“The Swimmer” is a story about Neddy Merril, the protagonist, a chap who tries to find his way home through swimming in all the pools located in his neighborhood amid various obstacles along the way. In the process, and along the way back, the protagonist encounters more difficulties ranging from weather (Cheever, 780), needs for alcohol and the manner in which people treat him. He is confused, lonely, and seems to have a memory lapse. In the end, when he reaches his home, he is surprised to find an empty, abandoned structure (Cheever, 788).
Firstly, the “Hero’s Journey” explains the subsequent processes found in most stories, regarded as the monomyth. Vogler asserts that a Hero’s journey is sequential and starts with a point of separation, followed by initiation and lastly, the return. Amid these three major steps are more other steps that culminate to the end of the journey. Cheever’s work is a perfect example of the Hero’s journey, albeit the protagonist, the hero in “The Swimmer” returned home an old, broken, and confused person. He won no battle but instead ended up losing the best part of his life, including his family.…show more content… The transition point is a good pointer at the grave mistake made by the protagonist. In Vogler’s terms, as quoted from Campbell’s article, the protagonist gets called to an adventure, which he hurriedly accepts. The moment he is off towards his home and starts getting into swimming pools, Neddy has already crossed the initial threshold (Campbell, 3). Moreover, based on the manner that reality unfolds, the protagonist encounters more alcohol on the way, as well as more welcoming neighbors. It seems there is fun along the way, but seemingly, the protagonist has already entered the whale’s belly which marks the beginning of his
