Reunion The settings in John Cheever’s short story Reunion is a necessary key to the reader’s understanding of dynamic between the characters. Based in the settings of the Grand Central Train station and four different restaurants the reader can make clear assumptions when analyzing the characters’ behavior in these environments. Cheever’s short story demonstrates how elements such as‚ humor‚ pathos‚ and the grotesque work together to tell a compelling tell of a father and son. The story begins
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order to convey a theme‚ mood‚ or even contribute to the development of the characters‚ specific to the story. Successful authors are able to blend grotesque‚ pathos‚ and humor so that the story is cohesive as well as responsive. In the short story “Reunion” by John Cheever‚ these elements are used to construct a story about a young boy and the relationship between him and his distant father. Although the story is short‚ Cheever incorporates humor‚ pathos‚ and grotesque into the dialogue and narration
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Department of English and American Studies Philosophical Faculty Palacký University in Olomouc English philology – Archaeology ̒The Swimmer ̓: The Symbolism of the Seasonal Change KAA/AJC1 Freshmen composition 9th December 2012 This essay will focus on John Cheever ̓s short story ̒ The Swimmer ̓ (1964)‚ specifically on its symbolism of the seasonal change. The following paragraphs aim towards showing that the seasonal change which frames the whole story symbolizes
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The Swimmer “The Swimmer” is an allegorical story of Neddy Merrill‚ the protagonist‚ and his journey home from the cocktail party that was eight miles away from his home through private and public swimming pools on Sunday afternoon that depicts his journey through life. The author presents the protagonist both directly and indirectly and tells the story in third person point of view that leads him to reveals the protagonist’s thoughts. “Neddy names his journey Lucinda River after his wife to invoke
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“The Swimmer” Contemporary literature has many themes. One can generalize Contemporary Literature as a mixture of nostalgia and unhappiness. John Cheever’s “The Swimmer”‚ symbolically demonstrates the repression of unaccepted memories and the inability to come face to face with reality with swimming pools and climate change. Cheever applied the swimming pools in the story to portray the time being passed. In “a long swim might enlarge and celebrate its beauty… …The swim was too much for his strength
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Inevitable Passage of Time Within John Cheerver’s‚ The Swimmer we can learn a lot about life choices and priorities. Cheerver demonstrates the effect of social standing in the novel through the eyes of the main character Needy. Needy has let his social standing overpower him‚ which eventually leads him to a life without social activity. Cheerver effectively communicates his message to the reader by combining a wide variety of symbolism and excitement. Throughout the novel the author uses a plethora
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7 April 2014 In John Cheever’s short story “The Swimmer‚” a swimming pool represents much more than a fun summer afternoon. When Cheever’s main character‚ Ned Merrill‚ decides to take the long way home by swimming through every pool on his way home‚ he journeys through much more than swimming pools. As the story progresses‚ it becomes clear that a large amount of time has lapsed since the swimmer began his journey back home‚ and that his swims are interconnected with his life as an alcoholic
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5 April 2006 John Cheever and the Suburban Life The average person from suburban America can be either valiant‚ pathetic‚ or both. This is the description of an American suburbanite according to John Cheever‚ an American novelist and short story writer during the fifties‚ sixties‚ and seventies. Cheever‚ an award winning writer‚ balances hope‚ uncertainty‚ and anxiety in his stories’ characters. In Cheever’s “The Swimmer”‚ the main character‚ Neddy Merrill‚ incorporates this description into his
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town’s superstitions and fear of the devil to justify the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The central character in Salem is John Proctor‚ an outspoken‚ successful‚ and well-respected farmer who chooses to maintain a certain distance from the church. Religious at heart‚ this man who has sinned‚ openly condemns the witch trials while hiding a secret that could discredit the main accuser‚ Abigail Williams. John Proctor is a man consumed by guilt‚ who draws on his contempt for Reverend Parris‚ his love for
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River in Egypt Like the famous saying goes‚ denial isn’t just a river in Egypt. On the surface‚ "The Swimmer" may appear to be a tale of the effects of alcohol abuse or maybe even a characterization of a mental disorder like Alzheimer’s. Upon closer scrutiny‚ however‚ one discerns that it is denial that allows for the supremacy of the human mind over logic and reason during desperate times. Cheever insinuates that the mind is not only a dangerously powerful tool‚ but also an instrument that can command
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