" (Cheever)

In the narration Ned continues on his journey home. Once he is home it is revealed that his house is indeed empty and his wife and daughters are gone. This is just one example of the conflict that exist in this narration between was is reality and what is illusion.

In addition to this aspect of conflict in The Swimmer, there is also a great deal of conflict associated with Ned's ability to swim across the county. This conflict exist because Ned also drank strong alcoholic beverages throughout his journey. It would have been next to impossible for him to swim after he had consumed just a few of these drinks. This is an obvious conflict that would have hindered his journey but the author presents it as fact and not fiction.

The presence of conflict is not confined to The Swimmer. Conflict is also a major them in "The Five-Forty-Eight," written in 1954. In this particular short story the entire narrative is centered around a conflict between Blake and a woman the he had a one night stand with. Blake is held at gunpoint and there is a great deal of tension in this partiular short story as a result.

Conclusion

The purpose of this discussion was to explore the major themes that are seen throughout his various works. The research found that themes concerning New England, infidelity, conflict and journeys are present throughout the works of John Cheever. The research seems to suggest that Cheever's opinions of New England were shaped in part by his upbringing. The research also found that Cheever utilizes journeys to provide a focal point in some of his works. That is, the journey becomes a central point n many of his narratives. They provide movement to the narrative. The characters always have a destination, they...

In some cases there is only a subtle mention of the infidelity and in other cases the theme of infidelity becomes the compass that directs the entire narrative. Likewise conflict is often utilized by Cheever to provide tension throughout the narrative. Throughout his works conflict is used to propel the narrative
Overall, Cheever's work encompasses a broad range of themes. These themes are the threads that connect all of Cheever's literary works to one another. The dominant theme is that of New England and the cast of characters that live in this region of the country. Cheever's seemingly wrote about what he knew and he had knowledge of New England. Although criticism has been levied against him concerning the way he portrays New England, his work has also been praised for the unconventional approaches it has taken in the realm of narrative storytelling.

Works Cited

Cheever, J. 1954. The Five-Forty-Eight

Cheever, J. 1964. The Swimmer

Cheever, J. 1957. The Wapshot Chronicles. New York: Harper,

Cheever, J. The Angel of the Bridge

Chesnick E. 1971. The Domesticated Stroke of John Cheever. The New England Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 531-552

Gamble, G.Y. (1995) John Cheever's "Expelled": The Genesis of a Beginning

American Literary History, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 611-632

Morace R.A. (1989) From Parallels to Paradise: The Lyrical Structure of Cheever's Fiction Twentieth Century Literature, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 502-528

Ozick. C. (1992) Cheever's Yankee Heritage. The Antioch Review, Vol. 50, No. 1/2, 50th Anniversary Issue, pp. 156-161.