John Cheever

The quote from John Cheever’s “The Swimmer” shows how the protagonist, Neddy, fails to realize and accept the fact of reality, and only tries to escape from it. As the narrator indicates that Neddie is actually incapable of realizing the rudeness from the caterer’s barkeep and the mistress, readers might presume that Cheever is actually using these two characters to present the issue of social class and love as both are inevitably connected with the reality that the protagonist couldn’t dare to face

In John Cheever’s short story, “The Swimmer” he conveys the transformation of the character through the use of setting. The story begins in the suburbs of Neddy Merill's neighborhood. After a night of partying and drinking, Neddy the main character seems optimistic, he has a perfect family, a high social status, and not many problems going on in his life. He feels young and energetic therefore decides to swim across town through backyard neighborhood pools. However, his journey becomes less fun

Essay and e-mail - Reunion A. An essay analyzing the short story This essay is going to be an analysis and interpretation of the short story ‘’Reunion’’ by John Cheever. It will begin with a summary of the short story. Afterwards the plot, the conflict and the setting will be analyzed. Then I’ll move on to the characterization, the possible surprise ending and the theme and message. Finally I will draw parallels between the short story ‘’Reunion’’ and the essay ‘’Living With Strangers’’ by Siri

2014 An Analysis of "The Swimmer" by John Cheever Most stories can have an emotional impact on people, but once in a while certain stories can take the reader to the edge of reality. The Swimmer is a fascinating story with primary use of a setting and amazing characters that engages readers and can move them to experience life in an unfathomable way. Cheever was born May 27, 1912, in Quincy, Massachusetts, to Frederick Lincoln Cheever and Mary Liley Cheever. His father owned a shoe factory until

By the time the alcohol touches the tongue, the storm has already begun. John Cheever’s relationship with alcohol presents itself throughout the short story “The Swimmer”, and uses the character, Ned Merrill, to represent the struggles he was experiencing. Addiction and the need for alcohol drove this character into a storm he couldn't retreat from. In “The Swimmer” Cheever uses a physical storm and the changes in the weather to show the path of drinking and becoming an alcoholic. The short story

In John Cheever’s “The Swimmer,” the main character challenges himself to swim through all of the neighboring pools on his way home. He has named this chain of pools the “Lucinda River” which is a nod to his marriage. Each pool that he swims in represents a period of time that Neddy passes through. At the top of the tale, Neddy is a strong and active young man that is deeply content with his life. He feels as if there isn’t a thing that he can’t accomplish. Neddy changes physically as he moves from

In the short story “ The Swimmer,” John Cheever expresses the idea that Neddy Merrill can lose everything if he denies reality. Cheever achieves this by employing various symbols during Merrill's cross county journey. The main symbols are the weather and seasons. Cheever uses the changing of seasons to distort the character’s sense of time and show the progression of Merrill’s life. In the beginning of the story the setting is described as a midsummer day and by the end of the story, Merrill is able

The meaning of a happy and prosperous life can take on different forms based on the value and belief of an individual. For Neddy Merrill, the main character in “The Swimmer” by John Cheever, prosperity is solely associated with wealth and social standing. In this essay, I will argue that contrasting images of the public and private pools, encountered by Neddy swimming across his upper-class neighbourhood, reflect his obsession with material and social success, which ultimately deserted him in desperation

In the short allegory, ‘The Swimmer’ (1968), John Cheever explores the grandeur of the title character, Ned Merrill, a posh middle-aged man on the brink of alcoholism who lives in a world devoid of spiritual meaning and filled with materialism. Throughout the story, Ned’s swimming escapade or his seeming journey of self, pool by pool, reveals the facade of his idealized ‘reality’ and as a result, into an epoch of incredulity whereby he begins to realize that with every stroke comes disillusionment

Cheever’s “The Swimmer” John Cheever’s short story, “The Swimmer,” describes the epic journey of Neddy Merrill as he attempts to swim his way back home. Throughout the story, readers continually question reality and fantasy while wondering whether Merrill is really experiencing what Cheever portrays or if he is simply stuck in the past. Merrill goes from house to house as he freestyles across each swimming pool along the way. As the story draws to the end, Cheever points out that Merrill’s world