Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet, once observed: “Time changes everything except something in us which is always surprised by the change. » In "The Swimmer", the world around Ned Merrill, the main character, constantly transforms over time, causing Ned's physical, mental and social state to decline. However, even though Ned Merrill experiences the inevitable – growing old – he does not fully grasp the reality and the idea that time passes, even if one is not ready for it. "The Swimmer" is a short story written by John Cheever, a writer who drew on his own experiences for his stories - "Cheever's problems with his parents, his brother, his wife, his alcoholism and his bisexuality have already been described in HOME BEFORE DARK, the 1984 memoir of his daughter, Susan Cheever, but Scott Donaldson… goes into greater detail on these personal issues while showing how the writer transformed the often painful raw materials of his life into beauty and order of fiction” (Donaldson If Cheever had difficult relationships with his family and peers, perhaps he chose to live in his own reality, just as Ned Merrill seems to be stuck in his own bubble). , watching events unconsciously through his eyes In "The Swimmer", many of Ned's friends and neighbors live in large houses with beautiful swimming pools and many have high social status, which attracts researchers and readers. to believe that “The Swimmer” takes place in the 1960s. “[“The Swimmer”] was published in 1964, at one time. great prosperity for middle- and upper-class Americans. After surviving World War II…and the Korean War…many Americans – at least white Americans – were enjoying postwar wealth and affluence” (“Historical Context: “The Swimmer » EXPLORE short stories). At a glance...... middle of paper ......mmer.html>. "Historical Context: 'The Swimmer.'" EXPLORE Short Stories Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Web Context 6. February 2014. "John Cheever." Book Reviews (1990): MAS Ultra - School Edition, January 23, 2014. Morace, Robert A. "John Cheever." : np, nd EBSCO Web. February 19, 2014. .Riley, Kathryn. “John Cheever and the Limitations of Fantasy.” » The CEA Critic 45.3-4 (March-May 1983): 21-26. Literary criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk. Flight. 64. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Literature Resource Center, January 21, 2014. Ross, Diane M. “The Swimmer.” Revised edition (2004): 1-2. Internet. January 21. 2014