The Swimmer - Analytical Essay

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The swimmer Time. Years, hours, minutes, days. Until the 20th century, everybody thought time flowed in a constant fashion, until Einstein proved that time simply is another dimension. Even though this is a known fact, time seems to have the affect like an elastic band, depending on the situation we find ourselves in. Sometimes time passes by quickly and at other times, it seems to have the speed of a snail. This time concept is exactly the focal point of Neddy’s issues in the text ‘The Swimmer’’, but the question is; what is affecting his perception of time? ‘’The Swimmer’’ is written by John Cheever in 1978 and takes place in a suburb at midsummer. It is obvious that it is a rich area hence the many houses with pools. It is a friendly and social neighbourhood where a lot of parties are thrown, and as people encounter they greet each other nicely. Although, as you read on, you also sense that some of them are very superficial. ‘’His was a world in which the caterer’s men kept the social score […] She [Grace Biswanger] was always talking about money’’ (s. 735 ll. 27-34). From this quote you get the impression that Grace Biswager is a bread head and that she only wants to speak to prosperous people. The fact that even the bartender allows himself to divide people into social groups just shows how normal it is, for them, to have this perspective of the world. The main character of the text is Neddy Merril and he is described as a sporty and slender man who radiates youth, even though he has passed his best age. He has a wife, Lucinda Merrill, and four daughters, who also are described as sporty people. Throughout the story Neddy meets a lot of people who are very happy to see him, but Neddy does not really want to stop the doings of his day wasting time chit-chatting. You get the impression that he is very arrogant and that he thinks himself better than

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