John Cheever The Swimmer Analysis

The Swimmer by John Cheever is about Neddy Merrill, a man that goes through an aquatic journey that leads to the discovery of his true self. Neddy Merrill is a middle age man with a “slenderness of youth” he is a likeable person Mrs. Graham and Enid Bunker describe his visit as a “a marvelous surprise” but when he decides to swim home from a friend 's pool party the way he views himself and the way others view him have changed. During Ned Merril journey it’s clear that time is passing faster than he realizes. Leaves and hedges changes colors, he loses weight. Friends have moved away, he faces scorn from the people he’d once scorned, his mistress no longer cares about him, and he learns that his friend is very sick. Ned Merril life goes by in …show more content…
He exudes youngness, he’s well-off both socially and economically and he’s also a family man, but as the story goes on he is mere shadow of his former self. In the beginning he is seen as a middle age man with a youthful attitude he’s described as having the “slenderness of youth” and “he might have been compared to a summer 's day, particularly the last hours of one.” Although John Cheever says “the last hours of one” Neddy is praiseworthy because most middle age men would have been compared to autumn or even the beginning of winter with this being said he’s still a middle age man who can swim 8 miles after drinking all night and having a hangover. In comparison to his peers who show their age by lounging by the pool and complaining about their physical pains “We all drank too much,” they say but instead of joining in Ned Merrill goes for a long swim. The story goes on and he continues to swim the water and air that was once a comfortable temperature, is now freezing-cold, he’s not able to walk as easily as before and his swim trunks don’t fit as well as they did. These changes are example of how Neddy’s life have changed physically and although things can start out easily it can deteriorate even