THE THEME OF SELF ABSORPTION AND THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS IN "RABBIT, RUN" BY JOHN UPDIKE AND "THE CRYING OF LOT 49" BY THOMAS PYNCHON

The purpose of this research paper is to compare and contrast two characters from both John Updike's "Rabbit, Run" and Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49," and the main characters that include both Rabbit Angstrom and Oedipa Maas. To a great extent, it is my opinion that both characters, Rabbit Angstrom and Oedipa Maas do share many characteristics. To begin with, I should like to offer an overview of both novels, as well as related characters. "The Crying of Lot 49" by Thomas Pynchon was written in the 1960s, one of the most politically and socially turbulent decades in U.S. history. The decade saw the rise of the drug culture, the Viet Nam war, the Rock revolution, as well as the birth of numerous social welfare programs after the Democrats swept Congress in the 1964 elections. The novel taps into this explosion of cultural occurrences depicting a dramatically fragmented society. "The Crying of Lot 49" contains a pervasive sense of cultural chaos, indeed, the book draws on all areas of culture and society, including many of the aforementioned. In the end, the novel's protagonist, Oedipa Maas, finds herself alone and ali...