One of the most striking features of "The Swimmer" is the way time seems to bend as Neddy moves from pool to pool. A casual summer afternoon appears to stretch into something far longer, with changes in weather and in the attitudes of neighbors suggesting that more than a few hours have passed. Essays about this feature ask students to analyze structure, a skill that is often less practiced than character or theme analysis.

Grading these essays requires an understanding of what structural analysis looks like at the high school or introductory college level. Students are not expected to use advanced narratology terms, but they should be able to describe how the order and pacing of events shape meaning. A strong essay explains why Cheever arranges the journey as a series of encounters that grow progressively more unsettling.

Before you grade, decide how you will treat essays that argue the story is a dream, a hallucination, or a literal progression of events. Each reading can be supported through the text, and each gives rise to different structural claims. Your rubric should reward the quality of argument rather than the particular interpretation.

What Strong Structural Analysis Looks Like

A strong paper identifies a specific structural feature, such as the repeated pattern of arriving at a pool, being greeted, and leaving, and then shows how the pattern changes over time. The student might note that early encounters are warm and festive, while later ones are tense or dismissive, creating a sense of descent. Tracking this change across several scenes demonstrates attention to the whole narrative rather than isolated moments.

• Identifies a clear structural pattern such as repeated pool visits
• Shows how the pattern changes from the beginning to the end
• Links structure to the story's meaning, not only to its events
• Uses specific scenes as evidence rather than general impressions
• Considers how structure shapes the reader's experience of time

Common Weaknesses in Structure Essays

The most common weakness is chronological retelling disguised as analysis. Students move through the story in order, describing each pool, and never step back to say what the pattern means. Feedback should ask them to group scenes by similarity or contrast, since that act of grouping is the beginning of structural thinking.

Another weakness is vagueness about time. A student may say that time passes quickly without pointing to specific clues, such as the changing season or the hints in conversation that suggest Neddy's circumstances have shifted. Encourage students to name the evidence of time rather than asserting it.

Designing Prompts That Elicit Structural Thinking

Prompts shape the type of analysis students produce. A prompt asking how Cheever uses the sequence of encounters to change the reader's understanding of Neddy encourages structural claims. By contrast, an open prompt about the story's meaning tends to yield theme papers with little attention to form.

Consider scaffolding the task with a short pre-writing activity, such as a timeline of events that students annotate with changes in tone. This exercise makes patterns visible before drafting and reduces the temptation to retell. It also gives you a quick checkpoint to see who is on track.

Feedback That Moves Students Toward Deeper Analysis

Questions are often more effective than directives in this kind of feedback. Ask what changes between the first and last pool, or why the story keeps repeating a similar scene with different outcomes. These questions prompt students to compare and interpret, which are the heart of structural analysis.

If you grade many papers, a rubric-linked comment bank with a few structure-specific questions can save significant time. Adjust each question to mention a scene the student discussed so that it feels personal. Students respond better to feedback that shows you read their actual argument.

Connecting Structure to Larger Themes

The most sophisticated essays connect structure to meaning, showing how the arrangement of events supports an idea about denial, loss, or the fragility of status. A student might argue that the gradual shift from welcoming gatherings to empty or hostile spaces mirrors the way Neddy's illusions fall away. This move from form to meaning is what separates strong analysis from description.

Reward this connection explicitly in your rubric and in your comments. When students see that structural analysis earns credit only when linked to interpretation, they learn to ask what their observations imply. That habit transfers to nearly every text they will study in the years ahead.