The Swimmer

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

“The Swimmer” is a short story written by John Cheever and publish in 1964. The short story is about a man names Neddy who one summer decides to get home by swimming across all the pools in his county. What makes this short story so appealing is Cheever’s theme of sociological and psychological insight of one main character. Over the long haul the short story is about persona and inner corruption with a sort of conflict. “Why was he determined to complete his journey even if it meant putting his

Living in a Dream World: Fantasy and Social Hierarchy in 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

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 begins with joy

treaders (who become adults to quickly) and swimmers (who take their time to becoming an adult). Treaders have fewer opportunities in life because they started life earlier. Swimmers have more opportunities because they take longer to become an adult and get a higher education. Swimmers plan out their path to adulthood by getting an education, waiting to marry until they are financially stable while treaders don’t have a plan. Whether a person is a swimmer or treader depends on many factors. One being

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 at the end of the story. In “The Swimmer”, the private pools owned by Neddy’s neighbours are associated

John Cheever uses distinctive segments of shape in "The Swimmer" to make its importance. Through this short story, Cheever surmises that developing is certain and one much of the time denies it's coming and passage. Using Neddy's journey through his neighbors' pools, he exhibits that when one experiences extraordinary events, it is difficult to recognize the consequent changes. Cheever suggests that a man as often as possible covers real events from the mind and rather, submerges oneself in more

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

utopic world can easily be burst and they are left harshly exposed to the reality they once tried to ignore. This is clearly illustrated in Shakespeare’s play King Lear, in Maupassant’s short story “Madame Hermet”, and in Cheever’s short story “The Swimmer”. Through the characters affected by madness in these literary works, it is depicted that madness can lead to a breakdown in individual identity, especially when social status is involved. The way individual identity is linked to social class in these

opportunity seem to reveal themselves. If you have the courage, perseverance, and positivity to find the opportunity within, it will lead you out of the darkness. Because, you can only really see the light within the dark. I had always been a great swimmer. It was natural, it felt right. There times where'd I'd find myself in tears because I couldn't go to practice because nothing beats the feeling of gliding through that water, with cool liquid on your shoulders. It transports you, your in whole new