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Summary of the swimmer by john cheever point of view
Summary of the swimmer by john cheever point of view
Realism effects on other literary styles
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Set in 1960's suburbia, “The Swimmer” follows a man's nightmarish journey home as the very aspects of life blend, fusing realism and surrealism to create an “imaginative and vital myth of time and modern man” (Auser 292). The story opens with Ned Merrill deciding to swim across the county only using the pools of his neighbors in an attempt to celebrate the day's beauty. As the story progresses, it begins to take on a more dark and surrealistic tone as Ned loses his will to continue. Finally, he stumbles home, only to find his house desolate, grim, and vacant. John Cheever, author of “The Swimmer,” could intend to create Ned in the image of a modern tragic hero following the archetypal themes of journey, discovery, and initiation or use …show more content…
As Ned suffers from his first real realization that his actions are putting his very livelihood in danger, he begins to question his very motives, asking “Why, believing as he did, that all human obduracy was susceptible to common sense, was he unable to turn back? Why was he determined to complete his journey even if it meant putting his life in danger? At what point has this prank, this joke, this piece of horseplay become serious?...In the span of an hour, more or less, he had covered a distance that made his return impossible” (Cheever 6). For the first time in the story, the reader gains the ability to peer into Ned's inner thoughts and get a glimpse of how he reacts to his own personal demise. Just as an alcoholic realizes the damage he has caused after it is too late, Ned also suffers from this realization; yet he claims that his return is impossible. When Ned accepts the absurdity of continuing the direction he has chosen, he begins to create his own reality (Auser 293). His refusal to accept the inevitable passage of time makes his final enlightenment all the more pitiful and pathetic. This refusal to face the actualities of time's passage causes Ned to take on challenges he cannot handle because of his “illusion of his own …show more content…
Satire plays a key role within the story, as Cheever employs Ned's tragic downfall to mock America's affluent and their lack of purpose. As Cheever blends reality and surrealism the further Ned travels, questions arise on whether many aspects of his life truly exist, or whether his demented perspective simply imagines them. By not revealing the actuality of his situation, Cheever puts the reader into the shoes of a delusional
John Cheever uniquely crafted the story “The Swimmer” by using a mix of surrealism and realism throughout the story. Most people when they read “The Swimmer” they have to reevaluate it to comprehend what is happening. The reason for that is because Cheever shifts between surrealism and realism so much that the reader does not even notice. The story starts out with Neddy being so strong and youthful, but as the story goes on he weakens and ages. When he was youthful Neddy decided to swim every pool in his neighborhood. As he ages and weakens, the pools get harder to swim and the seasons pass without him even noticing.
water, curved and smooth and green.'; This seems to illustrate the peacefulness of the situation, almost creating a lazy, calm atmosphere. However, the imagery within “The Swimmer'; is quite opposite. “The Swimmer'; tends to portray a scene of force, as there is no evidence of the peaceful interaction between man and water as found in “Lone Bather.'; Evidence of such force ...
Hicks, Jennifer. "Paul’s Case." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 192-209. Short Stories for Students. Gale. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.
The Swimmer by John Cheever begins at Helen and Donald Westerhazy’s pool when Neddy Merrill makes the decision to journey eight miles home by swimming through a series of pools, he calls the “Lucinda River” (297) and walking when unable to swim. While he making his way back home, he stops at fourteen old friends’ houses and drinks before continuing on if possible. By the end of Neddy’s journey, he is exhausted and comes to the realization that he has lost not only his house but also his wife and daughters, and also his so-called friends and even a mistress. Cheever suggests that alcoholism is a destruction of life through the use of symbolism, imagery, and characterization.
Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer An Introduction to Short Fiction. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 1999.
Works Cited I. Powell, Janice A. Teaching Faulkner. Online. Internet. Powell.html at www2semo.edu 15 July 1999 II. Who makes a Devil out of a Fair Lady? Du Fang/Canadian Social Science Vol.3 No.4 2007 18-24 III. Charters, Ann. The Story and its Writer : an Introduction to Short Fiction. Eighth edition. New York: St.Martin's, 1983. Print.
Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer – An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. Print.
The ocean is mysterious to mankind. The unfathomable vastness of the ocean intrigues humanity into exploring it. In life, the immense possibilities that lie in the future compel us to reach for the stars. In the poem “The Story” by Karen Connelly, an individual willingly swims into deep waters even though they are fearful of what may exist in the waters. The swimmer later finds out that their fears were foolish, which illustrates the human tendency to venture into the unknown. The theme conveyed in this poem is that life is like a rough, uncertain, uncontrollable ocean that we must find get through with experience.
In John Cheever's story The Swimmer, Neddy Merrill is a successful man. His success is measured by the prestigious neighborhood he lives in with tennis, golf and swimming pools. Neddy has made it socially and financially. He is never without an invitation to social events, which always include drinking. He is at the top of his game. While attending the party at the Westerhazy's house with his wife, he has the desire to swim home. He sees the line of swimming pools that stretch eight miles to his home, he calls them the “Lucinda River” (297) . He is a confident man and thought "of himself as a legendary figure" (250-251). He dives in and when he gets out on the other side, he informs his wife he is swimming home. Cheever uses each pool that Neddy visits to show the passage of time in Neddy's life, and reveals how his alcoholism, infidelity and continual denial of his actions led to the destruction of his American dream.
The Color of Water by James McBride covers a unique epoch in the history of the United States. The memoir was finished in 1996, but depicts a life story that is surreal in the mid-20th century. James McBride’s unique and skilled use of a double narrative adds a new spin to the impact of the two memoirs because both lives seem so abstract to each other but in actuality complement each other. It has a magnificent effect in the narration by keeping us, the readers, interested by taking each step with them.
---. “Take Me to the Water.” 1972. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998: 353-403.
Charters, A. (2011). The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction (8th ed.). Boston: Bedfor/St. Martin's.
Hicks, Jennifer. "Paul’s Case." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 192-209. Short Stories for Students. Gale. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.
The entire story was a symbol of Needy’s life. The setting in the story was symbolic to the way Needy was feeling. Needy’s life was diminishing right before his eyes, and he did not realize it. The different changes in the story represented how much Needy’s life had gradually changed over time. By reading the story the reader can tell that Needy was in a state of denial.
... Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 1. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1997. 105-107.