In “The Swimmer” by John Cheever, Neddy's view of reality is drastically different from that of his neighbors. Neddy thinks the whole story takes place in one afternoon, when in reality many months have passed. Although Neddy is stuck in the past, his neighbors and the rest of society move forward, and at first it causes a somewhat awkward sympathy, but later he finds himself completely alone, his family, his friends and his neighbors help him they left behind. Neddy's situation illustrates that the passage of time is inevitable, and even if one chooses to ignore time, it will move forward without them. At the beginning of the story, Neddy seems to fit in mostly with his elite suburban neighborhood, but this is not the case. It's clear he's dealing with alcoholism, an illness he mostly keeps hidden but which helps him deny the reality of his situation. Even in the midst of a failed marriage and strained relationships with his neighbors, he remains carefree, deciding to “swim home” and seeing himself only as “The Swimmer.” “As he was hauling himself out of the water he heard Mrs. Halloran say, "We were very sorry to hear of all your misfortunes, Neddy." "My misfortunes?" Ned asked. "I don't know what you mean." “Well, we heard that you had sold your house and your poor children. . .” “I don't remember selling the house,” said Ned, “and the girls are at home.” “Yes,” sighed Mrs. Halloran. "YES . . ." His voice filled the air with an unseasonable melancholy and Ned spoke brightly. “Thanks for the swim.”,” even as his neighbors expressed their sympathies for his dire situation with his family. He continues swimming, without realizing the reality of the situation for many months, seeing all the time as an afternoon. Neddy... middle of paper... gives his society through his denial of the passage of time. Neddy's denial of reality has devastating consequences on his life, illustrating the theme that the passage of time is inevitable and one must move forward with time or be left behind. In "The Swimmer" by John Cheever, Neddy denies time for many months, but time does not wait for it to catch up with him, resulting in him being abandoned by his family and shunned by his community. Neddy's situation illustrates to readers that even if one chooses not to accept time, he will move forward without them. This story shows that time waits for no one, so we need to move forward and not get stuck in the past. Works Cited Cheever, John. "The swimmer." Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. 12th ed. vol. 1. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2013. 249-57. Press.