The Swimmer by John Cheever - Essay Example

?The Setting of “The Swimmer”. Introduction John Cheever’s celebrated story “The Swimmer” (Cheever, 1976) tells the story of an extraordinary journeyundertaken by its main character Neddy Merrill through all the swimming pools in his local area. The goal of travelling across the county in this way is a startling one, adopted for no real reason except just as a crazy idea that dropped into Neddy’s mind one sunny midsummer afternoon. As the story develops, this bit of fun turns in to an increasingly harrowing mission, and it clearly comes to signify a journey that has many social, moral and even spiritual dimensions, reaching inexorably towards a darkly mystical ending. It is the setting of the story that gives it such a deep emotional resonance, and provides the reader with the key to deciphering the story’s hidden meanings. This paper reviews a few of the main critical interpretations of the story and then outlines the significance of the setting in terms of time, place and circumstance before finally revealing the underlying message that Cheever brings about American society in the middle of the twentieth century. Three Critical interpretations of “The Swimmer” The story has been read as a kind of spiritual allegory: “an uneasy pilgrimage in hell, owing much in subject and structure to Dante’s Inferno, which Cheever early in his career began reading quite routinely” (Kozikowski, 1993, p. 367). Evidence for this is drawn from the starting point, which is given in the opening line of the story as “one of those midsummer Sundays” (p. 603), suggesting that the mid-point of the year can be read as a symbol of the mid-point in the protagonist’s life. This line of interpretation draws parallels between Neddy’s wife’s name Lucinda, which recalls Dante’s patron saint (Kozikowski, 1993, pp. 368-369) but this seems a rather far-fetched comparison. It is more likely that the simple metaphor of the journey serves as Cheever’s plot line, and parallels with Dante are general similarities rather than specific references. Consideration of some other peripheral details of the story, such as the apparent obsession of all the pool owners with eating and drinking, renders an entirely different interpretation: “A close examination of the characters, events, and settings of “The Swimmer” reveals that Cheever has patterned Neddy Merrill’s journey on the familiar archetype of the Grail quest” (Blythe and Sweet, 1992, p. 347). This analysis twists the original legend somewhat, making Neddy himself the wounded Fisher King, leading to a rather elliptical interpretation that Neddy must be in some way undergoing this long quest in order to find himself. Blythe and Sweet represent the physical obstacles that Neddy encounters, such as the hedges, streets and thorny ledge (Cheever, 1978, pp. 603-604) as the trials that the Arthurian knight has to overcome in order to reach an ultimately unattainable goal. These parallels can undoubtedly be read into Cheever’s suburban setting but there is no need to tie the story so firmly to one set of equivalents. The story has all the hallmarks of an epic tale: a lone hero on a journey through dangerous territory to a mystical end. This is a world-wide motif for the human journey through life, and parallels could be found in any number of classic tales throughout history, from Homer through to Star Wars. A third critic suggests that Neddy’s strange and rather vague perception of reality as he swims is explained by the fact that he is dead, “an earthbound ghost” (Cervo, 1999, p. 49). In this reading, names like Neddy’s house “Bullet Park” and the mention of “air, strong as gas” are cited as evidence of a “suicide paradigm” (Cervo, 1999, p. 50) which sees Neddy as a returning after death to the place where he killed himself out of despair at the life he was leading. This is the most elaborate of all the interpretations, and while there is no doubt that these hints are indeed present in the story, this is only one possible interpretation out of many others. These three critical views are all plausible readings of Cheever’s story, but the fact that they can all be drawn from the same narrative suggests that there is more to this story than just a simple allegory with one to one correspondences between the twentieth century events and some classical literary masterpiece. In order to trace the full range of meanings in Cheever’s story it is necessary to look more closely at the setting of Neddy’s strange journey. In analysing the time, place and circumstance of the story, a host of clues are gradually revealed. The aspect of time. The element of time is very important in “The Swimmer”. The story has to start in summer for the practical reason that this is the season when Neddy and his suburban friends spend their free time sitting around their swimming pools. The date is not given, but it seems to be some time after the Second World War, when the baby boomer generation were growing up, and some families were enjoying considerable prosperity. Swimming pools are a symbol of wealth and modernity. For suburban dwellers the ownership of a pool in the garden is a status symbol, and it separates the rich from the inner city poor. The materialism of this time in American history is hinted at in the opening paragraphs which describe how Neddy had smacked “the bronze backside of Aphrodite on the hall table” (Cheever, 