The Swimmer

Lea Shontay Wilks Instructor Lisa Adams Lit 101 Introduction to Literature (33203.201330) 26 April 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

The setting of “The Swimmer” is in the suburbs, describing the aquatic adventure of Neddy, an energetic and cheerful father and husband. After attending a cocktail party, he decided that he would swim his entire way home through various swimming pools. Through his adventures, the protagonist makes a great discovery that his marriage life is a great lie. The journey from the cocktail party to his home converts him from a vibrant man to an old impoverished man whose life is in a major crisis. As he

stories. In one specific short story, “The Swimmer”, Cheever uses the the character Ned’s experience to symbolize life. Although it is a short story, the essence of time in the work is directly related to an entire lifetime. Through the course of the story there are different emotions represented by the changing of seasons, colors, temperature, nature, and also people. In “The Swimmer”. Ned’s experience directly correlates to John Cheever’s idea of life. “The Swimmer” follows the character Ned through his

Great works in literature are timeless; they educate the reader, amaze the reader, give a different or better understanding each time, and relatable to anyone who reads them. John Cheever’s story “The Swimmer” is an example of a great work in literature. Exploring the diverse views, a reader can judge it and the various ways one can construe. Each time the reader reads Cheever’s work; the reader can form a different interpretation or understand the story in a different way. Understanding a powerful

and his opinion on if it is true in his short story “The Swimmer” through the character of Ned. Ned represents a generation affected by war and their inability to cope with transitioning to civilian life after the tragedies they faced in war. It is here that he always uses Ned to testify that time passes, but humanity will always face the same adversities that they once have. When taking into consideration the time period in which “The Swimmer” is written and the historical events that happened, one

Comparing John Cheever’s The Swimmer and The Five-Forty-Eight Two stories by John Cheever, The Swimmer and The Five-Forty-Eight (5-48), will be explored in terms of how the characters, genre and point of view in these stories give rise to classic fiction. The Swimmer is of a suburban man, Neddy Merrill, who decides to return home from work by swimming eight miles through all of his neighbors' pools along the way. At each pool he encounters a former mistress, distant and unfriendly neighbours

Journey Through Suburban Life in John Cheever's The Swimmer "The Swimmer," by John Cheever, illustrates one man's journey from a typical suburban life to loneliness and isolation. This short story is characteristic of John Cheever's typical characterizations of suburbia, with all it's finery and entrapments. Cheever has been noted for his "skill as a realist depicter of suburban manners and morals" (Norton, p. 1861). Yet this story presents a deeper look into Neddy Merril's downfall from the

The Swimmer The Swimmer was originally a short story written by John Cheever. The story on the surface is about a wealthy man named Ned Merrill who decides to swim home to his wife Lucinda and two daughters using a string of swimming pools. However, when he arrives home he comes to an empty house. Using an in depth analysis, it is revealed that his “journey” is actually his decline in status, and effects of alcoholism. Ultimately it could be argued that the story shows the dangers of wealth and

The Swimmer Fear is something most people know and can relate to. Your fears can keep you safe from dangerous situations but can at the same time detain you. Many people struggle with fears, worries and anxiety every single day. They spend too much time overthinking situations and consequences of their actions, which can prevent them from doing what they actually desire. But what would happen if you just once in a while let go, and enjoyed yourself? "The Swimmer" is a short

In John Cheever’s short story “The Swimmer”, Neddy Merrill decides to take a swim through the country. David Hockney, on the other hand, finalised his painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) in 1972, only eight years after the first publication of “The Swimmer” in Cheever’s book Collected Stories and Other Writings. On the left-hand side of the canvas, a breast-stroking swimmer is visible in a pool. The pool water is painted in two colours of blue, one slightly darker than the other