Fear Of Change In John Cheever's 'The Wrysons'

The fear of change is a typical thing for people to have. However, in the short story “The Wrysons” by John Cheever, Irene and Donald’s fear of change is taken to a different new level. The Wrysons completely reject all types of modifications and all people who are different from their thought of “ordinary.” Through the use of symbolism, tone, and the Wryson’s demand to maintain their utopia, John Cheever develops a theme of disdain towards change which ultimately results in paranoia and desire for control.
Irene’s reoccurring nightmare and the town’s name of Shady Hill are both present in the story as symbols to represent the Wryson’s bitterness towards change. Quite frequently, Irene has a dream of a hydrogen bomb exploding and ending the

world. When lost in her nightmare, her husband is not present as he usually is and everything around her is extremely different from usual. “She saw men firing pistols at one another, and a rowboat, in which there was a family with little children, smashed and sunk by a cruiser,” (224).

People and actions around her become violent and everything is the opposite of mundane. Within the chaos of the dream, Irene attempts to save herself and her daughter from suffering a ghastly death. She searches through her medicine cabinet, the only unorganized, messy place in her home, for a pill that will end her life as well as her daughter’s in a peaceful way. Before they can take the pill, the house collapses and awakens her from her nightmare. “The dream cost her much in energy and composure, and often left her deeply depressed,” (223) The aftershock that Irene experiences after her dream, symbolizes how much change fazes her entirely. The town’s name of “Shady Hill” is another symbol to emphasis the Wrysons hatred for change. By referring to the town as “shady,” Cheever wishes to portray the town as an area that is isolated and shielded from the rest of the world. Additionally, by describing the neighborhood to be on

a hill, this description also shows the vicinity’s remoteness from the rest of society. Through creating an isolated neighborhood, Cheever is able to more closely emphasize the ways in which the Wrysons will go about prohibiting modifications. Due to the small size of the town, the Wrysons are able to intervene more in all community affairs. “The Wrysons’ civic activities… they were very active in this field…” (221). The Wrysons are able to shape their community so that it remains unchanged through time, as they wish. These two symbols are present to provide a more extensive, underlying meaning to Irene’s nightmare and the town’s name.
The tone of the story contributes to the theme of the Wryson’s disdain towards change.

Instead of describing the Wrysons as lousy and stubborn people, Cheever characterizes them as peculiar and odd. “In a place where even cooks were known to have Picasso reproductions hanging above their washstands, the Wrysons’ taste in painting stopped at marine sunsets and bowls of flowers,” (222) The Wrysons’ stubbornness to accept new, modern ideas shows their apprehension towards assimilating with the rest of society. Cheever’s decision to portray the Wrysons’ as bizarre instead of obstinate contributes to their decision to reject modern

society.
Throughout the entire story, The Wrysons’ major wish is to maintain their utopia, a place involving no change or anything unordinary. “The Wrysons wanted things in the suburb of Shady Hill to remain exactly as they were,” (221) This peculiar family takes it upon themselves to make sure that nothing in their community or environment is modified. They want their world to be completely mundane and unsusceptible to change. The Wrysons show their need to control their town when, “The Larkin estate was sold for an old people’s rest home, the Wrysons went to the Village Council meeting and demanded to know what sort of old people these old people were going to be,” (221). The Wrysons resent the idea of their utopia being disturbed by any newcomers or any new ideas.
In the story, “The Wrysons”, there are many rhetorical strategies assimilated into the text to validate and support the Wrysons’ destain towards change. Symbolism, tone, and the Wrysons’ demand to maintain their utopia are merged together to support this theme throughout the entire story. The story of “The Wrysons” encompasses a family of peculiar people with peculiar lifestyles, living in a world where change is their greatest horror.