The Swimmer by John Cheever - Short Story Summary, Analysis, Review

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Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Today we are looking at one of the most heavily anthologized short stories, "The Swimmer" by John Cheever. Hailed as one of the greatest short stories of all time, let's take a look at a few of the angles that resonated with us. We talk about Greek influences and the Odyssey, societal pressures, alcoholism, and more!
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Our friend Brian from ‪@BookishTexan‬ also covered this story: • Short Story Project: "...
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#TheSwimmer
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
0:00 Context
2:12 Plot and Analysis
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Song: CodeX Cantina Intro
Artist: CodeX Cantina

Опубликовано:

27 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 41

@marykemmerle5502 Месяц назад

My favorite short story!

@Shellyish 2 года назад

Stop. Stop. Stop being so awesome. Hangovers on a Sunday? Heathens! I have yet to explore Cheever, but you all make me want to. Beautiful incorporation of Ancient Greek lit. ❤️

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

If I speak the name Ulysses, will you suddenly appear?

@jamesstout6280 2 года назад

This is truly one of the greatest stories. Great comparison with Ulysses.

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

🥰

@BookishTexan 2 года назад

Great job with this and thank you for the plug. The highway being like the River Styx is a good point. Una's flower knowledge runs deep.

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

Anytime, sir

@nataliemoses5299 2 года назад

The Swimmer is one of the short stories I have to analyze for Academic Decathlon this year, along with the River by Flannery O'Connor. I just watched the River video you posted in around 2020 and clicked on your channel to find you posted the next story I needed only 1 minute ago. Crazy. Both videos are incredibly well researched and very helpful for my competition. Thank you!

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

Wow. What are the odds! Now if we sync on the next post that’ll be a sign!

@Starscreamlive 2 года назад

Cheever's prose is absolutely amazing here! I interpreted the highway to be Scylla and Charybdis from The Odyssey. Especially so when he was stuck in the median between the lanes. The first party he came to on his journey could be Cheever's version of the Lotus Eaters. This was an amazing story! An easy 10/10!

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

I can see that! Man... why does Greek Literature the gift that keeps on giving?

@JesseBeats 2 года назад

You guys always make top tier analyses on these short stories! Keep it up! Greetings from Greece!

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

🙏

@marytumulty4257 2 года назад

From the beginning with Neddy’s sliding down the bannister in his house in "Bullet Park" (a foreboding name) this story depicts a continued progression downward. When Neddy slapped Aphrodite _ was that a reference to possible domestic violence, possibly slapping away love? Shortly after leaving the house he takes a dogleg turn to the southwest (downward on a map). Early on in the story he’s walking on "Alewives Lane" (are the wives drinking ale or are their husbands full of ale?). With each successive pool he swims in he’s moving into less and less desirable pools. And the people who own those pools are each successively lower down on the social strata than the uppity country club set to which he once belonged. Finally, he gets back to what used to be his home but it’s empty and locked. He knows he will never regain entry to that life. The water has not cleansed and redeemed him instead the alcohol has set him adrift from all that he loves.

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

Great comment!

@derinaries 2 года назад

I interpreted the smack on the ass as a direct commentary on his wife and marriage: dismissive and something that was taken for granted. Basically Neddys' view of his wife and women.

@jasonhoffer9017 2 года назад

I have always related this story to Heart of Darkness as well - Great video and consider doing a Raymond Carver short story or book

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

Great suggestion. We did Cathedral a while back and I feel like the comments from that video made me really reevaluate my empathy and some things that I needed to dig deeper on. Always great when a story can make you do that!

@jeremyjlanning1974 Месяц назад

Y’all, the Lucinda River wasn’t named after his mom. His leaving his house didn’t happen in the story. It was an unreliable recall.

@mmcneil777 24 дня назад

I thought he was actually dead. That maybe he was in some kind of purgatory. He didn’t remember a lot of things. I thought he died a couple years earlier. There were also some strange scenes, like when he went to the couple who was naked. It seemed like maybe he was their call boy or something. Also, I thought the little boy maybe was dead as well. Kind of reminded of the movie the 6th Sense or The Others. I had never heard of this movie. It was like was hidden and the movie just appeared. Surprised it wasn’t more well known. Mysterious movie, that left a lot of unanswered questions. Somebody should do a remake of it. Maybe Jordan Peele could pick it up.

