The Space View In "Rabbit Tetralogy"

John Updike is a famous novelist and poet in the contemporary America. As a literaryexpresser of American middle-class life, ideology and emotion, John Updike is a prolificwriter of the twentieth century. His works have won a number of literary awards. RabbitTetralogy, which is Updike’s masterpiece and has a long standing reputation. It perfectlyshows his creative talent in various aspects at the same time. Rabbit Tetralogy, which iscomposed of four novels, Rabbit,Run (1960), Rabbit Redux (1970), Rabbit Is Rich (1981) andRabbit at Rest (1990). This series of stories not only depicts the life of the protagonist HarryAngstrom from the age of26to55, who is nicknamed Rabbit, but also systematically andcomprehensively displays the living conditions of ordinary American, who live under thebroad background of American society during the last forty years. The studies about JohnUpdike and his works home and broad have started from1960s. Rabbit Tetralogy has alwaysbeen the focus of the comment undoubtedly.It is a hotspot that using the philosophical view to interpret literature. In this field, spacetheory has risen to become a new focus of discussion. After reading Rabbit Tetralogy in detail,this thesis finds a storyline--space of this story, which has been ignored for a long time. Theview of space not only fits in with the philosophical research hotspot, it also can provide anew idea for the study of John Updike and his Rabbit Tetralogy. This new idea will break theexisting pattern of this research, and it is also the innovation of this thesis.In the field of space philosophy, Edward W.Soja epitomized the thoughts of manymasters of philosophy. On the basis of the Edward W.Soja’s views on three kinds of space,this thesis will interpret the protagonist’s actions that chasing freedom, finding selfhood andextending the living space in the first space, second space and third space. Harry hasrepresentativeness most, who is not just an individual, and he is everyone in modern society.The problems in Harry’s daily life are the same as the modern people have to face every day.Therefore, to study about Harry’ life is to examine and research the living situation ofcontemporary society. Blinded by the space, Harry has been struggling in the first, second andthird space built by himself. So through using the space philosophy to analyse the life courseof Harry, this thesis is expected to give the modern people who have the same survivalproblems some enlightenment.