Allusion and Symbolism in The Swimmer, by John Cheever Essay examples -

John Cheever does not merely state the theme of his story, he expresses his theme, as a good writer should, in a miscellany of metaphors and analogies coupled with powerful imagery. In The Swimmer, Cheever writes and underscores his primary theme of alcoholism in many ways, such as his use of autumnal imagery and the color green. However, in that location is also some truly prominent symbolism and allusions that serve to highlight the theme while also augmenting the artistic and poetic nature of the story. One very important use of symbolism is in the perverted sacraments as originally pointed out by Hal Blythe in 1984. Along side these symbols, Hal Blythe, along with Charlie Sweet, later notice a clear allusion to Ponce de Len in 1989.To begin with the symbolism, there are three holy sacraments that have been twisted by Merrill in the story, one of them is directly related to the primary theme of alcoholism, and the other two are connected to Merrills addiction, b ut not as directly as the jump. This first sacrament is the Eucharist, commonly known as share-out, which involves the partaking of wine in a ceremonial fashion. This sacrament is defamed from the very beginning, when Cheever shows the characters sitting around on Sunday, the day of the Lord, when communion would normally take place, with hangovers. It is ridiculed even more strongly when Cheever includes even the priests themselves in the group of people who say, I drank too much. The second two sacraments that Merrill perverts are espousal and baptism. Both of these serve to highlight the theme of alcoholism and its negative effects because alcohol served as the instrument causing the perversion. It was Merrills alcoholism that ruined his relationshi... ...Len serves both as an artistic stroke and an underlining of the stories message. The tale of Ponce de Lens futile search for the fountain of youth is well known, and this allusion hammers down the nail of pain and pass th at alcoholism has brought Merrill.Works CitedBlythe, Hal, and Charlie Sweet. An Historical Allusion In Cheevers The Swimmer. Studies In Short Fiction 26.4 (1989). 557. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2014. Blythe, Hal. Perverted Sacraments In John Cheevers The Swimmer. Studies In Short Fiction 21.4 (1984). 393. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2014. Edward Reilly, Autumnal Images in John Cheevers The Swimmer, Notes on Contemporary Literature, 10 (January 1980). 12. Print.Nora Graves, The Dominant Color in John Cheevers The Swimmer, Notes on Contemporary Literature, 5 (March 1974). 4-5. Print.