The Swimmer

Allusion as a literary device means that a text refers to another literary work or work of art. “The Swimmer” is in many ways a retelling of the myth of Narcissus. John Cheever sets the stage for the parallels between Neddy Merrill and Narcissus by initially characterizing Neddy as a vain man who sees himself as having a greater purpose than his fellow suburbanites. Rather than seeing himself clearly as a shallow person whose social status is fading, he thinks of himself as “a pilgrim, an explorer, [and] a man with a destiny” (Paragraph 5). Cheever also emphasizes the reflection or echo of the water to evoke images of Narcissus’s constantly staring into the river; likewise, his emphasis on the water’s “refract[ion of] the sound of voices” evokes Echo, the nymph who fell in love with Narcissus but was destined only to repeat the words of others (Paragraph 7). Cheever also emphasizes Neddy’s obsession with youth, another element of Narcissus’s vanity. In particular, Neddy is unsettled when learning that his strength, both physical and emotional, is beginning to wane toward the end of the story; he cries after seeing his former lover and is unable to lift himself from the pool using just his arms. This progressive deterioration of his youth parallels the passing of time and his increased alienation throughout the story.