

Everyone in life has outlets, or ways to forget about their problems. While some people’s outlets are harmless, others can make their problems even worse. In the short story The Swimmer by John Cheever, Neddy Merrill, the main character, uses alcohol as an outlet. While we do not know what his problems in life were, we know that his alcoholism has completely ruined his life. Neddy Merrill’s constant drinking causes him to go on a drunken journey through his neighborhood, completely oblivious to the fact that his family has left him and that his world is crumbling around him.

Neddy Merrill’s disease caused him to lose his memory. Throughout the course of his journey, neighbors, who’s houses he drunkenly stumbles upon, often bring up things that have happened in the past. Neddy does not remember a single thing that was told to him. For example, he does not remember that one of his best friends (or what was one of his best friends, Erich Sachs, had major surgery performed on him. No one of sound mind would forget something so serious about person they care so deeply about. Neddy is confused as to how he could not remember his surgery, completely oblivious to his drinking. Cheever explains Neddy Merrill’s thought process by going into Neddy’s mind, stating, “Was he losing his memory, had his gift for concealing painful facts let him forget that… his friend had been ill?” He also does not have any frame of reference of time, as he consistently doesn’t seem to know how long ago he had met with anyone in the neighborhood.

Not only does Neddy Merrill forget everything from his friendships, his alcoholism causes him to forget everything about his family, aside from who they are. He does not remember that his family has left him and that he has no money. Nor does he remember begging people for money. When he does overhear people talking about these things, he brushes them off as lies. The only thing that matters to Neddy is making it home to his family, who he doesn’t realize is not at home. Cheever uses denial as a mean for Neddy to forget his problems. For example, when Mrs. Halloran expresses her concern for Neddy, saying that she is sorry to hear about his misfortunes, Neddy states, “My misfortunes, I don’t know what you mean.” When Mrs. Halloran explains to Neddy that she had heard that he had sold the house, he denies it. Mrs Halloran, not wanting to hurt Neddy, does not ask any more questions even though she knows that he is lying. John Cheever conveys Neddy’s mindset to the reader very clearly by writing the story with a third person omniscient view of Neddy’s life. Neddy is so focused on getting home by “swimming across the country”, as he refers to it, that he does not realize that all of his neighbors, with the exception of the Biswangers, caringly try to get Neddy to acknowledge his problem and get help. Neddy’s dependence on alcohol causes him to completely lose his grip on reality. 

John Cheever uses many symbols in this short to story to convey Neddy Merrill’s alcoholic downfall. For example, he uses the weather to convey Neddy’s emotions. In the beginning of the story, the weather is nice and Neddy is “pleased with everything”. However, in the very next sentence, things take a dark turn. A storm begins to develop, and Neddy takes cover in a gazebo. The gazebo is used as a symbol for alcohol, as it covers Neddy from the storm and helps him ignore it. After the storm, Neddy begins to feel sadness for the first time in the story. As he realizes that leaves are starting to fall from the trees, he “felt a peculiar sadness at this sign of autumn.” The transition from a warm summer to a depressing fall is similar to his transition from being a man with a family to a man with nothing in his life but himself and his booze. It all begins to go downhill for Neddy. As he wanders to the next pool, he realizes that it is empty. This discovery causes him to become overwhelmed with disappointment and sadness. Another symbol in the story is the fake river that Neddy claims he is swimming in on his way home. He calls it “The Lucinda River”. Lucinda is the name of his estranged wife, and the river is a clear metaphor. Neddy is taking what he thinks is the path home to his wife and the loving life they have together. However, the river is not real, nor is the love he and his wife share. Not only that, but Neddy believes that the river will take him to his wife, who he believes is at his house. His wife is not there, for she has left him. His drinking, although only subtly mentioned, is the most important symbol in the entire short story. Without drinking, Neddy would not be searching for his wife’s love, nor would he have to pretend that all is well in his life when it most certainly was not.

John Cheever uses Neddy Merrill’s alcoholism to signify his downfall in the short story The Swimmer. Alcohol has ruined Neddy’s life, although he constantly tries to deny the fact. John Cheever’s use of symbolism also gives subtle insights to how Neddy is feeling emotionally and how his life has gone from great and loving to terrible and empty. Neddy Merrill’s downfall is felt solemnly by his neighbors and eventually, Neddy comes to the realization that his life is over, gazing into his empty house that symbolizes his now empty life. 
