Rabbit, Run Characters

Twenty six year old Rabbit is six foot three, smart, talented, athletic, sexy, and has the gift of gab. He’s environmentally conscious, too – with the walking and running instead of driving (mo...

The picture we get of Janice is sketchy, because it’s mostly from Rabbit’s point of view. From the start, he admits that he “doesn’t know her that well,” even though s...

Although Nelson, Rabbit and Janice's son, is only a toddler in the novel, he's a driving force behind Rabbit’s movement. As we see in Rabbit’s "Character Analysis," he looks to a variet...

Rebecca is another example of a minor character that packs a punch. We don’t get to know her because she dies before she’s a month old, but she’s an important character precisely...

Ruth, an ex-prostitute, a sexually experienced woman, and an atheist, provides alternative viewpoints on sex and religion to those of the other characters in the novel. She is the only character th...

Eccles is about the same age as Rabbit, and they get pretty close at moments. Eccles even tells several people he "loves" Rabbit. He’s Rabbit’s self-appointed guide to responsible adult...

We learn from Rabbit at the beginning of the novel that Rabbit finds Tothero a powerful figure in his life, second only to his mother. He credits Tothero with his success in basketball. Where Eccle...

Janice’s mother could be seen as Janice’s own personal antagonist. Her hateful words in the phone call to Janice, just before Janice drowns the baby, make her a suspect in Rebecca June&...

Rabbit’s mom is a powerful figure in his life. At one point, after the baby’s death, he thinks that either he or his mother must die for the other to live. While she expresses disapprov...

Rabbit considers Mr. Springer, his father-in-law, a bully and part of the trap. It’s not clear what Mr. Springer has done to make Janice feel disapproval, but he admits he’s guilty of d...

We don’t get much information about Earl Angstrom, though we know he and Rabbit’s mother used to fight, and that he is a printer. He does not forgive Rabbit for leaving Janice, even bef...

We only meet her on two occasions. Rabbit hates her and thinks she resembles Janice. She’s "dating" Tothero and is Ruth’s friend. She functions pretty much as the tenuous link between R...

She’s an atheist but married to Jack Eccles. She’s also a big fan of Freud. And she’s hot. That’s why Rabbit smacks her butt. She is his fantasy lover, the woman he masturba...

Mim is Rabbit’s little sister. He loves her dearly. She seems to represent his idea of perfect childhood. When upset, he will often turn to the memory of riding her on his handlebars for comf...

Mrs. Smith gives Rabbit a job tending her luscious garden. She represents the generation before Rabbit and Janice’s parents and also provides interesting views on war, peace, and sustenance f...