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Ned passes through the Lears' as he continues his journey back home. The Lears don't greet Ned as they simply "heard him splashing past the open windows of their living room." The Lears' lack of greeting may be a sign they are avoiding him, which could mean Ned may have done something in the past to cause their silence.
Eric Sachs and his wife, Helen (née Halloran) are good friends with Ned and Lucinda... or so Ned thinks. When he asks for a drink before diving into their pool, Helen replies that she'd, "...love to, but there hasn't been anything in this house to drink since Eric's operation. That was three years ago." Ned remembers nothing of his friend having an operation serious enough to leave, "...three pale, sutured scars, two of them at least a foot long." While leaving, he calls over his shoulder, "Lucinda and I want terribly to see you. We're sorry it's been so long and we'll call you very soon."
It appears the Howlands are away -- this is the beginning of Ned's confusion and foggy memory, as he doesn't recall where the Howlands have gone.
"But there hasn't been anything in this house to drink since Eric's operation. That was 3 years ago."
Upon Neddy's arrival at the Biswangers' pool party, he is treated with contempt by Grace Biswanger, who calls him a "gate crasher." Initially, he expects to be treated graciously and welcomed with open arms; "they would be honored to give him a drink, they would be happy to give him a drink.". This attitude comes from the fact that Ned and Lucinda frequently rejected invitations from the Biswangers', thus Ned thought they (the Biswangers') would've been delighted to see that he finally chose to show up. As Neddy moves through the party, he notices that no one is swimming in the pool. The water is described to have a "wintry gleam," another indication that the seasons have changed. Neddy orders a drink from the bar, but is irritated by the fact that the bartender serves him impolitely. In Neddy's mind, "to be rebuffed by a part-time barkeep meant that he had suffered some loss of social esteem." This is another sign that Ned's social status is declining. Ned overhears Grace Biswanger saying "they went for broke overnight- nothing but income- and he showed up drunk one Sunday and asked us to loan him five thousand dollars..." This strongly suggests that Ned had lost his home due to his drunkenness and has been begging his friends for money. Prior to this point, Ned appeared to not recall anything of his past, but somehow, once he hears what Grace had said he instantly leaves the home as if knowing that what she said was true.
When Ned arrives at the Hammers' pool, Mrs. Hammer spots him through her window but is unable to recognize who Ned is, which is the first sign that something may be wrong.
The Crosscups are also away. Ned continues on his journey and heads to the Bunkers'.
Ned goes to Shirley Adam's house, seeking comfort and warmth, and believing that his former mistress would be able to provide him with that. To Neddy, the affair was nothing serious; it lacked genuine passion and love, and he had attached no real meaning to it. When he saw her sitting at the edge of the pool, it "excited in him no profound memories." Once again, Ned anticipates a reaction full of excitement and delight because he has decided to stop by. "If you've come here for money, I won't give you another cent," Shirley states, indicating that Neddy has lost his fortune as well as the relationship he had shared with her. Furthermore, Shirley refuses to give Ned a drink. When Ned goes into the pool, he realizes that he is too weak to "haul" himself out. For the first time in the story, Ned "paddles" to the ladder to get out of the pool, a sign of his deteriorating physical abilities. On his way out, he smells some "autumnal fragrance," and notices that the constellations in the sky are not the ones of midsummer; another implication that it is no longer summer. Neddy begins to cry.
After Ned leaves the public pool, he makes his way the Hallorans, a rich elderly couple who many suspect of being Communists. The weather at this point is changing to autumn: "Mr. Halloran was taking beech leaves out of the water with a scoop." The Hallorans appear to be a calm couple who simply accept Ned's presence: "They seemed not surprised or displeased to see him;" however, they do show sympathy for Ned later on. It is here where more information is revealed about what may have happened to Ned, as Mrs. Halloran states that they "....heard that [he had] sold the house and that [his] poor children," which gives clues as to the past that he cannot remember. Ned is dismayed and denies that his house was sold or that his children were in danger. It is clear that Ned perhaps is unable to recall these events due to his inability to cope with his feelings and so he has yet another drink to subdue these painful memories.
