죤 업다이크의 '토끼는 부자이다'-실존의 허무

Abstract

Rabbit Is Rich is the most straightforward presentation of existential nothingness among Updike's “Rabbit” tetralogy. According to the existentialist view, the authentic individual is one who experiences an encounter with the abyss of nothingness. Each individual suddenly faces his naked self; without awareness and reason, he experiences an existential crisis, in which it is impossible to find any meaning in life. Most people try to avoid the encounter and to negate nothingness. But the authentic individual recognizes the inevitability of nothingness and discovers his true self so that he becomes stronger and more authentic.The protagonist of the novel, Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, experiences this encounter with nothingness. Despite his complacency with material success and apparent happiness, Rabbit's inner mind is full of dark emotions. He loses all illusions about an illegitimate daughter who might have been born to his former girl friend Ruth. He experiences only blankness or the void through sex. Money is meaningless in his search for inner freedom. And he is made extremely aware of his own mortality through the birth of his granddaughter. As a result of these confrontations, Rabbit seems to be languishing in a state of despair. But he is not afraid of confronting the abyss of nothingness. Rabbit, as an existential protagonist, is expected to seek authenticity for the rest of his life.