пловец
Topics for Further Study
Research the idea of the mythic hero. How does Neddy Merrill resemble the mythic hero? In what ways does he not represent a hero?
Discuss the social and political climate of America in the 1960s. Compare this to the picture of American life presented in "The Swimmer."
Research Sigmund Freud's theories concerning dream interpretation. Based on your findings, examine the importance of various events and items that appear in "The Swimmer."
Analyze the importance of water imagery in "The Swimmer" and other works of literature, for example, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and Saul Bellow's Seize the Day. What different kinds of things does water represent in these works?
Critical Overview
"The Swimmer" is recognized as one of Cheever's best short stories and explores themes that are considered typical of his fiction as a whole. In this story, which is set in an affluent community, Cheever chronicles the morals, rituals, and hypocrisy of the upper class through his focus on Neddy Merrill, who is, at the beginning of the tale, a vibrant man with a home, a wife, and four beautiful daughters. The story opens with the protagonist Neddy, his wife, and some friends sitting around a pool complaining that they had too much to drink the previous night. Furthermore, when the protagonist tries to do something new—something heroic and legendary—all he can come up with is to swim home through a chain of 16 pools. The hypocrisy of Neddy's situation becomes more evident as the tale unfolds. It is revealed that Neddy and his wife are something...
Historical Context
"The Swimmer" was published in 1964, at a time of great prosperity for middle- and upper-class Americans. Having survived World War II, which ended in 1945, and the Korean War, which took place in the 1950s, many Americans—at least white Americans—were enjoying the wealth and affluence of the postwar era. It was during this time that the American suburbs, the setting of "The Swimmer,"
Research the idea of the mythic hero. How does Neddy Merrill resemble the mythic hero? In what ways does he not represent a hero?
Discuss the social and political climate of America in the 1960s. Compare this to the picture of American life presented in "The Swimmer."
Research Sigmund Freud's theories concerning dream interpretation. Based on your findings, examine the importance of various events and items that appear in "The Swimmer."
Analyze the importance of water imagery in "The Swimmer" and other works of literature, for example, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and Saul Bellow's Seize the Day. What different kinds of things does water represent in these works?
Critical Overview
"The Swimmer" is recognized as one of Cheever's best short stories and explores themes that are considered typical of his fiction as a whole. In this story, which is set in an affluent community, Cheever chronicles the morals, rituals, and hypocrisy of the upper class through his focus on Neddy Merrill, who is, at the beginning of the tale, a vibrant man with a home, a wife, and four beautiful daughters. The story opens with the protagonist Neddy, his wife, and some friends sitting around a pool complaining that they had too much to drink the previous night. Furthermore, when the protagonist tries to do something new—something heroic and legendary—all he can come up with is to swim home through a chain of 16 pools. The hypocrisy of Neddy's situation becomes more evident as the tale unfolds. It is revealed that Neddy and his wife are something...
Historical Context
"The Swimmer" was published in 1964, at a time of great prosperity for middle- and upper-class Americans. Having survived World War II, which ended in 1945, and the Korean War, which took place in the 1950s, many Americans—at least white Americans—were enjoying the wealth and affluence of the postwar era. It was during this time that the American suburbs, the setting of "The Swimmer,"