1978, p. 603). This is an ironic mention of ancient history, as if the past is present here as just a symbol of wealthy intellectual pretension. Neddy is irreverent, because he feels young, strong, and in the peak of his life. As Neddy begins his journey, the time is described as summer, since he is hot and he notices the leaves of a tree falling yellow on the grass, assuming that this is a sign of blight, since the time is still midsummer. Later a hedge is seen to have falling leaves, and the same explanation is given. It is part of the author’s intention at this stage to let Neddy’s thoughts inform the reader about what is happening. A feeling of unease creeps in with this premature sign of Autumn, and as the story progresses the reader realizes that time is passing extremely quickly. It is as if the reader is moving on a timescale out of synchronization with Neddy. He carries on with his eight mile swim on one Sunday afternoon while the reader perceives the months passing by looking at the changes in the world around him. Cervo describes this as a “conflation of time” (Cervo, 1991, p. 51) which he interprets as evidence of Neddy’s otherworldly existence as a ghost. Another way of looking at this is simply to see it as a narrative device to draw attention to the literal meaning of the story, which is Neddy’s swim through people’s pools, and the figurative meaning, which is American society’s headlong race into consumerist oblivion in the Cold War period. The aspect of place This place, for all its wealth and luxury, is a spiritual wasteland, where people indulge the pleasures of the flesh, whether eating, drinking, sitting naked in the sun, or meeting with friendsd and lovers. A cloud formation is highlighted: “a massive stand of cumulus cloud so like a city seen from a distance – from the bow of an approaching ship – that it might have had a name.” (Cheever, 1978, p. 603) Perversely, Cheever goes on to give this cloud formation two imaginary names, but does not specify exactly where the story takes place. There is mention of “The Audubon group” (Cheever, 1978, p. 603) but nothing more specific than that. As the story develops, this quirky merging of real and imaginary place names creates a strange, half real, half fantasy location. The journey that Neddy conjures up for himself is portrayed as “the Lucinda River”, another imaginary name, with reference to his wife who is called Lucinda. The location appears therefore, to be a somewhat unusual version of a typical suburban location, rather than a clearly defined actual place. The characters, including Neddy himself, inhabit this strange no-mans-land as if they have blinkers on. They have no understanding of the dark storm of age and death that is creeping up on them. The empty houses that Neddy finds are a warning to him, but he does not understand them. As far as he is concerned, everyone will eternally be sitting by their swimming pools, or in his terms by “the bonny and lush” (Cheever, 1978, p. 605) banks of the Lucinda River. Only Neddy and the drinking citizens round their pools perceive the beauty in this lifestyle. The reader looking on can see the futility and emptiness in their obsession with drinking, eating and gossiping. Later on, as the journey becomes more difficult, and Neddy encounters the chaotic public swimming pool, with its strict prohibitions and watching lifeguards, he thinks of his location as “a stagnant bend in the Lucinda River” (Cheever, 1978, p. 608). It is interesting that he projects a property of the natural world, stagnation, on to a social context like the busy public swimming pool. Neddy seems completely confused in his mind regarding what is man-made and what is nature. His very journey is a parody of any heroic path, since it comes out of a warped idea of connectedness between these tiny pools of water. There is no river, since it exists only in his head, and he sees it as if from the Havilland aircraft that is buzzing above his head, in a way that people down on the ground simply cannot comprehend. The aspect of circumstance. Because of the ambiguities that are deliberately introduced into the aspects of time and place in Cheever’s story, the aspect of circumstance is rather difficult to define. On the face of it the story is about one unremarkable man and a silly prank he devised for himself one Sunday afternoon. In the course of narrating the action, the circumstance changes into something darker, and it turns into a tragic decline from relative youth to evident age, and from the bright light of a summer’s day, to the cold and darkness of a winter’s night. The circumstance that the author really wants the reader to think about is therefore not just one man in a particular time and place, but the shifting position that all human beings are in. It becomes clear that everything is a matter of perspective, and if the story is seen through eyes other than Neddy’s, then the circumstances become very different. The tale becomes one of a man who has lost everything, including his house and his family, as well as his youth and strength, and the tale is more of a metaphor of the decline of American capitalism. The immediate post-war period was characterized not only by great wealth for some people, but also by great inequalities in society, and a fear of nuclear war, and conflict with other countries. The real circumstance of the story is that Neddy’s snobbishness