In 1968, "The Swimmer" was adapted into a film of the same name, starring Burt Lancaster Lancaster’s performance, however, has been widely praised, especially for the poignant final scene, which shows his character in the rain, pounding on the door of his vacant, run-down home. Many different factors could have led to the cataclysmic ending of Neddy Merrill’s swimming pool journey. In the end, while the interviewees disagree about what went wrong with The Swimmer—whether Lancaster was a sweetheart or a bully, and whether the Perrys were mistreated artists or lucky hacks—the general agreement is that this is a perfectly imperfect film, poignant almost in spite of itself. Interesting that Neddy doesn't have an in-ground swimming pool of his own, "Never got around to it", but does have a tennis court. Neddy’s swimming pool journey is an effective parallel of the millions of Americans in our society who lead false lives and of the people who swim through life with their eyes half closed, choosing not to acknowledge behaviors that are significant and detrimental to their families. It illustrates how ignorance, apathy, and an inability to recognize and accept reality can so quickly destroy lives and entire families in the blink of an eye. Its common to see it happening with some celebrities, if not, with the most of them, that come from poor families. But the thing about The Swimmer is that reading spoilers doesn’t really diminish one’s enjoyment in watching it – at least, judging from this rewatch, when I knew the ending from the start. Upon arrival, Neddy notices that his house is locked and that it appears weathered and damaged. Neddy is left as a bewildered and exhausted man with everything he once cared about gone. Rebekah Nydam (author) from Massachusetts on May 08, 2018: One of the reasons I love this story is because there are so many ways it can be interpreted. Thank you for answering allot of questions I had about this great story and film. "The Swimmer", a short story by American author John Cheever, was originally published in The New Yorker on July 18, 1964, and then in the 1964 short story collection The Brigadier and the Golf Widow. Cocktail parties, pools that no one really swims in, lovely clothing, infidelity. The return home is the most climactic event in the story.

This story also reflects the flawed social mores of 1960's Suburbia where at the time an in-ground swimming pool was a sign of wealth and affluence. Lancaster plays Ned Merrill, a New York advertising executive who shows up in swim trunks one morning in the backyard of some old friends in suburban Connecticut, and declares his intention to make his way back to his own house by going from yard to yard, “swimming” his way home. This is the first event indicative that all is not well in Neddy’s life. Thank goodness for the internet and the availability of sites to explain The Swimmer. Its cultural I guess that being wealthy means to have a lot of things, and social life means to drink even if is just a little bit, one glass, and we see most of time it has the same final... the loss of everything we so hard studied and worked to acquire them...! Your Hub does a fine job of summarizing and analyzing the story. Along the way, he’s joined by his daughters’ former babysitter (Landgard) for a yard or two, and he reconnects with some people he hasn’t seen in a while, including an actress who used to be his mistress (Janice Rule). Burt Lancaster stars as Ned Merrill. As the story comes to a close, Neddy arrives at his house only to find that it has been abandoned, his wife and children nowhere to be found. It reveals how things can start out easily in a marriage and then deteriorate both physically and emotionally. It really is. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. They feel that they will only be accepted by society f they are driving an expense car, hanging a heavy gold piece of jewelry on their neck, wearing Rolex, dressing very expensive clothes, etc. The aquatic adventure Neddy Merrill embarks upon in John Cheever’s short story “The Swimmer” seems at first to be the light-hearted and innocent idea of a middle-aged man in an affluent community. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Swimmer-film-1968, Turner Classic Movies - The Swimmer (1968), The Swimmer - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). A culture that only consider you being successful and "happy" if we in some way, destroy our own body, our own destiny. This is just the pecefrt answer for all of us. The movie is also notable for featuring Marvin Hamlisch’s first film score. And all interpretations are correct in their own sense.

The extramarital affair also illustrates a disconnect between himself and his wife. There’s a fairly pretentious metaphorical arc to Ned’s day, as he begins the morning reminiscing about his youth in a pleasant, sunny backyard and ends it shivering in a crowded public pool, surrounded by working-class acquaintances to whom he owes money. Being wealth is to know how to be yourself, it is to use your money for a much higher purpose, its to enjoy your life but also help others to get there too, its to share and teach how why you got there.If you are a millionaire it does not mean that you have to have all material things life offers, but knowing that "money can buy all things but never happiness"!

He clearly had some sort of financial mishap that quickly ate away at the comfortable lifestyle he and his wife and children were previously accustomed to living. This analysis fails to recognize the fact the Neddy is an alcoholic, and his "swimming" is a metaphorical indulgence in alcohol. Yes, very hard film to write about and I’m sure people can guess the ending just from my write-up. At one house, he encounters a woman with which he has apparently had an affair. "The Swimmer" by John Cheever: Summary and Analysis. From the start, it’s clear that something’s a little off about Ned, besides his kooky plan and his tendency to stare off into the clear blue sky and wax poetic. Through increasingly strange encounters with his neighbors and resurfacing ideas of some serious life problems, the once-vibrant Neddy begins to transform into a tired and confused older man. Growing older is one of the hardest challenges we face in life, and if that obstacle is dealt with in a rash manner, and without much thought it can lead to feelings of helplessness, denial, confusion, and resentment. Neddy, a seemingly energetic and cheerful husband and father, decides one summer afternoon that he will swim his way home from a cocktail party through the array of public and private swimming pools scattered throughout his neighborhood. It's brilliant. The journey starts off smoothly one summer afternoon, with Neddy being well received by his neighbors. Neddy’s journey, if examined through a symbolic lens, represents a significant period of passing time in which important events of Neddy’s life are ignored and the overall reality of his life is suppressed. The look and the milieu are stodgier, and Marvin Hamlisch’s score—his first—is lavishly orchestrated and almost romantic.

Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). It was so nice to watch this healthy and, apparently, strong man swimming, running (loved pacing with the horse), beautiful family and friends, lifestyle, etc. Neddy is baffled, and leaves this house to the final chapter of his journey.

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