The Swimmer John Cheever Analysis

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Notorious Ned Alcohol and denial are what fuel Neddy Merrill’s decision to swim across pools to reach his suburban home in John Cheever’s short story “The Swimmer”. This story represents the American Dream for a period of time, but then the truth comes out. Neddy is no longer living the fancy, rich life with his family. Instead, he lives only for the next drink and thoughts of his former life. The main character, Neddy Merrill, is an oblivious, selfish man that is going through a midlife crisis. At the beginning of the story, Cheever makes Neddy’s life looks like the picture perfect American Dream. His fancy suburban home was occupied by him, his wife, and four daughters. They had no problem attending social events. The Merrill’s