When Ned arrives at the public pool, he still believes he has some social standing since he's afraid that "he might contaminate himself- damage his own prosperousness and charm- by swimming in this murk." This point in his journey is quite revealing since Ned initially still believes that he is too "good" to swim at the public pool. However, his social status takes a further beating when the lifeguards yell at him for not having an identification disk.
As Neddy arrives at The Gilmartins' Pool, he feels sad and weakened from swimming. The cold water also creates and enhances the mood and affects how he is feeling. "For the first time in his life, he did not dive but went down the steps into the icy water, and swam a hobbled sidestroke."
Ned reaches the Bunkers' home after hearing the noise of their party and finds only Rusty Towers afloat in the pool. Ned appears to be on socially good terms with everyone as he "stopped to kiss eight or ten other women and shake the hands of as many men." Enid Bunker leads him to the bar, where "a smiling bartender" serves him alcohol. The weather is described as getting stormier, which signals the impending doom of Ned's journey.
Recreational Center
The weather still seems warm. Ned continues to appear healthy and swims the pool with ease. Mrs. Graham is delighted to see Ned and offers him a drink. All is well at the Grahams'.
"He staggered with fatigue on his way to the Clydes' and paddled the length of their pool, stopping again and again with his hand on the curb to rest. He climbed up the ladder and wondered if he had the strength to get home. He had done what he wanted, he had swum the county, but he was so stupefied with exhaustion that his triumph seemed vague." By the time he reaches the Clydes' pool, Ned's too tired to enjoy the journey any longer.
I feel exhausted!
Ned must cross Route 424 in order to get to the Recreational Center in Lancaster. While he is on the highway, he is "laughed at, jeered at, a beer can thrown at him, and he had no dignity or humor to bring to the situation." It is at this point that Ned's confidence, which he had at the beginning of the story, diminishes. Ned is emotionally and physically tired and begins to question "why he was determined to complete his journey even if it meant putting his life in danger?" Ned also questions his intention behind this journey wondering, "at what point had this prank, this joke, this piece of horseplay become serious?" He finally realizes that he has gone too deep into his his journey to turn back, and crossing the highway is symbolic as a point of no return.
As Ned arrives at the Levys', he is confused by why the home appears to be deserted. He pours himself a drink and is still in relatively good spirits. He feels "tired, clean, and pleased at the moment to be alone; pleased with everything." While Ned observes the Japanese lanterns bought by Mrs. Levy, he begins to question his ability to recall his past as he had questioned if the lanterns were bought "the year before last, or was it the year before that?"
"The force of the wind had stripped a maple of its red and yellow leaves and scattered them all over the grass and water." An indication of the odd, changing season.
When Ned finally reaches his home and ends his journey, he is relieved but is also confused since the home appears to be dark. At this point, Ned still cannot recall anything that has happened to his home and family.It appears that Ned was giving commands to his family to follow his wishes of not leaving the home, which could allure to Ned's controlling behavior and reason why his family fell apart. Frantically attempting to get into the home, Ned "shouted, pounded on the door, tried to force it with his shoulder, and then, looking in at the windows, saw that the place was empty."
Upon Ned's arrival at the Welchers' house, he discovers their pool is drained. The home appears to be completely closed and there's a "for sale" sign nailed to a tree. Ned begins to question if "his memory was failing or had he so disciplined it in the repression of unpleasant facts that had damaged his sense of truth?" Just as Ned begins to develop some clarity about his confused memory, he is distracted by the sounds of a nearby tennis game.
At the beginning of Neddy Merrill's journey he is presumed to have a good stable life with his family. He is attending the Westerhazys' party during which he appears to be a social drinker. In contrast to the other hung-over party guests, Ned is presented as a lively and active; he is robust and full of vigor, despite his slighly older age. He decides to swim across the county to get back home, using his neighbors pools. Ned names the stream after his wife, Lucinda. The weather appears to be, "one of those midsummer Sundays."
Following the storm's passing, Ned crosses the Lindleys' riding ring to get to the Welchers' pool. Ned is once again confused about his recollection of past events and "wondered if the Lindleys had sold their horses or gone away for the summer and put them out to board." Ned continues to appear as if he is unable to clearly remember parts of his life. The reader wonders if his hazy memory may be caused by his excessive alcohol consumption.
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