The Swimmer By John Cheever

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John Cheever is an American writer best known for his powerful criticism of American middle class. His stories are characterized by his attention to detail parts of his life inside his careful writing. Cheever lives drives the reader to his short fiction, “The Swimmer,” where he details the exploratory journey of Neddy Merrill. A main character who has name himself as a pilgrim. Neddy decides make an exploratory journey to swim his way home across his neighbors’ pools which represents the surface of his life. A life filled with swimming pools, parties and alcohol. Cheever focused in portraying a man with a perfect life on the surface with a content family, a high social status and many friends, which suddenly disintegrates through the story by an alcohol abuse. Therefore, this story stand as a metaphor for life, delivering the reader this message: life is short and valuable, and every actions performed brings its own reactions. …show more content…

During the story, Cheever focus in developing the pride, determination, and motivation that Neddy has built in his life. This let him to see himself as young and strong as anyone while he is aging day through day, As Cheever describes “he was not a practical joker nor was he a fool, but he was determinedly original and had a vague and modest idea of himself as a legendary figure” (727). Representing the arrogant view that Neddy has of himself to consider as

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