Sex in "Rabbit Redux" by John Updike

The return to John Updike's famous character Harry Angstrom, better known as Rabbit, occurs after a gap of ten years from the previous book. Rabbit, now definitely past his prime, has lost his athleticism, his sex life, and the excitement he once sought. Sex is a very central subject in Rabbit Redux; the book's main conflict occurs around it, and the characters often reflect on it. For each, sex means something unique, and the feeling …

…The two meet up and rent a motel room, undressing once inside but allowing their exhaustion to overtake them. Lying together in a friendly way, the two feel a marital bond return as they share sleepy banter and platonically touch one another. Considering the abundance of superficial, meaningless sex that has defined the book's previous happenings, the non-sexual love showed by husband and wife in this closing encounter believably establishes the restoration of their devotion.