The Swimmer Reflection

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Journal Installment #3 “The Dead” sharply depicts the intersection of life and death. In Gabriel’s speech, he laments the present age in which hospitality like that of the Morkan family is undervalued. The Morkan’s party makes existence so meaningless. The party events repeat each year. Freddy malins arrives drunk, everyone dances the same memorized steps, everyone eats. Just like the horse that is circling around the mill, people are living in a state of paralysis. They cannot live without the lives that they know, so they live their ordinary lives without any fresh experiences.
In Gabriel’s speech, he insists that people should not linger on the past, but embrace the present. However, his later thoughts reveal his attachment to the past …show more content…

I think the pools that Neddy swims through represent periods of time that Neddy passes through. At the beginning, Neddy is strong and energetic, and is admired by his friends. As he swims from pool to pool, he changes. Physically, he is unable to pull himself out of pools without a ladder. Instead of feeling warm, he feels chilled to the bone. Around him, the sunny summer day becomes cooler, and a storm passes. The changes in weather and season that occur throughout “The Swimmer” mirror Neddy’s changing life circumstances. As he progresses his journey, he gets colder, sees more signs of fall. His standing in his social circle has changed as well. He is now snubbed by bartender, and people pity him for his “misfortunes,” which he is not aware of. Neddy finally realizes something is wrong when he winds up at his dark and empty house. This also indicates the passage of time is inevitable. After Neddy finishes his journey and discovers the truth, he can no longer go back to the state where he feels warm and energetic.
I love this kind of stories. Along with Neddy’s journey, I am also discovering the truth about him. It feels like that I am on the journey with him. After knowing the truth, I don’t pity him. Instead, I think that Neddy deserved this. Although Neddy seems to have a full, happy life, he still remains isolated from others. Along his path, he has no genuine friends. He is having an affair as well. The affair also lacks genuine love. It looks like everything that Neddy has is not real. The “misfortune” that happens later might actually wakes him from his own

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