Diving into John Cheever’s Short Story, The Swimmer Essay

In John Cheever’s short story, â€Å"The Swimmer† he conveys the transformation of the character through the use of the literary element of setting. The story begins in an American, middle class, suburbs. After what seems to be a night of partying and drinking. Neddy Merrill, the main character initially appears very optimistic; he has a perfect family, high social status and very few problems in his life. In spite of his age, he feels young and energetic therefore decides to swim across town through the neighborhood pools. However, his journey becomes less and less enjoyable as the day unfolds. The water become murky, uninviting and he becomes exhausted. Also the people in his surrounding become less cordial including his†¦show more content†¦Neddy unknowingly had become poor, lost all privileges and was no longer regarded highly in his society. Cheever implements setting throughout the story to primarily emphasize on the character’s transition from the begging to end of his journey. The story begins on a â€Å"midsummer Sunday—at the edge of the Westerhazy’s pool—on one hand†¦one glass of gin† (Cheever 215). Everything seems swelling and wonderful. He realizes that he can swim home through the â€Å"swimming pools, that quasi-subterranean stream that curved across the country† (Cheever 216). At this point, Neddy feels â€Å"determinedly original and had a vague and modest idea of himself as a legendary figure† (Cheever 216). Evidently at this point he feels on top, capable of the impossible. However, in the course of his journey you can perceive how the changing of setting represents the change within the character itself. As the setting worsened so did the characters circumstances. He â€Å"stepped through thorny hedges†, experienced a storm â€Å"the cumulus clouds—had risen and darkened† and a drained pool (Cheever 216,217). Ultimately the once optimistic Nedd y became â€Å"miserable, cold, tired, and bewildered† (Cheever 222). Most importantly Cheever implements the type of temporal and socialShow MoreRelatedThe Nightmare in Bullet Park884 Words   |  4 PagesOften times people go on a quest in search of something they desire, but as protagonist Neddy Merrill discovers, the quest does not always turn out as planned and instead leads the quester in the direction of self-discovery. In his 1964 short story â€Å"The Swimmer,† John Cheever depicts the disastrous downfall of a man who impulsively decides to journey home through a course of swimming pools, but instead unconsciously escaping reality. Neddy Merrill abruptly decides to begin his journey home one Sunday