The Passage of Time and Life in The Swimmer, by John Cheever

Having written a multitude of short stories and novels, author, John Cheever, has showcased his incredible writing abilities multiple times throughout his career. Even as a child, Cheever outwardly expressed his desire to write. As proven by his longstanding career, Cheever’s thirst for writing remained with him throughout his entire life. In perhaps his most famous piece of work, â€Å"The Swimmer,† Cheever’s impeccable writing ability is showcased brilliantly. Although originally set out to be a novel, â€Å"The Swimmer† has grown to become a widely recognized and analyzed short story, one which both readers and literary critics alike admire. By drawing on his personal life and by using a wide range of writing techniques, Cheever depicts and†¦show more content†¦It is this structure precisely that gives Cheever’s works the power to resonate with a wide range of individuals. Author of John Cheevers Flowering Forth: The Breakthroughs of 194 7, James O’Hara, discusses this aspect of Cheever’s writing in his academic journal: He had continued to experiment with the choice of materials for his stories, and had gradually won over editors with a combination of solid structural technique-he had always known how to put a story together-and Hemingwayesque understatement. (51) Although O’Hara did not specifically address the short story â€Å"The Swimmer† in this particular excerpt, this quotation is nonetheless viable and true in its claims. Along with a solid structure, in order for a piece of fiction to resonate with readers, the work also has to have meaningful characters. Cheever has proven to excel in this aspect of writing as well. This excellence can also be attributed to Cheever and his personal life. Bloom writes: Just like his characters, then, Cheever was not a perfect man, yet he was a decent one, who believed in heroism and sentiment and family and a minor mans capacity to glory. Neddy Merrill, the main character in â€Å"The Swimmer,† can be described in a similar manner, for he too is an imperfect man who seeks glory and purpose. In the same vein, literary analyst, Robert A. Morace, states: The characters in this and other Cheever fictions all face the sameShow MoreRelatedThe Swimmer, by John Cheever1513 Words   |  7 Pagesobserved, Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change. In The Swimmer, the world around Ned Merrill, the main character, transforms c onstantly as time goes by, causing Neds physical, mental, and social state to decline. However, although Ned Merrill experiences the inevitable - growing older - he does not fully grasp reality and the idea that time moves on, even if one is not ready. The Swimmer is a short story written by John Cheever, a writer whoRead MoreUse of Point of View, Setting and Symbolism in The Swimmer, by John Cheever942 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Swimmer,† a short fiction by John Cheever, presents a theme to the reader about the unavoidable changes of life. The story focuses on the round character by the name of Neddy Merrill who is in extreme denial about the reality of his life. He has lost his youth, wealth, and family yet only at the end of the story does he develop the most by experiencing a glimpse of realization on all that he has indeed lost. In the short story â€Å"The Swimmer,† John Cheever uses point of view,Read MoreJohn Cheevers The Swimmer, O Youth and Beauty!, and The Enormous Radio1563 Words   |  7 Pagesenchanting his audience than John Cheever. John Cheever wrote many short stories throughout his life. He has been presented with many awards for his works. Cheever was a master of spinning tales about suburban life and other situations he experienced. Some of his most popuar works included â€Å"The Swimmer†, â€Å"O Youth and Beauty!†, and â€Å"The Enormous Radio†. His works were well received by the public and he achieved great fame during his lifetime. However, he also lived a life of hardship and scandal. EvenRead MoreLosing Time in Life: The Swimmer by John Cheever1203 Words   |  5 Pages Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, once declared â€Å"Lost time is never found again.† This quote ties to the meaning of how people frequently let time seep through their hands. John Cheever’s The Swimmer portrays this through the eyes of suburban man Neddy. Neddy is the average ‘Joeâ₠¬â„¢ of most suburban households. Life in suburbia is repetitive in most scenarios, and humans can easily get lost in the monotonous adventure known aslife. Time leaks away from his figure, and he is not sure of he is theRead MoreCharacter Comparison: â€Å"The Swimmer† and â€Å"Babylon Revisited† Essay1038 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Cheever and F. Scott Fitzgerald are both 20th century writers whose story’s thematically reflected the despair and the emptiness of life. In both story’s â€Å"The Swimmer† and â€Å"Babylon Revisited† the main characters undergo similar problems, although they are presented differently in each story. The subject matter of both stories, pertain to the ultimate downfall of a man. â€Å"The Swimmer†, conveys the story of a man who swims his way into reality. He at first is very ignorant to his situation; howeverRead MoreThe Fleeting of Social Status Essay619 Words   |  3 Pagesmany fail to realize that one can plummet from highest social class to the bottom, without even realizing how or why. John Cheevers The Swimmer, examines and reveals this problem through conflicts of attitude between the narrator and the viewpoint character, Neddy Merrill. The narrator conveys the attitude that social status is fleeting through the use of irony and shifts in time. Neddys attitude, however, is to cling to his social status through denial, over-rationalization and an arrogant senseRead MoreHistory of the Development of the Short Story.3660 Words   |  15 Pageswould emerge only through the telling of multiple such sections. Fables, succinct tales with an explicit moral, were said by the Greek historian Herodotus to have been invented in the 6th century BCE by a Greek slave named Aesop, though other times and nationalities have also been given for him. These ancient fables are today known as Aesops Fables. The other ancient form of short story, the anecdote, was popular under the Roman Empire. Anecdotes functioned as a sort of parable, a briefRead MoreThe Bronze And Iron Age Essay2093 Words   |  9 Pagessource for knowing what the Greeks were thinking in the eighth century B.C. as they fought each other and sailed across dangerous seas to found new city states in alien lands. Greeks believe that that heroic society described by Homer flourished at a time corresponding to the 13th or early 12th century in our chronology. Homers greatest works are the Iliad and Odyssey. The both tell the story of heroes trying to survive their way through war and other things. Here is just an example of Homer’s poetry