the swimmer

A detailed Summary of the swimmer


In the short story "The Swimmer", John Cheever uses symbolism quite often. It is used to reveal the theme and show imagery. We will reflect on this short story and analyze the symbolism Cheever is most notable for.

The story takes place in a very wealthy neighborhood where almost everyone has a pool. Not your average above ground pool, but enormous in-ground pools, some fed by streams. One hot summer day a man named Neddy Merrill was swimming at the Westerhazy's pool, "Neddy Merrill sat by the green water, one hand in it, one around a glass of gin" (369) He is described as a slender man, a man of youth even though he is not young. "He might be described as a summers day..." (369) Cheever compares Needy to a


"Was his memory failing him or had he so disciplined it in the repression of unpleasant facts that he damaged the sense of the truth." (372) Further down along the trip he notices more and more things out of the ordinary, thing he doesn't remember. Mrs. Hakbran said, "we've been terribly sorry about all your misfortunes" (374) She spoke of him selling the house and his troubled children. He did not understand,"was he losing his memory or was his gift for concealing painful facts let him forget he had sold the house or that his children are in trouble..." (374)

On his was home he knew he would see many friends and didn't want to be slowed down by conversation so he would have to be slick and slip away whenever he got tied up. It seems as though everyone was having friends

Some common words found in the essay are:
Bullet Park, Neddy Merrill, Biswanger Neddy, John Cheever, English Comp, Truth Hurts, neddy merrill, short story,

Approximate Word count = 524
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • The Swimmer In John Cheeveramp39s short story ampquotThe Swimmerampquot, the main character Ned Merrill, does exactly as the storyamp39s title implies. The story ... 684 words
  • Swimmer John Cheeveramp39s story ampquotThe Swimmerampquot depicts a protaganist, and the society that has nurtured him, as lacking in seriousness and responsibility. ... 605 words
  • The swimmer In ampquotThe Swimmerampquot by John Cheever, 1964, Rpt. In Perrineamp39s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Ed. Thomas Arp. 7th ed. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1998. ... 702 words
  • The Swimmer Contrast of Neddy Merrill and the Typical Grail Hero In John Cheeveramp39s story ampquotThe Swimmerampquot, Neddy Merrill is in many ways compared to the traditional grail hero ... 721 words
  • The Swimmer The suburban lifestyle of the 1960amp39s is said to symbolize the American dream: nuclear families, poolside gatherings, and evening chats on the front porchthe ... 304 words

Professional Essays

  • The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia ... If an Olympic Champion swimmer sees a man drowning and does not enter the water to save him, would not the swimmer be guilty of violating the drowning manamp39s ... 1086 words
  • Behaviors in the Film, Crash ... confronted with a severe business crisis, the waterwalker focuses all energy on how they will overcome the crisis and still deliver the swimmer will often ... 1397 words
  • John Cheever ... by John Cheever, we see the isolation and destruction of the individual that occurs within modern upper middleclass suburban living: The Swimmer The Worm in ... 941 words
  • American Law ampamp Duty to Strangers ... Law professors use the case of a swimmer who watches while a toddler drowns to challenge students to come up with a rationale for why the swimmer should be ... 1524 words
  • The Stories of John Cheever ... In ampquotThe Swimmer,ampquot Cheever highlights the superficiality of suburbia through the character of his protagonist, a formerly champion athlete seeking to recover ... 2948 words
  • Women in Sports Broadcasting ... Some of the early female broadcasters included tennis great Rosemary Casals, skier Suzy Chaffee, Carol Heiss Jenkins, swimmer Donna de Varona, soap opera ... 3849 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.