The swimmer
...Housebreaker of Shady Hill.” In the 1960s and 1970s he published three more books of short stories and two widely acclaimed novels, “Bullet Park” (1969) and “Falconer” (1977). “The Stories of John Cheever,” published in 1978, won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award and became one of the few collections of short stories ever to make the New York Times bestseller list. In more than fifty years, Cheever published over 200 magazine stories. One of Cheever’s most admired stories is “The Swimmer.” John Cheever’s “The Swimmer” is a great example of a man’s struggle with alcoholism. After a few drinks, Ned, the protagonist begins to feel he is a great swimmer who could swim home from a party he was attending. In his journey home, he must swim in all of the pools possible between his neighbor’s house where he was, and his own house. Ned had plenty of money, a family and lots of friends within the community. Ned enjoyed his life style by attending parties and drinking alcohol with his neighbors. Cheever’s story shows Ned’s difficult life due his alcohol consumption. The outcome of Ned’s alcoholic decisions would turn out costly. Ned’s social life was equivalent to the size of his bank account. When Ned was a wealthy and affluent person, he was accepted and admired by those in his community. “Oh, look who’s here! What a marvelous surprise! When Lucinda said you couldn’t come, I thought I’d die,” (Cheever 298) said Enid Bunker. The presence of Ned in Mrs. Graham’s backyard made her feel honored and privileged. As Ned’s bank account starts to decline, so did his acquaintances. Ned finally strikes an all-time low when he seeks a loan from the people who dislike ...