John Cheever Essay

“The old banker was walking up and down his study and remembering how, fifteen years before, he had given a party one autumn evening” (Chekhov 210) is the opening for the short story, “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov. This short story is a suspenseful writing about a banker and a lawyer, who makes a bet with each other. The lawyer bets the banker that he can stay in confinement for fifteen years for two million dollars. At the end of the short story, irony comes into play when the lawyer decides to leave

own mind a unique and detailed setting. A striking way to illuminate the importance of this ability is to juxtapose an authors original text with less colorful wording.  For example, one can take certain exemplary samples from two different stories, John Updike’s “A & P” and Anton Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Dog” and dull down the language, to state it in a more factual manner, completely taking away any scenery the author so brilliantly

Lucinda Merrill and Helena and Donald Westerhazy are sitting around the pool complaining about their hangovers. Cheever is describing how Neddy is feeling young and energetic and because of this he decides to swim all the way home. “His heart was high and he ran across the grass. Making a pilgrim, and explorer, a man with a destiny, and he knew that he would find friends along the way.” (Cheever 604). He dives into the Westerhazy’s pool thinking about all the pools that lie ahead and with that comes

then achieving something but still not getting any type of applaud from his father. Harold Snr then separated Tony from his brother/best friend John when it came to swimming practice which pulled Tony and John further away from each other as they were both each other’s support when it came to competition shown in the scene where Tony was looking around for John to do their handshake they did before every race which then made him not perform to his best and made him loose to his brother. Tony then went

can only strengthen my argument as well as support Bell’s credibility, and I will use it to show how misuse of alcohol may cause one to struggle with loss and acceptance of their situation. Blythe, Hal; Sweet, Charlie. “Perverted Sacraments in John Cheever’s ‘The Swimmer.’.” Studies in Short Fiction 21.4 (Fall 1984). Rpt. In Short Story Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec Vol. 57. Detroit: Gale, 2003 Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Oct.

In the short story, “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov, a banker and a young man make a bet with each other based on capital punishment and whether the death penalty is better or worse than life in prison. The terms of the wager state that if the lawyer can live in solitary confinement for fifteen years, he will be given two million dollars. When examining the story, the Marxist lens would offer an insight to the ability of symbols and its forms, styles and, meanings. Chekhov connects these themes by utilizing

They say when life gives you lemon, you make lemonade, but from what I observed, sometimes all you can make is untasteful, disgusting sugarless lemon-water. The Swimmer is a short story based on the adventure of suburban man name Neddy Merrill. Merrill is a heavy drinker, a swimmer and somewhat popular man. As Merrill sat down by the Westerhazy’s is pool in a hot sunny day drinking gin, he came up with the idea to swim from pool to pool until he reaches his house. He swam from his the Westerhazys’

“The Swimmer” is a short story about the journey of Neddy Merrill’s life. He wants to swim across the whole county, and as the story progresses we find out more about his life and the significance of alcohol in his life; which is represented through the water. Ned swims through his neighbours’ swimming pools and names the route “stream Lucinda” after his wife. Through his various interactions with his neighbours he does not necessarily choose to turn a blind eye, but is incapable of understanding

Control in Crews's Body and Cheever's Five-Forty-Eight   Harry Crews's Body and John Cheever's "Five-Forty-Eight" offer characters whose lives lack control. Although Crews's Bateman is a perfecting, attractive, and popular body builder, his life does not satisfy him. However, from the outside Bateman appears happy and content. On the other hand, Cheever's Ms. Dent is skinny, shy, emotional, and disheveld. Her description reflects the unsteadiness and the insecurity in her life. Although

In the short story, “Along the Frontage Road” by Michael Chabon, a father and son visit a pumpkin patch off a frontage road to escape from their home and problems. While at the pumpkin patch, the father reflects on how many situations in life are uncontrollable. The family had suffered the loss of their unborn daughter, and the father and son use their experience at the pumpkin patch to move on in life. Michael Chabon uses figurative language in the form of metaphors and similes, a depressing mood