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Symbolism in the swimmers by john cheever
The swimmer by john cheever literary essay
Different interpretations of the swimmer john cheever
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John Cheever does not merely state the theme of his story, he expresses his theme, as a good writer should, in a variety of metaphors and analogies coupled with powerful imagery. In The Swimmer, Cheever writes and underscores his primary theme of alcoholism in many ways, such as his use of autumnal imagery and the color green. However, there is also some very prominent symbolism and allusions that serve to highlight the theme while also augmenting the artistic and poetic nature of the story. One very important use of symbolism is in the “perverted sacraments” as originally pointed out by Hal Blythe in 1984. Along side these symbols, Hal Blythe, along with Charlie Sweet, later discovered a clear allusion to Ponce de Leòn in 1989.
To begin with the symbolism, there are three holy sacraments that have been twisted by Merrill in the story, one of them is directly related to the primary theme of alcoholism, and the other two are connected to Merrill's addiction, but not as directly as the first. This first sacrament is the Eucharist, commonly known as communion, which involves the partaking of wine in a ceremonial fashion. This sacrament is defamed from the very beginning, when Cheever shows the characters sitting around on Sunday, the day of the Lord, when communion would normally take place, with hangovers. It is ridiculed even more strongly when Cheever includes even the priests themselves in the group of people who say, “I drank too much.” The second two sacraments that Merrill perverts are marriage and baptism. Both of these serve to highlight the theme of alcoholism and its negative effects because alcohol served as the instrument causing the perversion. It was Merrill's alcoholism that ruined his relationshi...
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...Leòn serves both as an artistic stroke and an underlining of the stories message. The tale of Ponce de Leòn's futile search for the fountain of youth is well known, and this allusion hammers down the nail of pain and loss that alcoholism has brought Merrill.
Works Cited
Blythe, Hal, and Charlie Sweet. “An Historical Allusion In Cheever's 'The Swimmer'.” Studies In Short Fiction 26.4 (1989). 557. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
Blythe, Hal. "Perverted Sacraments In John Cheever's 'The Swimmer'." Studies In Short Fiction 21.4 (1984). 393. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
Edward Reilly, “Autumnal Images in John Cheever's 'The Swimmer,'” Notes on Contemporary Literature, 10 (January 1980). 12. Print.
Nora Graves, “The Dominant Color in John Cheevers 'The Swimmer,'” Notes on Contemporary Literature, 5 (March 1974). 4-5. Print.
Poetry is used to send a variety of messages, either through its imagery, meaning, or by the poetic devices used. Each and every poem has something special and unique to offer to the reader, as long as the reader looks deep enough to find it. “Lone Bather'; written by A.M. Klein, and “The Swimmer'; by Irving Layton both offer such messages to the reader. At first glance, these messages seem surprising similar, but after further examination they are in fact strikingly different. The similarities are most evident in the imagery and use of poetic devices, however there are some cases where they are contrary. Meanwhile the differences are most obvious in the meaning, but due to the general similar themes of the two poems, some similarities are found.
Through the use of color, symbolism and imagery you can see why Gary Soto really entitled the poem "Oranges," and why oranges play such an importa...
The opening paragraph of “Greasy Lake” written by T. Coraghessan Boyle, displays the fact that the following passage is nothing but a mere recollection for the narrator. In this recollection, the unnamed narrator speaks about how life was like during the days of his youth. The narrator describes his youth in a very descriptive way displaying what actions surrounded his life and what he acted like. For example, in the opening sentence he said, “There was a time when courtesy and winning ways went out of style, when it was good to be bad, when you cultivated decadence like a taste. We were all dangerous characters then” (Boyle 569). This statement describes the societal norms of his generation and the type of behavior he was striving to model
Throughout the story Cheever’s character, Neddy, describes the various colors of each pool. Starting at the Westerhazy’s, their pool is “a pale shade of green” His first stop, after deciding about his adventure, is at “sapphire-colored waters” at the Bunkers’ (298). Some pools later he comes across the Welchers’ where “he found their pool was dry” (300). The next waters described are “murk” and “opaque gold” (301). The last one Neddy comes across has “a wintry gleam” (303). The narrator describes Neddy as “a slender man—he seemed to have the especial slenderness of youth…far from young…” (297). He has already started drinking at the Westerhazy’s and the youthful description portrays the beginning effects of alcohol—as though he can accomplish anything he wishes. The sapphire water gives the impression that the Bunkers’ are well off and Neddy can help himself to their bar. When he arrives at the Welchers’, he finds they have packed up and drained their pool. This hints at a look at reality where alcohol doesn’t cure anything and foreshadows tha...
Cheever, John. "The Swimmer." The Northon Anthology American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. E. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.
