How To Overcome Fear In The Swimmer
Fear is an enveloping feeling that can eat you up from the inside. It can tear you apart, and keep you from doing what you want to do, and who you want to be. It can make the strongest man seem weak, and it can make the biggest man look small. It is an impossible obstacle to pass; it keeps getting in the way of success. It can be, and is, terrifying to deal with ones deepest fears. In “The Swimmer”, written in 2001 by S.J. Butler, we are introduced to the main character, who seems to be struggling to overcome her fears. Fears that are keeping her isolated in her house, separated from the rest of the world. The way of overcoming these fears, surprisingly consists of a bathing costume, a nylon fishing net and a swan.
Throughout the struggle,
…show more content…
It is a Third person subjective, while we are informed about the thoughts and feeling the characters have. We can more precisely say that it is a third-person limited because we are only introduced to one person’s thoughts and feelings. It is also called “over-the-shoulder-perspective” because it feels like you are watching it all from a distance – just with the knowledge of the feelings and thoughts that are being processed. It has a good effect in “The swimmer” because everybody can relate to the task of overcoming a fear. By using the more distant third-person-narrator, it feels as if we are observing somebody, and learning by his or her their mistakes or victories. It can therefore be used as an inspiration or a goal, of which you want to be – as in “The Swimmer” where one learn to overcome one’s fears.
Fears are an unexplainable thing. One day it can be there – the next day it can be gone. It is not the fear itself that is interesting, but the battle of overcoming it can be an exciting tale. In “The Swimmer”, the main character overcomes her fears, and does what she wants to – swimming. That the journey towards success included a bathing costume, a nylon fishing net and a swan, could nobody had known. But does one ever know, what one need to do to overcome one’s
The Swimmer Movie Analysis
1327 Words | 6 PagesIn the short story The Swimmer by John Cheever, and the movie adaptation, Neddy Merrill has the same physical, mental, and emotional journey. However, the movie shows the portrayal of a love interest with his daughters old babysitter, the relationship he has with his daughters, and an argument at the Bizwangers party. Through the short story, Neddy goes from invincible to a fool. Starting as slender, youthful and a man with many friends, Neddy declines to a depressed old man.
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly Analysis
1423 Words | 6 Pages“My diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly.” – Bauby (Bauby, Jean-Dominique. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Vintage International, 1998. Print.
Baptism In The Swimmer
270 Words | 2 PagesNeddy Merrill, protagonist of The Swimmer by John Cheever, disconnected his mental state from reality through alcohol to numb the pain of his life. However, departure from alcohol driven illusion occurs with his cleansing through each pool he encounters. In Foster’s chapter, If She Comes Up It’s Baptism, water is a universal force that may cleanse, such as baptism, or eradicate, such as drowning. Furthermore, he describes that rebirth or death through water has painful consequences. Neddy must suffer through that very same pain as each pool reflects as a mirror does, his inner turmoil, until he emerges from the pool that manifests himself.
Poem Analysis: The Fish By Elizabeth Bishop
769 Words | 4 PagesThe Fish, by Elizabeth Bishop is a free verse structured poem that navigates readers through the writer’s vivid perception of a fish that she has just caught. The fish depicted in this writing was allegorical to one’s survival of life’s tumultuous nature that can leave one scarred and battered with harshfully visible remnants. The writer skillfully employs literary devices that create an overwhelming image in the reader’s mind of the true meaning behind the appearance of the fish. Bishop expresses through this poem that the visibly worn and scarred fish is testimony of resilience and hope. The author skillfully constructs this poem by using numerous techniques to create vivid visuals of the subject, evoke a wide range of emotions, and to relay a thought-provoking message of triumph through trials.
Examples Of Hope In The Diary Of Anne Frank Essay
1266 Words | 6 PagesFear can leave you petrified, but hope is the greatest strength that you can possess and hope will always overpower
Theme Of Narration In The Awakening
1052 Words | 5 PagesA story can be told in many ways: the sequence of events might be reordered, the narrating time of the events might be different to the narrated time, the person telling the story can be different, we may have more or less information about the characters and their feelings, etc. Nevertheless, in this essay we will focus exclusively on the question ‘Who tells the story?’, or in other words, the point of view in which the story is told. Furthermore, we will display some of the features that this kind of narrator has when telling the story. In order to do so, we will provide examples from The Awakening to prove each characteristic that has being defined. In addition, we will discuss the effects that these characteristics may have on the theme of the ‘awakening’ and how they allow the reader to have a broader vision of the character’s change of ideas and thoughts.
