The Swimmer

‘The Swimmer' is a short story by John Cheever, set in 1960s suburbia. The narrative explores ideas associated with the disillusionment of the American Dream, made manifest in its main character, Neddy, whose obsession with chasing the Dream ultimately ruins him. The Dream has become an unrealistic expectation of the perfect life and suburbia a microcosm for American society, embodying both the idealised Dream and the slowly unfolding crisis which has followed as America wakes up from it. The brief set for this project required a set of five portrait illustrations; the focus of my response was to gradually subvert imagery usually associated with the Dream in order to subtly reveal it to be an unattainable goal. As the narrative progresses and Neddy begins to lose sense of reality as he desperately attempts to hold onto his Dream, the illustrations start to more clearly reveal the Dream to be an unattainable illusion. For example, the iconic Cadillac rusting in its driveway and empty pool subvert symbols of wealth and status to instead reveal the façade that is the American Dream, while the red traffic light becomes a metaphor for Neddy’s entrapment in suburbia. www.imogenhawgood.com