Rabbit, Run

That evening, Rabbit and Ruth go to the Club Castanet, a bar Rabbit distrusts. By this point, the ease has gone out of their relationship, and the phone has begun to scare him. Margaret arrives with Ronnie Harrison, a former basketball teammate of Rabbit’s who is now fat and balding. Harrison insinuates he knows about Rabbit and Ruth living together. The two men trade insults about their high school basketball careers. Harrison claims that Tothero once said Rabbit was not a team player, causing Rabbit to doubt in his idealistic recollection of his youth for the first time.

Harrison reveals that he and Ruth once went to Atlantic City together and tells sexually explicit stories about their companions. Rabbit invents a crude story in retaliation, but Ruth shakes her head disapprovingly, which saddens him. Mim then arrives with a preppy date. When Harrison implies Miriam is promiscuous, Rabbit confronts her, snaps the boy’s tie in his face, and orders Ruth to leave with him.

Walking home, they argue about Ruth’s past. He interrogates her about her sexual history, forcing her to admit that she was previously a sex worker. Back at the apartment, Rabbit demands she perform oral sex on him to prove she is his and break through the wall that has come between them. Feeling trapped, she complies.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Springer calls the Eccles to report that Janice is in labor. Lucy spends two hours trying to locate Jack, growing frightened and resentful of his ministry. When Eccles finally returns home late, having been at the drugstore gossiping with teenagers, he calls Rabbit and tells him the news. Rabbit agrees to go to the hospital to be with her.

Rabbit tells Ruth that he must go but will return. When she fails to respond to him, he grows angry. He threatens not to come back and leaves. After he goes, Ruth sits up crying, then kneels by the toilet feeling nauseous. The sickness feels like a friend to her.

Rabbit runs through the streets to St. Joseph’s Hospital. In the parking lot, he stops and prays to the moon to make everything all right. Inside, he waits with Eccles, consumed by guilt. He is certain his sin will cause Janice or the baby to die. He also becomes convinced the baby will be a monster, conflating his sexual acts with Ruth with the baby’s conception. He loses faith in God and fears that Janice will die. A joyful memory of his first girlfriend, Mary Ann, briefly comforts him.

Mrs. Springer arrives and verbally attacks Rabbit, accusing him of hoping Janice will die. Her words pierce his solitude and make the event feel real. Dr. Crowe, the obstetrician, informs Rabbit he has a healthy six-pound, ten-ounce daughter. To Rabbit’s astonishment, the doctor asks his permission for Mrs. Springer to visit Janice first. Rabbit agrees, feeling that being a father has somehow earned him forgiveness.

Later, Rabbit is led to Janice’s room. Under the influence of ether, she greets him warmly. They have an affectionate reunion, and all of Rabbit’s fear and regret dissolve. A nun ends the visit. Eccles invites Rabbit to spend the night at the rectory. Driving back to Mt. Judge, Rabbit feels as if a clear path has opened before him. He falls into a deep, safe, dreamless sleep.

The next day, Lucy wakes Rabbit to remind him about hospital visiting hours. She makes a sarcastic comment about his clear conscience and reveals that her children call him the “naughty man,” a nickname Jack ascribed to him. Nevertheless, Jack is overjoyed and feels he has finally done something constructive. Rabbit is annoyed at the idea of being managed. Lucy mockingly asks how it feels to be a new man. As he prepares to leave, their eyes meet, and she winks at him.

At the hospital, Rabbit encounters Harriet Tothero, his old coach’s wife. She tells him Tothero is recovering from two strokes, and invites Rabbit to visit. Rabbit is stunned to see Tothero experiencing partial paralysis and muteness. He leaves, feeling defeated.

His visit with Janice is disappointing and strained now that she is no longer under the influence of ether. They argue about his absence, her alcohol intake, and the sex worker with whom Rabbit lived. Janice reveals she has not paid rent for two months and does not know what happened to their furniture. He tries to reconcile with her, and they end up watching a game show together, holding hands in fragile peace.

A nurse takes Rabbit to see his baby at the viewing window. He feels an overwhelming sense of amazement at her beauty and perfection. He reads a delightful hint of disdain in her expression and feels she is distinctly feminine. Overjoyed, he returns to Janice with the idea of naming the baby June. Janice wants to name her after her mother, Rebecca. They compromise on Rebecca June Angstrom.