![](/olcweb/styles/shared/spacer.gif) | ![The American Tradition in Literature, Volume 2 Book Cover](/sites/dl/free/0072491566/title/sm_perkins_vol2_10e03ss_nm.jpg) The American Tradition in Literature, Volume 2, 10/e George Perkins,
Eastern Michigan University Barbara Perkins,
University of Toledo-Toledo
Orientation"The Swimmer" is one of John Cheever's best known and most popular short stories. A richly symbolic and ironic work, the narrative line follows the episodic adventure of a suburban anti-hero, Neddy Merrill, who decides to "swim home" down the "Lucinda River"-named for his wife. Merrill's adventure spans an afternoon during which both the passage of seasons follows the gradual revelation of his own professional and familial collapse. |
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