Reviewing the Story The Swimmer - Essay Example

The character projected himself as an athlete although he was just that in the past and dared to bring back his youthful vigor.

At first, the symbolism was vague in the story and it was not easy to understand. The character named Neddy seemed to have a nice life at first but as the story went on, the real dilemma in his life surfaced one by one. He was focused on his plans and status and his view was only limited upon his scheme. He never noticed how his surroundings and the people in his life changed. What he was only concerned about in almost all parts of the story is some outer appearances and status in exchange for the real essence of human relationships. Other than the passage of time which he did not notice, the emptiness of suburbia was also a major theme in the story as Neddy was concerned with the outward appearance and was never concerned with personal details like the time when Mrs. Levy bought her Japanese lantern. He has been trapped within the prevailing culture of the high society wherein appearance is almost all that matters. It does not matter if he has genuine friends and heavy drinking became a status symbol or a way to escape the harsh reality of the world. The emptiness also applies to his love life since his marriage with his wife was cut by virtue through his affair with a mistress. Also, his affair was only described by sexual comforts and no true love.

The symbols used in the story were alcohol, explorations, swimming pools, and changes in seasons. Alcohol has always been a status symbol. People used it to show how famous they are just like Neddy or used it as an escape from harsh reality. Explorations show how time and his view were distorted and he thought that his life will always be “good” although his basis is just the outer reality. Swimming pools signify the flow of time in his life wherein he was preoccupied with parties and unreal friendships just to climb the social hierarchy. Changes in the season showed how he aged and how the reality was revealed to him from his outer appearance consideration of having a great life to the reality that he never had genuine human relationships from family relationships to friendships.