While reading The Swimmer the past week the entire time I read it all I could think of was The Great Gatsby. I feel that Ned the main character in The Swimmer greatly reminded me of Jay Gatsby. The primary reason being that both of them seem to ignore reality and live in a fantasy world. Ned begins his journey swimming through pools and everything seems to be going well. He discusses his luxurious lifestyle, and one can infer that he lives in a wealthy neighborhood, in a large home with a family. Ned, truly, seems to have it all. Yet, as time progresses the journey becomes much more difficult.
Simultaneously each person he meets along the way describes events that seem so foreign to Ned; a friend's sickness, his family leaving and his entire wealth dissipating. Ned doesn't recall these events whatsoever. Ned is similar to Mr. Gatsby because both of them seem to believe that everything around them is blurry. They both imagine this fantasy world where everything is flawless and all elements of their lives are pristine. Both characters fail to recognize the problems in their lives and this is their fatal flaw. At the very end of the story Ned arrives at home to find that everyone is gone and that his home has been sold.
I feel that Ned's ignorance further represents his inability to recognize the struggles that come with age and also his refusal to accept the flaws in life. Additionally, I feel that Ned could possibly suffer from depression or some other mental illness that prevents him from fully understanding the events occurring in his life.
Why do you think Ned is so lost?
I was reminded of The Great Gatsby too! One difference I noticed between Ned and Gatsby, though, is that Gatsby was fully aware that the life he invented for himself was fake, while Ned seemed to truly believe that he still "had it all". I'm not sure who I would argue was more lost - Ned or Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteI really like the comparison you are making here with the emptiness and shallowness of Ned and Gatsby's lives and how they are each wrapped up in making sure that they do not see the flaws of their respective lives. I would say Ned is really lost because he has experienced a distinct change in his life that has thrown it upside down, and isn't sure what to do anymore.
ReplyDeleteI think Ned just represses his sadness and his problems to the point where he convinces himself that they don't exist.
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