The Swimmer Compare And Contrast
924 Words | 4 PagesThe Swimmer is a short story that was written by John Cheever. The swimmer focuses on an inevitable quest through time that is faced with hardships, denial, and the acceptance of reality. The story creates the illusion of being frozen in time, and not being able to decipher dream from actuality in a man’s life. There are mental obstacles that arise while swimming through neighbors’ pools on a journey to find home. Neddy Merrill is the main character, who throughout the story will take a journey through many of his neighbor’s pools.
The Reality Of Reality In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1015 Words | 5 PagesFacing the reality of life even when one is to “escape from reality,” simply shows that a person is not willing to try and face the results of failure; one who does not appreciate life enough. In addition to face challenges and the nature of reality, the idea of living life to the fullest potential is
Life Of Pi Essay Survival
459 Words | 2 PagesOur first sense will always be fighting to survive, we are destined to challenge ourselves into adversities. The adversities help to form the character, but much more important, it shows if we can step up to the challenges life presents. From the outside, we can never know what we might do in harrowing circumstances, but we can imagine, respect, even honor the complex experiences and desperate choices of those who have walked through that dark
The Fear Of Fear In S. J Butler's The Swimmer
1273 Words | 6 Pagesbut at the same time, it can also drive us to cross our boundaries. The story “The Swimmer” follows significant themes such as fear, personal development, and unknown territory. The story “The Swimmer” by S. J Butler follows an unnamed woman, who has a deep fear of the river. The woman sits at her desk in her office and looks outside at the river.
Fear In Jane Austen's The Swimmer
1025 Words | 5 PagesShe faces her fear by going into the river every day and when she swims by the swan she gets closer to it. She is curious why the swan never nears her and every time it stays at the exact same place as it has done the past days before. For example “It never moves towards her. It doesn’t hiss, nor arch its wings. It remains untouched by her presence”.
Fear Of Water Theme
443 Words | 2 PagesHowever, a traumatizing incident involving a murky lake and a leech leaves the protagonist with a chronic fear of any water that wasn’t a public pool. “For the rest of the summer, I refused to go in the water.” Once again, she is afraid of the water, however, she is unable to overcome these obstacles as she once had. It is assumed that her early childhood fears of the water were not completely extinguished, even with her natural talent as a swimmer. Due to the pressure from her father, it is likely that the protagonist felt compelled to ignore any feelings of foreboding of the water and seek his approval and praise of her skill.
Primary Defense Mechanisms Of Fear
528 Words | 3 PagesFear Fear is something that runs rampant in our world today. Its constantly present to some or hardly felt at all by others, but what is fear exactly? Fear is an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger (Fear, par.1). In the beginning, nature developed the amygdalae which is an organ in the brain and its sole purpose is to remember and respond to danger signals.
The Role Of Fear In Lovecraft's Short Stories
949 Words | 4 PagesBut fear in humans is far more complex because we don´t always perceive fear as it is. It can disguise itself as courage (e.g. fighting against a bear), ambition (e.g. striving for a goal to escape a current situation), prejudice (e.g. hating minorities due to lack of information), illness (e.g. headache before a big event) etc. which leads to us either not doing things we want to do
Swimming In Swimming
1597 Words | 7 PagesIntroduction Swimming is a sport widely practices all over the world. It can be done as a competitive sport, for general exercise or as a fun activity to relax. Swimming was not widely practiced until the early 19th century, when the National Swimming Society of Great Britain began to hold competitions. Most early swimmers used the breaststroke, or a form of it. (Olympic Movent.2013.)
More about How To Overcome Fear In The Swimmer
The Swimmer Movie Analysis
1327 Words | 6 PagesThe Diving Bell And The Butterfly Analysis
1423 Words | 6 PagesBaptism In The Swimmer
270 Words | 2 PagesPoem Analysis: The Fish By Elizabeth Bishop
769 Words | 4 PagesExamples Of Hope In The Diary Of Anne Frank Essay
1266 Words | 6 PagesTheme Of Narration In The Awakening
1052 Words | 5 PagesThe Swimmer Compare And Contrast
924 Words | 4 PagesThe Reality Of Reality In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1015 Words | 5 PagesLife Of Pi Essay Survival
459 Words | 2 PagesThe Fear Of Fear In S. J Butler's The Swimmer
1273 Words | 6 PagesFear In Jane Austen's The Swimmer
1025 Words | 5 PagesFear Of Water Theme
443 Words | 2 PagesPrimary Defense Mechanisms Of Fear
528 Words | 3 PagesThe Role Of Fear In Lovecraft's Short Stories
949 Words | 4 PagesSwimming In Swimming
1597 Words | 7 Pages