Realism In The Swimmer John Cheever

Swimmer is a short story published in 1964 by American author John Cheever. Most stories can have emotional impacts on the readers but some take the readers in the edge of reality. John’s writing can be categorized as factually movement known as realism. The story is frequently reflected as a symbol about decline, the aging progression, mid-life crisis and the life cycle as a whole.

The swimmer is about the life of a mind-aged young man who goes through the life in a swimming journey. He begins the venture with high spirits, jovial, practice cordiality with friends. The time passes and he finds himself in the storm of poverty, alone and mentality depressed.

Cheever creates the story in a realism happening in the world. Realism displays a society where ordinary people deals with it’s the forces on

Neddy seems to be living a good life but as story continues is not the case. Neddy’s act is suppressed by painful events that has made him lose his track. The journey commences smoothly in the one summer afternoon with Neddy being well acknowledged by his neighbors whom he chats with for some moments and drinks at every stop before proceeding to the neighboring swimming pool. The time changes and Neddy realizes pools are becoming colder and difficult to swim. This transition elucidates Neddy growing old and weaker. The journey is not easy as it used to be. These changes act as a metaphor for the life of Neddy and swift change of time and situations.

Cheever uses foreshadowing to show the reader that Neddy is experiencing a delusion and everything was wrong. The fact that Welcher’s pool has dried up it represents the interruption of the Neddy smooth journey which shows the crisis faced in the mid-life. The weather changes from bright and cheeky summer afternoon to a cooler stormy autumn eve and Neddy loses his grip and grows tired. The life changes to harder one as it is foreshadowed by increasingly hostile world by each