The Swimmer John Cheever Analysis

In the story “The Swimmer,” author John Cheever successfully shares the reality of alcoholism using symbols and imagery relating to his main character, Neddy Merrill. Merrill’s social status declines the further his journey goes. In addition, the pools Ned swims through represents the different stages of drinking. Cheever unfolds Ned’s life by connecting it to the “The Lucinda River,” named after Ned’s wife (727). The river starts out steady for Ned, much like the beginning stages of alcoholism, as his journey progresses, the current sweeps him away causing Ned to become delusional in his waking life. Ned Merrill is an alcoholic, which is demonstrated by the way the characters change throughout the story.

Ned begins his first stage of alcoholism

Cheever lets the reader know he has reached stage two by his foreshadowing, “He stayed in Levy’s gazebo until the storm has passed. The force of the wind had stripped a maple of its red and yellow leaves” (730) Cheever suggest that Neddy is experiencing a dramatic change in his life. However, it isn’t until he finds the Welchers’ pool to be completely dry, that he yearns for alcohol. The empty pool symbolizes Ned’s desire to drink, and without it he cannot fulfil his desires; he is becoming sober and needs to move on so he can get another drink. Before he reaches the public pool, Ned is, “laughed at, jeered at, a beer can was thrown at him, and he had no dignity or humor to bring to the situation” (731). Ned begins to second guess his decision and think of his wife, he is starting to understand if he continues this path he could lose everything. However, his addiction is becoming much stronger, and it shows when he reaches the public pool. When he made it to the shallow end, both lifeguards yelled: “Hey, you, you without the identification disk, get outa the water” (732). Here Cheever does an excellent job with another symbol and imagery, the identification disk. Ned is losing site of who he is, how old he is, and at what is going on around him; he is spiraling into the final stages of

Neddy sets forth to the Biswangers’ house believing they would be “honored” to give him a drink because they always invite him and his wife to their dinners (734). However, Ned doesn’t understand why Grace Biswanger tell him he is a “gate crasher” (735). He believes this is because of all the times him and his wife declined their invitation; however, people view him as a lost cause; having lost all his fortunes and “showing up drunk and asked to borrow five thousand dollars” (735). Perhaps Neddy’s wife declined the invitations because he was becoming an alcoholic. Neddy didn’t want to feel unwanted any longer he decided to visit his old mistress, Shirley Adams. He knew she would welcome him and make him feel better because she has accepted all of his faults before. However, once he arrives she belittles him and tell him to grow up and tell him, “I won’t give you another cent” (736). The allusion created with her actions towards Merrill is he has failed. Ned becomes damaged by her words and feels “he had swum too long, he had been immersed too long” (736). The alcohol has immerged him into this confused state, where he doesn’t understand why everyone is started to be rude to him. He no longer feels like a man; he is defeated. Therefore, “for the first time in his life, he did not dive but went down the steps into the icy water…” (737). Furthermore, his downfall is