Unsettling Realizations The absence of moral value attracts an inevitable downfall. The looming theme of decent is present in the stories of Boyle, Cheever, and Hawthorne. All of these characters begin with innocence of the mind, until abruptly confronted by a trial or event. This scenario introduces the characters to a true raw form of evil, either mental or physical. Towards the end is where the transformation of the characters finalize after the malignant occurrence. The Swimmer, Greasy Lake, and Young Goodman Brown easily model a corruption of innocence due to a somewhat relevant and relatable evil.
The Swimmer is not a typical story of a deranged vengeful evil, but instead a more realistic evil, unconscious ignorance or drunkenness. The character, Neddy, is introduced as an affluent flippant young dapper male. Much like Gatsby incenter a way. “He was a slender man—he seemed to have the especial slenderness of youth—and while he was far from young” (Cheever). He lives his life as if time were irrelevant. Although, time soon caught up to Neddy and his blissful ignorance. The trial he endured was to willingly acknowledge life and all of its cruel imperfections. Neddy’s decisions to indulge himself in alcohol to forget, led to his physical and emotional downfall in the story. “It was probably the first time in his adult life that he had ever cried, certainly the first time in his life that he had ever felt so miserable, cold, tired, and bewildered. He could not