| Being one of the greatest contemporary American writers, John Updike's short stories and novels have been received enthusiastically by critics and the general reading public. A lot of research work has been done on Updike and his works, and quite a number of profound literary monographs have been produced on his famous Rabbit saga.Most critical responses on the Rabbit tetralogy focus on the writing techniques and themes of these novels. The idea of family in this Rabbit saga, however, has not been explored in any great depth~1. This thesis is a study on the idea of family in these four Rabbit novels, focusing on the protagonist's pursuit of the middle class ideal family under the influence of external popular culture and internal religious awareness.This thesis consists of seven parts:The first part gives a brief introduction to John Updike Study and the significance of this thesis.The second part presents Rabbit's longing for an ideal middle class family under the influence of the popular culture of the 1950s and the disharmonious relationship between Rabbit and his wife.The third part elaborates on the disagreement between Rabbit and his parents owing to the impact of the sexual revolution on Rabbit's idea of family.The fourth part analyzes the impact of Hippies culture on Young Americans' life pattern and the conflicting relationship between Rabbit and his son Nelson.The fifth part lays stress on the significance of marriage and family in religion and Rabbit's religious awareness.The sixth part states in detail Rabbit's escape from his family predicament and his pursuit of the ideal family.The last part concludes that the ideal family is for Rabbit an unattainable dream for there is a religious tie between Rabbit and his wife.
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