The Swimmer by JOHN CLEEVER

Page 1490, or page 2 on the handout.

“He had been swimming and now he was breathing deeply, stertorously as if he could gulp into his lungs the components of that moment, the heat of the sun, the intenseness of his pleasure. It all seemed to flow into his chest.”

This quote takes place in the beginning of his journey, and Cleever describes his unfathomable happiness. He is described as young and joyful. It is a beautiful day and he decides he will do something spontaneous. The moment while he swims through his pool, is one that he wishes to appreciate completely, and to soak it all in. In the beginning of the story he begins with sublime happiness.

Page 1497, or page 9 on the handout.

“He shouted, pounded on the door, tried to force it with his shoulder, and then, looking in at the windows, saw that the place was empty.”

This quote shows both the feel of the ending, and the realization of the reader at the end. He has finished his journey, he is exhausted, sad for the rude treatment of some of his neighbors, and it is dark outside. He is much more desperate and despairing than the beginning and the beginning and end show quite a contrast. It also shows that he has indeed lost his memory. He no longer lives there, and as his neighbors hinted in the story, his children are gone from him.