The Swimmer

John Cheever revealed that he conceived “The Swimmer” as “a simple [story] about Narcissus” (Patrick Meanor, John Cheever Revisited, 114). In this Greek myth, Narcissus’s youth and beauty attract the wood nymph Echo, but he callously rejects her affections. As punishment, Narcissus is cursed by the gods to feel unconditional love with no hope of return. One day, Narcissus views his face in a clear fountain and falls in love with his own image. However, when he reaches out to touch himself, the reflection ripples and dissipates. Transfixed, he sits by the fountain admiring his reflection until he dies. Afterward, his dead body turns into a beautiful purple and white flower known today as the Narcissus (Thomas Bulfinch, The Age of Fable, pp. 123-125). The myth is the origin of the word “narcissism,” meaning a personality inclined to extreme self-centeredness to the exclusion of other people’s feelings and needs.

Cheever presents Neddy Merrill as a Narcissus-like figure whose egocentricity and disregard for the feelings of others ultimately lead to a lonely fate. However, Neddy has a completely different vision of himself: as a hero embarking on a long journey. This idea of a valiant quest evokes ancient Greece and the