Learn to swim

Author: Swift
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Swimming and Other Stories is the author's only published collection of short stories, featuring eleven of his early masterpieces, first published in the UK in 1982 and in the US in 1985. From a chronological perspective, it follows The Sweet Shop Owner and Badminton, leading many readers to mistakenly believe that the creation of novels preceded that of short stories. In reality, all eleven stories are his early works, several of which were previously published in magazines such as The London Magazine, The New Story, Winter Stories, and The Lame Duck. Some stories were even broadcast on BBC Three, making them his attempts at or debut in writing. They set the stage for his later novels, offering a glimpse into his literary world. Like the novels, these short stories primarily revolve around three major themes: complex family relationships, suspicion of the truth, and the lingering shadow of war. Swift is deeply focused on exploring intricate family dynamics and the vast generational gaps. The protagonists are initially ordinary people with marriages, families, elders, and children, living in relative tranquility. However, a sudden change thrusts them into the spotlight, making them question everything, become depressed, and even develop paranoia and rudeness, affecting their own and others' lives, and ultimately altering their outlook on life.
The short story Swimming is widely regarded as a masterpiece of the collection. It features three main characters: Mr. Singleton, Mrs. Singleton, and their son Paul. The Singleton couple lacks communication and common language in their daily lives, leading to conflicts and estrangement. They both try to use their son to harm each other, making him a victim of their unhappy marriage. The story takes place by the sea, a setting that holds special significance in the novel, as stories set against water appear frequently in his later works. For Mr. Singleton, immersing himself in the sea means happiness and prestige; only in the ocean can he regain his confidence and vigor. