《游泳者》是约翰.契弗最具有代表性的短篇小说之一。小说通过对主人公耐迪.麦瑞尔整个游泳过程的刻画,生动展示了二十世纪美国中产阶级在生活上追求物质享受的本来面目。麦瑞尔这一“个体精神危机”反映出了整个美国中产阶级生活方式的固化、精神的空虚和生活的无目的性。小说处处洋溢着对美国现实社会的批判和对中产阶级心灵的嘲讽,发人深省。 “Swimmer” is one of John Cheever’s most representative short stories. The novel vividly depicts the true face of the twentieth century American middle class in pursuit of material enjoyment through portraying the protagonist Resi Ferrer’s entire swimming process. The “individual crisis of spirit” by Mr. Merrill reflects the solidification, the empty emptiness and the unnoticed life of the entire middle-class American lifestyle. The novel is full of criticism of the real society in the United States and the ridicule of the soul of the middle class.