and superiority are built on shaky foundations, and that his pride will very soon come before a fall, because he is only human, and ultimately cannot create an artificial journey for himself through the bitter reality of human life and impending death. Conclusion In conclusion, then, it is clear that the story subtly recalls earlier heroic myths showing Neddy the modern suburban American undertaking a heroic challenge that is suited to the post-modern world of consumerism. There are no new frontiers to be crossed, dragons to be slain, or underworlds to be explored, however, and the whole point is that Cheever is making his epic journey through the unremarkable landscape of his everyday life. The people he meets are mostly colleagues, and friends. There is no real danger to speak of, and the only hardships he suffers are nothing more than the social discomfort of being improperly dressed for crossing roads or dropping in to visit his neighbors. There is no point to Neddy’s journey. It starts in an unspecified time, an undifferentiated suburban place, in a circumstance that is trivial. Neddy realizes only slowly that the swim which he calles “this prank, this joke, this piece of horseplay” (Cheever, 1978, p. 607) is turning into something much more serious and important. Using techniques similar to magical realism, or stream of consciousness Cheever tempts the reader into Neddy’s world and then leaves him to face its logical conclusion – a nihilistic darkness which is disconnected from the present and the past, leaving no reliable source of meaning for the events that are described. References Blythe, Hal and Sweet, Charlie. “Cheever’s Dark Knight of the Soul: The Failed Quest of Neddy Merrill”. Studies in Short Fiction 29 (3), pp. 347-352. Available online at: http://faculty.weber.edu/srogers/handouts/Cheever.pdf Cervo, Nathan. “Cheever’s the Swimmer.” The Explicator 50 (1), (1991), pp. 49-50. Print. Cheever, John. “The Swimmer”. In The Stories of John Cheever. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1978, pp. 603-612. Print. Kozikowski, Stanley J. “Damned in a Fair Life: Cheever’s ‘The Swimmer’.” Studies in Short Fiction 30 (3), (1993)pp. 367-375. Print. Notes on: The Setting of “The Swimmer” Step one: read story closely with emphasis on the setting. Collect views from the critics: Kozikowski – like a pilgrimage to hell (Dante) – allegorical setting, suggesting America has gone to hell? Allegory. Blythe and Sweet – like an Athurian knight on a quest doomed to fail. Symbolism. Cervo – Neddy is actually dead and the swim is a ghostly visitation on his past life. Formulate own view Neddy is a classic heroic figure (journey, trials, alone) but in a modern setting which instead of testing him, utterly defeats him. The “Lucinda River” is superficially attractive, but underneath very threatening. Most of it is only in his mind. The setting makes him an anti-hero – his quest is worthless and futile, and he finds out in the end that he has nothing, and is an old, weak man who has failed in his life. The swim is a metaphor of American Cold War lifestyles – nihilism. Evidence from the story It is told from Neddy’s perspective in the third person. The narrator shows how he sees and feels the natural world (dropping leaves, burning wood, sharp gravel, the increasing cold) all in decline from the peak of summer. Man-made swimming pools are sometimes pleasant but more often dirty, full of people or dry. This is an artificial task through an artificial landscape in which both he and nature are dying. Think about the the setting: it is a social one as well as a physical landscape. Wealthy families at first, gradually descends to lower classes, and he is scornful of the Biswangers “They did not belong to Neddy’s set”. The suffocating life of mid twentieth century wealthy suburbans produces this eerie tale – not quite fantasy and not quite reality. At the end of the story the reader sees Neddy for what he is, not for what he thinks he is. The surroundings are horribly real and he has to face up to this for the first time, and he realizes life is not a “prank, joke, piece of horseplay”. Essay draft Introduction Very brief outline of main journey plot and character of Neddy Merrill. Introduce essay structure Critical views 1 Kosikowski 2 Blythe and Sweet 3 Cervo Add own view that Neddy is a modern anti-hero, and the setting is what has changed. All of these critics are right, but none of them have the full picture. Cheever is echoing all of these older stories in this new one. TIME Post war baby boomer era – wealth and materialism, consumption shown in excessive food and drinking, outdoor luxury lifestyle. Neddy conflates the seasons – something weird about the time of the story – seems speeded up. PLACE Suburbia, no great landmarks, just endless homes and gardens, with swimming pools, the epitome of luxury and wealth. Show nature under pressure. CIRCUMSTANCE Very hard to pin down circumstance, but it seems to start off as a realistic depiction of an ordinary summer afternoon, sunny and warm, no worries and lots of people. Passes through a period of gathering storm, and ends with nightmarish empty house in winter. The human condition in a world where people just live aimlessly in their artificial luxuries? Conclusion – there is no single way to read this story. Setting undergoes a subtle and incremental shift, becoming increasingly fantastical. - Read More