Rabbit Is Rich (Rabbit Angstrom #3) Summary & Key Insights

John Updike's Rabbit Is Rich, the third novel in the Rabbit Angstrom series, finds Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom ten years after the events of Rabbit Redux. He's now comfortably middle-aged, a successful car dealer in affluent Brewer, Pennsylvania. His life, however, is far from idyllic, simmering beneath a veneer of material success.

The novel's central plot revolves around Rabbit's growing discontent and the various crises that threaten his carefully constructed world. His wealth, accumulated through shrewd business dealings, provides a sense of security but also fuels his anxieties. He's burdened by the emptiness of his achievements and the realization that he hasn't truly fulfilled himself. His marriage to Janice, though outwardly stable, is strained by unspoken resentments and simmering infidelity on both sides. Janice's own dissatisfaction manifests in a shopping spree funded by Rabbit's money, which symbolizes her emptiness and their relationship's superficiality.

A significant subplot involves Rabbit's unexpected relationship with his young, rebellious daughter, Rebecca. Their connection, initially formed through shared resentment towards Janice, develops into a complex and almost forbidden intimacy. Rebecca represents a younger generation grappling with its own identity crises, mirroring Rabbit's own struggles in a different context. Their brief affair serves as a temporary escape for Rabbit from the routine and dissatisfaction of his marriage, highlighting his ongoing struggle with commitment and emotional honesty.

The arrival of his wealthy, aging father-in-law, Eccles, further complicates things. Eccles's presence underscores the generational gap and the shifting values within the family. Eccles represents a fading old money aristocracy, while Rabbit embodies a more nouveau riche success built on car sales and shrewdness. Their contrasting lifestyles highlight Rabbit's insecurity and his yearning for acceptance within a social circle he secretly admires.

Throughout the novel, Updike explores themes of aging, wealth, and the emptiness of material success. Rabbit, despite his financial stability, remains deeply unhappy and unfulfilled. His search for meaning is erratic and often misguided, marked by impulsive actions and fleeting connections. The novel examines the compromises individuals make in pursuit of the American Dream, the inherent contradictions of material comfort, and the pervasive sense of loneliness that can accompany prosperity.

The ending of Rabbit Is Rich leaves Rabbit in a precarious state. While he hasn't experienced a catastrophic collapse, he's left wrestling with the same fundamental questions of identity and purpose that plagued him in previous installments. His wealth provides a temporary buffer against his anxieties, but the underlying dissatisfaction remains, setting the stage for the subsequent novel in the series. His relationship with Janice remains fragile, and the future of his connection with Rebecca is uncertain, leaving the reader pondering the true nature of Rabbit's newfound "richness."