
“Certainly [it was] the first time in his life that he had ever felt so miserable, cold, tired, and bewildered” (Cheever, 736).  In the short story “The Swimmer” by John Cheever, the main character, Neddy Merrill deals with depression in a way that is very unique, yet almost stereotypical.  He denies the reality of the situation that he is in through the fabrication of an odyssey to hop from pool to pool until he returns to his home.  While Ned’s journey seems meaningless, it is actually a manifestation of the social journey that he experiences while going through a rough point in his life.  The author shows the changes in Ned’s life, and hints at their emotional effect upon Neddy, through various tone changes and his interactions with strangers, friends, and former neighbors.

During the start of Neddy’s quest, the author’s use of language sets a tone that is carefree and beautiful.  “The day was lovely, and that he lived in a world so generously supplied with water seemed like a clemency, a beneficence.  His heart was high and he ran across the grass” (Cheever, 727).  The reader’s first impression of Neddy Merrill is that of a child, with the only real evidence contradicting that impression being that he had drank too much the night before.  This lighthearted tone leads the reader to believe that everything that follows will be equally as carefree and whimsical.  This whimsical tone, however, is soon replaced with a much darker quality--one more fitting for the reality of Neddy’s situation.  “Going toward the house, he saw that the force of the thunderstorm had knocked one of the rain gutters loose.  It hung down over the front door like an umbrella rib…” (Cheever, 737).  The environment around Ned changes; he is no longer in a carefree world, full of laughter and drinking.  He is now facing the ruins of his old home, seeing nothing but what is there in front of him.  Comparing the first quote with the second shows how obvious the shift in tone is from the very beginning to the very end of the story.  This transition from carefree to dark also represents a transition within Ned’s mind: from the immature fantasy to the harsh reality.  The change in tone from whimsical to dark also represent the trials that Neddy had gone through before the setting of the story.  The beautiful and carefree setting at the beginning represents his life as it was: full of laughter and joy, while the darker tone near the end represents his life as it is. 

The severity of the narrator’s change in tone is reinforced by a gradual change in the reception of Neddy among his former neighbors.  During the beginning of his trek, he encounters many people who treat him well and offer him drinks before he continues on.  One such example of friendliness is his encounter with Mrs. Graham, who welcomes him by saying “what a marvelous surprise.  I’ve been trying to get you on the phone all morning.  Here, let me get you a drink” (Cheever, 728).  He is treated with respect and welcomed with open arms, regardless of his current social situation.  This interaction represents how his life was before the tragic incident that caused him to lose his house and social status.  After stopping at another party where he was welcomed and treated well, he took a brief intermission at the Levys’.  “He felt tired, clean, and pleased at that moment to be alone; pleased with everything” (Cheever, 729).  This is the calm before the storm, both literally and figuratively.  In the present, he takes shelter from the storm in the Levys’ house, while this storm also represents the tragic event that lead to Ned losing his house.  Shortly after the storm has passed, he has to cross route 424, where he suffers ridicule from the passengers in cars that are passing by.  “He was laughed at, jeered at, a beer can was thrown at him, and he had no dignity or humor to bring to the situation” (Cheever, 731).  This is not only one of the lowest points of his odyssey, where he most actively thought about turning back, but also represents the social fallout of the unnamed incident that led to Ned being homeless.  Shortly after he crosses route 424, Ned arrives at a public pool.  This entire encounter represents his descent into the lower class, being grouped together with people who couldn’t afford their own commodities.  

There were many points along Ned’s journey where he could have easily given up with next to no real consequence.  The author even admits this when Ned is on the shoulder of route 424 by saying “He had signed nothing, vowed nothing, pledged nothing, not even to himself.  Why, believing as he did, that all human obduracy was susceptible to common sense, was he unable to turn back?” (Cheever, 731).  The answer is obvious once the reader realizes that Ned is in a downward spiral of depression.  He can’t turn back because that would be admitting to himself the reality of the situation that he is in.  Were he to turn back, all of the walls that he had built up in his mind would come crashing down on him, and he wouldn’t be able to handle it emotionally.  Eventually, however, he is forced to confront the reality of his situation, when he finishes his odyssey.  “The place was dark.  Was it so late that they had all gone to bed?  Had Lucinda stayed at the Westerhazys’ for supper?” (Cheever, 737).  Even through his confrontation with reality, he fabricates excuses as to attempt to explain the absence of any life in his home. 

Through dialogue with characters and tone shifts, the author shows that Ned’s journey was ultimately caused by depression, but also signified the social journey that he went through while experiencing and recovering from some tragic event that left him homeless.  His odyssey started as a nice, beautiful adventure on a warm summer morning, which represented his life before the tragic event.  The storm that initiated the tone shift was a manifestation of the tragic event itself, and his interactions with people after the storm represented the way most of his former friends now look at him.  During the entirety of the event, he refused to accept the reality of his situation, showing his denial, a symptom of depression.  
