Updike lived in New England, Massachusetts for many years, only 20 miles from Boston, and his novel was set here. Critics agree that Updike's works criticize American morality and social structure. Updike is a gentle satirist, who likes to make jokes about American living habits, and rarely has narrow-minded skeptical remarks. He observes daily life carefully and often asks readers to admit and reflect on their own prejudices. The short story Bankrupt (1983) is an example, which completely subverts the views of ordinary people on bankrupts and proves that they can still live a good life. Updike believes that sex, art and religion are "three great and mysterious things" in human experience. Some critics praised Updike's constant description of nude sex scenes as an honest expression of human desires, while others thought it was pure pornography and not worth it. Several moralists even say that Updike's women are exploitative and good at rejecting the same sex. Despite the above arguments, many scholars still affirm Updike's literary achievements. He often discusses Christian morality, and his works firmly examine the spiritual level of modern people. The theme of human existence always appears in his works. Updike has always kept the habit of reading theological books and going to church regularly, so as to serve as a guide to daily life.
John updike is a sharp scalpel in American society. He paints portraits of the middle class and writes epics about their daily life and customs. After reading his works, you will have an impression of photographic realism. Novels such as Rabbit Series and Couple show you the whole picture of the secular life of American middle class in the second half of the 20th century. Even if you have never been to the United States, you can understand the living conditions of most Americans by reading his books. I should not exaggerate. As far as writing is concerned, his style is gorgeous and exquisite. Because he studied painting, he may be influenced by many post-impressionist styles, so he uses a pen as a brush in his writing, and his brushwork is meticulous. He likes to take pains to describe those subtle details and scenes of life, and he has become a master of rococo literature and art with excessive carving and some complexity. Moreover, he is also good at psychological description and stream of consciousness, but the background color of his works is realistic. His realism absorbed many techniques of modernism and post-modernism and combined them. Perhaps only in this way can it be used to express a special class and enrich and complicate contemporary American life.
After Updike's death, Philip Roth, an American contemporary novelist, delivered a eulogy, praising "Updike is the greatest writer of our time-not only an excellent novelette writer, but also an equally outstanding literary critic. Like his predecessor Hawthorne in the19th century, he will become a part of the treasure house of American literature. His death is an inestimable loss to American literature. "