John Cheever’s “The Swimmer” is a short story, not a documentary or a novel. First published in The New Yorker in 1964, it follows Neddy Merrill as he tries to swim home through a chain of neighboring pools. Its 1968 film adaptation, starring Burt Lancaster, is a separate work. The shared title is also used by unrelated novels, so the author or medium matters when identifying which “Swimmer” you mean.
What is Cheever’s “The Swimmer” about?
At a summer gathering, Neddy Merrill announces an unusual plan: he will swim home by visiting the pools along the way. He imagines the route as a river named for his wife, Lucinda. As he moves from one property to the next, the afternoon grows darker, the weather turns, and people he meets respond in ways that unsettle him. At a public pool, his strength gives out. When he finally reaches home, he finds the house locked and empty.
The premise begins in a mood of leisure and confidence, but the journey becomes physically and emotionally harder. Cheever’s line, “When Lucinda asked where he was going, he said he was going to swim home,” states Neddy’s plan plainly; the story’s unease comes from what the swim reveals as it unfolds.
What does the ending mean?
The story does not provide a single explicit explanation for Neddy’s experience. One compelling reading is that the journey exposes a gap between his self-image and the circumstances he has avoided acknowledging. At first he treats the pools as a continuous, almost playful route through a familiar social world. The changing light, weather, encounters, and his growing exhaustion disrupt that picture. The locked, empty house gives the journey a stark final consequence without spelling out every cause.
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The pools can also be read as a map of Neddy’s social world: he passes through spaces that appear welcoming or familiar, but his relationships to the people there are not as secure as he assumes. These are interpretations of the story’s pattern, rather than a definitive statement of Cheever’s intent.
Why the changing day matters
The shift from a bright summer gathering toward darkness and exhaustion is central to the story’s unsettling effect. The journey seems at first to fit within a single afternoon, yet its changing conditions make that apparent continuity feel unstable. Rather than explaining the change for the reader, Cheever lets weather, light, and Neddy’s failing strength alter how the route feels. The reader is left to weigh his confident account of himself against the evidence accumulating around him.
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Is “The Swimmer” a book or a short story?
John Cheever’s “The Swimmer” is a short story. It appeared in The New Yorker’s July 18, 1964 print edition; the archive page is dated July 11, 1964. The story is also included in The Stories of John Cheever, the collection identified as the 1979 fiction winner on the Pulitzer Prize site.
The title is not unique. Joakim Zander and Graham Norton each have a separate work titled The Swimmer. If you are looking for a particular book, story, or screen version, check the author and format rather than relying on the title alone.
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How the 1968 film differs from the story
The 1968 film adaptation stars Burt Lancaster as Ned Merrill. Sony’s synopsis places him in an affluent Connecticut suburb, swimming home by way of friends’ pools while confronting dreams and deceptions. Frank Perry directed the film, and Eleanor Perry wrote the script.
A useful comparison is how each medium handles Neddy’s inner life. The story can directly convey his thoughts and self-image; a film must express those through performance, images, and other cinematic choices. A contemporaneous New Yorker review by Penelope Gilliatt addresses the difficulty of translating Cheever’s interior and literary effects to the screen. The film is an adaptation, not a documentary record of events or a substitute for the story’s narration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to read or watch it
The New Yorker archive reproduces Cheever’s story. For a collected edition, The Stories of John Cheever includes “The Swimmer”; verify the edition when choosing a copy. Sony lists the 1968 film in Blu-ray and DVD formats, though current availability depends on the retailer and region.
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