Aporias Of Modernity And Redemption

John Updike (1932-2009) is one of the most important American writers since the 1950's. He is a rarely seen serious write who manages the popular reading taste. He was called the'American Middle Classes Soul Painter'as he is good at describing the live of American Middle Class. He had been active through all his life and wrote many writings; he was awarded almost all the American literature prizes. Totally 64 novels, poetry anthology, essay review collection and short stories among which 25 were novel were published until 2009 in which he deceased. The Rabbit Series that he started to write since the 1950's is his most important writing. In the Series, he created a nobody hero Harry and traced his life for 30 years trough 26 to 56 years old. The living condition, behavior characteristics, emotion mode, ethic consciousness, moral concept, culture formation and tradition, politics and religion etc.. of American Middle Class is described from the Rabbit's eye view. The social transformation and value transition for half a century in The US history was smoothly and naturally reflected through the writing.The thesis studies the Rabbit Series of John Updike Rabbit Run (1960), Rabbit Redux (1971), Rabbit is Rich (1981) and Rabbit at Rest(1991)). Started from studies of forefathers and based on detailed reading of text, the living dilemma of modern people and its forming reason in Updike's writing is studied and meanwhile the foreshadowing that the redemption method and strategy provide by Updike for the whole society in the text is found out. The thesis is divided into three chapters. The first chapter introduces the text content of Rabbit Series by Updike in general. The second chapter analyzes the living aporias of modern people and ways to go through the aporias in Updike's view point in a study manner. The third chapter introduces the effective edemtion provided by Updike for the American society. The last part is conclusion, elaborates that, as a painter, Updike has a sharp insight on the focus of life, and tries to improve the society as he analyzes the society as a humanity and social scholar. He is a literary master of judgment and responsibility.