In the short story The Swimmer by John Cheever, one of the dominant themes is the passage of time. In this short story, time seems to pass like reality, without us being aware of its passage. The main character is the hero protagonist, Neddy Merrill, who embarks on the traditional theme of the journey home. The scene opens on a hot summer day at a pool party with Neddy and his wife Lucinda. The pool is “fed by an artesian well with a high iron content, a pale green hue. They are at the home of their wealthy suburban friends, Mr. and Mrs. Westerhazy. Here it is anchored in reality. Neddy “was sitting on the edge of the green water, one hand in it, one around a glass of gin.” His pursuit of pleasure in matters of Id is in full force. The color green symbolizes wealth. Gin represents social lubrication. Neddy “breathed deeply, stertorously, as if he could swallow the components of this moment into his lungs.” It is here that I suspect he already entered a dream state and began his spiritual journey to the underworld. Cheever uses an archetypal narrative pattern in which he goes on a quest, a type of nocturnal aquatic journey that suggests the depth of a spiritual allegory. This is the last time he will see his wife or his children. archetypal figures: hit the bronze behind (libido) of Aphrodite (Greek water goddess of love and beauty – vain and unfaithful like Neddy). Then he has a vision of the house, "where his four beautiful daughters would have lunch and could play tennis" and considers himself free to be an explorer. As he begins his journey, he moves away from reality and enters a fantasy world where he is a great explorer on the verge of conquering the Lucinda River which he names in his wife's name. In reality, he ignored his wife, engaged in an adult relationship...... middle of paper...... for some, the dream of fulfillment slowly turned into a nightmare. His house has been abandoned, it is empty and dark, the entrance or doors are locked. A sign of age, the rust is coming off between his hands. His body is cold and he has deteriorated physically and emotionally. It is weathered just like his house and his life. He is poor, homeless and abandoned. These changes, increasingly faint, act as a metaphor for a larger part of Neddy's life than the literal journey he takes this afternoon. He lost his social status, his money, his wife, his children and perhaps even his mind. In other words, his whole life. Works Cited Cheever, John. "The Swimmer" Literature for writing about literature. SUNYJCC, January 15, 2014. PDF. February 3, 2014. Felluga, Dino. “Terms used by psychoanalysis.” An introductory guide to critical theory. January 31, 2011. Purdue U. February 5 2014