"The Swimmer" is one of John Cheever's best known and most popular short stories. A richly symbolic and ironic work, the narrative line follows the episodic adventure of a suburban anti-hero, Neddy Merrill, who decides to "swim home" down the "Lucinda River"-named for his wife. Merrill's adventure spans an afternoon during which both the passage of seasons follows the gradual revelation of his own professional and familial collapse.