A character from this week that I deeply connected to was Neddy from “The Swimmer”. Watching his journey of swimming in a deep pool of self deception was a slow progression. He goes from being obliviously content in the beginning to completely existentially lost at the end and there is a lot that happens in between.
At first the reader thinks nothing of his swimming adventure and just assumes that he is about going to go on a sweet adventure from pool to pool. At first it goes smoothly and he is greeted by many people. The reader gains suspicion as he shows that he is losing his memory, “the Japanese lanterns that Mrs Levy had bought in Kyoto the year before last, or was it the year before that?”. The storms starting to pop up show us that this adventure is not what we think it is. This progresses until the point that he is exhausted and sad.
His awakening is disheartening to read. He realizes that he lost a year in one afternoon and he also realizes that he has lost his youth and everything that matters slipped through his fingers. The process of his characterization is one of my favorite I have ever read. Throughout this progression of self destruction, we find more out about the depth of his character as well as humanity. I do believe Neddy is symbolic of Cheever’s alcoholism and he conveys this experience through Neddy.
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