The document summarizes the setting and themes of John Cheever's short story "The Swimmer". It describes how the protagonist Neddy decides to swim home through suburban swimming pools after a cocktail party. Through his journey, he discovers that his marriage is failing and his wife and children have abandoned him. The swimming pool journey represents Neddy's declining mental state and the midlife crisis of realizing his economic success did not equal marital success. By the end of his journey, Neddy has become a poor, isolated man with his life in crisis. The settings in the story depict the ignorance people can have about their true situations and the struggles of midlife that disrupt many lives.