately fears normality and seeks better opportunities by running away. But the struggle with being responsible prevails because when he runs away he realizes he can't afford to give up on his relationships because that would make him a bad person. Updike also touches on Religion in Rabbit, Run. It is evident when the characters faith was questioned after the death of Rabbit's newborn baby, "Janice and Rabbit become unnaturally still; both are Christians. God's name makes them feel guilty.