The Swimmer
Contrast of Neddy Merrill and the Typical Grail Hero In John Cheever’s story “The Swimmer”, Neddy Merrill is in many ways compared to the traditional grail hero. Like the grail here, Neddy Merrill is portrayed in many ways as a “legendary figure” (Cheever 393). Neddy was also planning to take a “long swim” (Cheever 393), or in comparison to the grail hero, “a perilous quest” (Blythe and Sweet 2). Finally, Neddy Merrill reaches the end of his quest, as does the typical grail hero, where they both find a dark and empty place. Neddy Merrill and the typical grail hero have these common events occur in their lives, but in contrast to the grail hero’s “selfless, community-serving quest” (7), Neddy’s trip is a “selfish search for his own youth as well as materialism” (7). Therefore, Neddy’s selfish ways have paved an easy road for one to not compare, but contrast Neddy to the typical grail hero. In “The Swimmer”, Neddy Merrill “had a vague and modest idea of himself as a legendary figure” (393). The story does portray Neddy as legendary hero, but
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Neddy Merrill, Grail Castle, Blythe Sweet, grail hero, Lucindas Christmas, typical grail, typical grail hero, neddy merrill, hero neddy, grail hero neddy, John Cheevers, cheever 393, legendary figure, Swimmer Neddy, own youth materialism, materialism 7, portrayed legendary figure, figure cheever, youth materialism, dark empty, youth materialism 7,
Approximate Word count = 721
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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