@Ivxnrxjxs 5 месяцев назад

I think this story is beautiful. Was the journey meaningful? Not really. Was it almost absurd how he swam through each homeowner's swimming pool? Yes, very. It's kind of funny. In the end we may be left with the reflection about the lengths we go about denying certain facets of our lives. I think this story borders on preposterous because we may just act that way when we try to escape reality. Also, the neighbors in my opinion are possibly a reflection of the culture and classes of that period in time. They all had some background knowledge of the protagonist as well, and it's up to the reader to catch on and build a story of Ned's vague past on their own.

@Sherlika_Gregori 2 года назад

Funny. When I swim I breathe every fourth stroke.

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

I'll have to ask my niece about that. She's very competitive in swimming.

@JessicaMcGowan-bu4ls 4 месяца назад

Dudes - bless you both but you are too young to remember that culture. I am an old head -75. Do you think partay just started in 90's? Parties and cocktails of course were expected and regular. Back that drinking was not seen as a problem and hangovers ok happened. The setting was perfect anywhere Suburbia, USA. About symbolism - thanks for mentioning the highway - that was the division between the wealth, private pools and the working class, way overcrowded pool. He is also getting cold, hugging himself. He loses strength - he starts to use his arms to climb out of the pools. Actually there are so many clues and nuances in this film it is worth more than one view. Lastly BTW - the comparison to the Greeks - there is a movie The Warriors that begins with a Greek story of an army trapped in hostile territory and had to fight home. Worth a view.

@JessicaMcGowan-bu4ls 4 месяца назад

About The Warriors which begins by telling a Greek tale about soldiers caught in hostile territory and having to fight their way home - the soldiers in The Warriors are a Coney Island gang stuck in the Bronx and have to fight their way home (on foot and public trans). Yeah you read right. They encounter numerous gangs on the way - even a female gang (could be a reference to the Sirens). The Swimmer emulates that situation also in Ned's journey to get home.

@derinaries 2 года назад

I wonder if the pools represented various pool parties where Neddy got drunk and behaved inappropriately. Also he is swimming home after leaving his wife. His arrofanxe allows him to believe that she is at home awaiting his return. His neigbours know the truth, but Neddy is in deep denial. Or he is senile and the whole thing was imagined.

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

I like the distractions or delusions in the face of reality. Very cool

@josephforest7605 Год назад

There was a hint in the beginning of the movie , when he wanted to borrow his neighbor's car to back to his home .His neighbour's talked him out of it .

@serenhafwilliams-davies5915 Год назад

The CodeX Cantina, where do you come from, please?

@TheCodeXCantina Год назад

USA

@serenhafwilliams-davies5915 Год назад

@@TheCodeXCantina thank you, & which part of the USA, please?

@iancrombie8862 Год назад

River Lucinda,is named after his wife,not his mother!!!

@TheCodeXCantina Год назад

Correct. Which is why we discussed it as representing his wife.

@iancrombie8862 Год назад

@@TheCodeXCantina you say wife....then mother!!

@TheCodeXCantina Год назад

@@iancrombie8862 can you give me the time code? While I can’t fix the video, I could at least fix the subtitles so as not to confuse people.

@iancrombie8862 Год назад

@@TheCodeXCantina around 4'25 and then 4'45..approx...

@TheCodeXCantina Год назад

@@iancrombie8862 thanks, I’ll get that fixed.

@BrandonsBookshelf 2 года назад

listen i dont want to keep complimenting you guys every time and giving you all big heads, so instead let me say I hated this. Its trite of you guys to have such on the nose opinions, its boring to hear a story explained so well and simply, its annoying to compare my ability to analyze fiction to how deep and unique you guys go etc. just enough already.

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

Oh man, I have a laundry list of things that I wish we could say more accurately and better in every video! I wish I had the ability to sit down and record in a fluid sentence the way your videos flow. Maybe we all see the best in others? Thanks for the kind words.

@derinaries 2 года назад

I interpreted the smack on the ass as a direct commentary on his wife and marriage: dismissive and something that was taken for granted. Basically Neddys' view of his wife and women.

@TheCodeXCantina 2 года назад

Ah interesting! Definitely worth exploring that angle