John Updike and His Controversial Themes

"When I write, I aim in my mind not toward New York but toward a vague spot a little to the east of Kansas.” This quote from John Updike supports the basis behind each and everyone of his many works. Whether it is his poetry, novels, short stories, newspaper articles or criticism, Updike utilizes common, intriguing, and often funny themes on which to base his stories. He captures the reader’s interest in the first paragraph of every story and holds it until the very end, creating great works for a vast variety of readers. His goal is to capture the interest of the people least expecting to be captured. In John Updike’s short stories, “A&P,” “The Women Who Got Away,” and “The Orphaned Swimming Pool,” he concentrates on writing about common yet unspoken of occurrences such as affairs, divorces, and rebellion. By writing on these topics, Updike entrances his readers by introducing unthinkable ideas that are rarely discussed at the diner table or in any polite social situation.

I chose to use gender criticism as my school of criticism when analyzing Updike's many works. The purpose of gender criticism is to criticize gender as society commonly conceives of it. Updike does not criticize nor look down upon either the male or female parts of humanity, however, he does point out the flaws in both males and females. He bashes the inhumane actions and the twisted morals of all people. He also describes in detail common rebellious actions that the average person typically ignores.

In “The Orphaned Swimming Pool,” the protagonists Ted and Linda Turner are a young and happily married couple. They live in their own house with their own backyard pool. They host block parties, go for midnight swims together and invite everyone they know over for lemonade and cookies. Linda and Ted then begin to suffer from a downward fall in their ever so romantic relationship. They move away, however, their pool still continues to run. The Turner’s neighbors take it upon themselves to fix up the pool and use it continuously throughout the summer. Unlike the pool with its rekindled use and enjoyment, the Turners marriage is hopelessly broken and they get divorced. When they split their belongings, everything gets claimed except for the unmovable pool which remains at the house growing old and dirty. The next owners of the house decide to cover the pool so it can never be used again. The covering of the pool is symbolic of society and its nature to “cover” anything that is out of the ordinary or taboo, such as the Turner’s divorce. Updike writes stories about situations such as the Turner’s to make people more familiar with and able to address and talk about the idea of getting divorced. Nevertheless, Updike is not supporting divorce. He is supporting the idea that if divorce is necessary then people who go through it should not be shunned from society.

This story in particular is just one example of how Updike addresses common yet unmentioned topics in his writings. In Updike’s “A&P,” “The Orphaned Swimming Pool,” and “The Women Who Got Away,” his dualistic literary style and technique are displayed. Updike is a skilled author and an excellent read for anyone seeking entertainment and controversial topics. I definitely recommend reading works from Updike's various genres to gain a real sense of his style and technique. (Elaborate Eucalyptus)