In the story The Swimmer by John Cheever, one of the dominant themes is the passage of time. In this story, time seems to pass as reality does and we are not aware of its passing. The main character is the titular hero, Neddy Merrill, who undertakes the traditional theme of the journey home. The scene opens on a hot midsummer day during a pool party with Neddy and his wife Lucinda. The pool is “fed by an artesian well with a high iron content, it was a pale shade of green. They are at the house of their wealthy suburban friends, Mr. and Mrs. Westerhazy. Here it is rooted in reality. Neddy "sat by the green water, one hand in, the other around a glass of gin." His pursuit of id pleasure is in full force. The color green symbolizes wealth. Gin represents social lubrication. Neddy was “breathing deeply, stertoriously as if he could swallow the components of that moment into his lungs.” This is where I suspect he has already entered a dream state and begun his spiritual journey into the underworld. Cheever uses an archetypal narrative scheme that he is undertaking a quest, a type of nocturnal journey on water that suggests the depth of a spiritual allegory. This is the last time he will see his wife or children. archetypal figures: hits the bronze butt (libido) of Aphrodite (Greek water goddess of love and beauty - vain and unfaithful like Neddy). Then he has a vision of home, "where his four beautiful daughters would have lunch and play tennis" and considers himself free to be an explorer. Starting his journey he distances himself from reality and enters a fantasy world where he is a great explorer about to conquer the Lucinda river which he names after his wife. In reality he ignored his wife, who was busy with adult......middle of paper......some days the dream of coming true slowly became a nightmare. His house has been abandoned, it is empty and dark, the entrance or doors are closed. The sign of age, the rust peels off his hands. His body is cold and has deteriorated physically and emotionally. It is exposed to the elements just like his home and his life. He is poor, homeless and abandoned. These changes, as he ages and weakens, serve as a metaphor for a larger part of Neddy's life than the literal journey he takes this afternoon. He has lost his social standing, his money, his wife, his children and perhaps his mind. In other words, his entire life. Works Cited Cheever, John. "The Swimmer” Literature for Writing About Literature. SUNYJCC, January 15, 2014. PDF. February 3, 2014. Felluga, Dino. “Terms Used by Psychoanalysis.” Introductory Guide to Critical Theory. January 31, 2011. Purdue U. February 5 2014