
Fermentation has been a staple of human culture for thousands of years. It is used for cooking, preserving, and best known for making alcohol; there is not human history without the presence of alcohol.  The cultural significance of alcohol has changed throughout history, between geographic regions and religions, but the seeming constant of its convention is social. In our modern society it is considered a rite of passage that grants you into the adult world, though formal ceremonies are often bypassed such as 21st birthdays, it gives an illusion of unity and belonging that people crave. The use of alcohol in social entities is not overlooked in the short story, “The Swimmer” by John Cheever. Cheever creates a character, Neddy Merrill, a wealthy suburban dweller who embarks on a journey to swim across the county. Throughout this journey Neddy is welcomed by those who cross his path in a gradually deteriorating kindliness, this decline is best depicted through the manifestation of alcohol. This provides insight into the cultural portrayal of alcohol, its role in socialization, class hierarchy, and its dangerous mental and physical dependence. 

Neddy’s journey begins with, “It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, ‘I drank too much last night.’” (Cheever 726).  Being the beginning line of the short story it is significant in setting the scene and building Neddy as a character. From the start he is enjoying the company of close friends and his wife. Their occasion is joyous and filled with warms, both from the hot summer sun and the warming drinks. The scene is filled with positivity and sparks a sense of youth, resilience, and joy in Neddy. When continuing his journey, the Grahms welcome him warmly with, “’what a marvelous surprise. I’ve been trying to get you on the phone all morning. Here, let me get you a drink.’” (728).  As his journey progresses the way in which he is greeted shifts from welcoming to rejection. Further across the county he reaches the Levy’s pool, empty with signs of a prior party, “After swimming the pool he got himself a glass and poured a drink.” (729). Neddy had not attended the party but was instead received with solitude. The last stop before reaching his house Neddy, expecting excitement and affection from his mistress, is instead hailed with aversion; when asking, “’You could give me a drink,’” Sherlly Adams replies, “’I could but I won’t. I’m not alone” subsequently to stating “’If you've come here for money… I won’t give you another cent.’” (736). These reactions to Neddy’s presence shows the gradual path to his defeat. Alcohol, once abundant and gleefully his, becomes unattainable; it was once part of the social convention that marked his enjoyment and friendship. When that cultural condition is no longer boasted upon him the reader can see his gradual loss of social status and with that, his friendships. 

An interesting way Cheever shows the correlation between alcohol, friendship, and status quo is through bartenders. Along the path home Neddy arrives to two different parties that are catered by bartenders. During his first encounter Neddy is seen as highly regarded, a very important guest, “A smiling bartender he has seen at a hundred parties gave him a gin and tonic” (Cheever, 729). This interaction can be contrasted to one of his last stops when, “The bartender served him but he served him rudely” (735). Neddy himself sees his diminishing social standing through the change in the bartender’s attitudes. This is shown when he states, “His was a world in which the caterer’s men kept the social score, and to be rebuffed by a part-time barkeep meant that he had suffered some loss of social esteem” (735). This depiction of bartenders reveling the class placement of party goers shows the importance of alcohol within the class system. 

As the story progresses there is a clear degradation of Neddy physically and mentally. A question that arises is how and why this is happening. Often the truth lies in the details. Cheever never specifically states what is the cause of Neddy’s problems, Neddy himself suppresses the memories of any hindrance. A plausible assumption to this question could be alcoholism. Alcoholism is a predominant illness in present day society just as it was in the time period of this short story. Neddy’s dependence to alcohol is clearly portrayed toward the end of his journey. Neddy declares, “He needed a drink. Whiskey would warm him, pick him up, carry him through the last of his journey, refresh his feeling that it was original and valorous to swim across the county … he needed a stimulant” (Cheever, 733-734). This demand for a drink comes along with his social rejections. Closer to his realization of his false reality he again probes for his needs, “What he needed then was a drink, some company, and some clean, dry clothes” (737). Because alcohol was so closely tied to his social interactions, confidence and sense of youth, it makes sense that lack of alcohol also represents loneliness, mental instability and physical ailment for Neddy. His once alcohol fueled reality has been distorted by sobriety. 

In a species that has always considered alcohol culturally significant it is important to understand the beverage’s effects on society and sociological implications. Cheever does a striking job of using alcohol to portray the essence of his era, unveil society’s considerable dependence for socialization, and the underlying human desire to feel confidence, just as how alcohol gave youthful essence to Neddy. Because human nature has remained relatively constant, there will likely not be a significant change in the role alcohol plays in everyday culture, making this story an important depiction of its effects on human lives. The only way the stigma of alcohol in society can change is through illustrations such as Cheever’s portrayal of Neddy. 
