For countless years the American Dream has been every person's golden opportunity. One problem that John Cheever created in “The Swimmer” is the obsession with the American dream. It portrays Neddy Merrill as a wealthy male with a family. Neddy is also an alcoholic and has a lover he goes with. The story begins with him focusing on himself choosing the invitations he wants to attend. He starts swimming in his neighbors' pools to get to his house. As Neddy Merrill swims in the pools, he shows how his life is deteriorating into something worse. Author John Cheever shows the dream everyone wants: lavish parties with cocktails, big pools and houses, and the invitations Neddy receives to these gatherings. John Cheever was also an alcoholic and never received a formal education and never graduated from college. Some of his stories are based on average middle-class Americans trying to find their specific version of the American dream. Neddy Merrill becomes obsessed with his American dream and surely loses everything in the process.Wh...