The Great American Orphan Abduction is a compelling story that exploits economic, religious, racial, and gender issues in the early 20th century. It follows the story of forty Irish-Catholic orphans from New York being adopted by Mexicans in a small Arizona mining town. These children were considered ulcers to society in the city and were mostly children whose parents were too poor to care for them. The Foundling had visions of a better future for the children out in Arizona. Orphan trains transported the children West and were facilitated by their Catholic nun caretakers. Both racial and gender factors led to posses kidnapping the children from their new homes. The Anglo townspeople did not like the idea of white children being placed in non-white homes. The Arizona Territorial Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Anglos in the trial that followed. Their reasoning was that allowing white children to be adopted by Mexicans was equal to child abuse. Gordon’s analysis shows that women were not as passive in public affairs as some would assume. Mexican women adopted the children, and Anglo women had a hand in the kidnapping and mob activity. Gordon spotlights lessons showing that women had a role in separating racial boundaries. The tragedy of the
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.
In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, he is telling the story of a Dominican family but mainly about the son, Oscar de Leon. The book opens with the story of Oscar as a child and him having two girlfriends at the same time. The older people in town see him as a ladies man and encourage him. The boy and the two girls all break up and his life seemed to be on a steady decline since then. He grows up to become a nerdy, fat, and awkward adolescence with few friends and even less interest from girls. This phase persists throughout his life and he never develops out of the nerdy boy he was as a child. The Dominican Republic was a hostile and poor place during the time of the novel. The dictator Trujillo controls the lives of the people in the country. This influenced the de Leon family’s present and future. Diaz develops the story by using the superstition, the cane field, and male dominance of the Dominican men
Cheever, John. "The Swimmer." The Northon Anthology American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. E. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.
Write a comparison of The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World and The Drowned Giant, commenting in detail on the ways in which the authors' use language to convey their respective themes. "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and "The Drowned Giant" by J.G. Ballard are both short stories written with similar plots but explore extremely different themes. In this essay I am going to compare the theme, plot, setting, language choices and stylistic effects between the two short stories and how all these relate back to theme itself. The themes of the stories are totally different. They are both about how societies react to the external world and exotic things, but the meanings are exactly opposite.
Can a society truly achieve nirvana? Or are we constantly sabotaging our imagination, convincing ourselves that we are living in a utopia, when in reality we are living in a disassembled utopia only to conceal our own imperfections? In John Cheever’s “The Swimmer”, a paradise, such as the one we formulate and assume to be reality in our own lives, is explored. The idealistic society conveys a sense of uniformity with its “string of swimming pools[...]that curve[...] across” the town and its ambience of “voices and laughter” powered by “midsummer” days and “wine”(70, 69). However, these aspects of perfection mask imperfections, emulating the qualities of our own society which we choose to ignore. Through “The Swimmer”, Cheever critiques suburbanites and the society they formulate, claiming they swim through life with narrowed eyes, attempt to escape their misfortunes, and live lives of
Immigrants traveled hundreds of miles from their homes, only with what possessions they could carry, in order to obtain the rights and chase the promise that America had to offer. Mary Antin illustrates in The Promised Land how if given the chance, immigrants will represent the promises and virtues of American society. Antin shows that public education, freedom from religious persecution, and freedom of expression as a citizen are aspects of life Americans may take for granted but immigrants certainly do not.
The story’s theme is related to the reader by the use of color imagery, cynicism, human brotherhood, and the terrible beauty and savagery of nature. The symbols used to impart this theme to the reader and range from the obvious to the subtle. The obvious symbols include the time from the sinking to arrival on shore as a voyage of self-discovery, the four survivors in the dinghy as a microcosm of society, the shark as nature’s random destroyer of life, the sky personified as mysterious and unfathomable and the sea as mundane and easily comprehended by humans. The more subtle symbols include the cigars as representative of the crew and survivors, the oiler as the required sacrifice to nature’s indifference, and the dying legionnaire as an example of how to face death for the correspondent.
By using certain ideas, authors can express messages or themes. How do you think Gabriel Garcia Marquez gets across his idea in “The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World?” Marquez gets across his ideas of inspiring others and change through his use of word choice, imagery, and symbolism.
Hemingway has a way of making his readers believe that the feats and strengths that his characters obtain in his novels are actually possible. Although this statement may be too critical, and maybe there is a man out there, somewhere on the coast of Cuba who at this very moment is setting out to the open sea to catch a marlin of his own. The struggle many readers have is believing the story of Santiago’s physical powers and his strength against temptation bring forward the question of whether or not The Old Man and the Sea is worthy to be called a classic. Hemingway’s Santiago brought Faulkner and millions of other readers on their knees, while to some, believed Hemingway had swung his third strike. As we look further into Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, we can analyze the criticism and complications of the character Santiago. He is portrayed as a faulty Jesus, an unrealistic and inhuman man, and again still a hero to those who cannot find happiness in their life.