On Harry's Anxiety In Rabbit At Rest

John Updike is one of the most important contemporary writers in American literary circle. He has produced many literary works in his lifetime, among which the Rabbit Tetralogy stands as his magnum opus. As the final installment of his Rabbit Tetralogy, Rabbit at Rest is well known for its realistic and subtle depiction of the American psyche in the contemporary American society. In the novel, with the description of Harry's final experiences and continuous reminiscences, Updike reveals his deep insight into the spiritual plight that the protagonist is confronted with.By employing the neurosis theory of Karen Horney, the famous psychoanalyst of American sociocultural school, this thesis aims to interpret the causes of Harry's anxiety, his defensive strategies as well as the final consequences. It discloses the important influence of western culture exerted on the formation of individuals' anxiety. The study starts a new interpretation on Rabbit at Rest, providing a relatively new perspective for further research on Updike and his works.According to Horney's view in her neurosis theory, the causes of individuals' anxiety have a close relationship with the particular environments in which they live, both individual and cultural. In order to allay anxiety, individuals may resort to various kinds of defensive strategies to protect themselves, including interpersonal and intrapsychic strategies. Nevertheless, the self-defeating nature between the strategies may result in a series of bad consequences.The causes of Harry's anxiety, his defensive strategies and the final consequences accord with Horney's neurosis theory to a large degree. Based on systematic observation of Horney's neurosis theory as well as close textual study, Chapter One of the thesis discusses the determining influences of the particular environments exerted on Harry. It expounds that Harry gradually generates "basic anxiety" in the potentially hostile world, facing particular individual and cultural environments. Chapter Two is designed to study the incompatible coping strategies adopted by Harry and the occurrence of "basic conflict". Chapter Three analyzes the consequences resulting from Harry's unresolved conflicts. Finally, a conclusion is reached: through the exploration of the transformation and development of Harry's psychology in Rabbit at Rest, people in modern society may have a better understanding about their emotional disturbances. Furthermore, the thesis attempts to put forward solutions to help people get out of the spiritual plight in modern society—establishing good interpersonal relationship and promoting individual faculty for creative work.