The Swimmer

The suburban lifestyle of the 1960’s is said to symbolize the American dream: nuclear families, poolside gatherings, and evening chats on the front porch—the good life. The unprecedented “Honey, I’m home” era was filled with prosperity and affluence, which on the surface presents a picture perfect lifestyle. The story of Neddy Merrill’s epic journey indicates this picturesque life is in fact blurry or imperfect. John Cheever uses Neddy’s life as a …

…his home. Although Neddy looks at this stream as a “contribution to modern geography” Cheever is really using this route as a symbol of Neddy’s journey down the river of life. Neddy is swimming in the stream of this society’s values: success, status, and affluence. The journey is supposed to take place over the course of an afternoon, however in actuality it used as a metaphor for the rest of Neddy’s life.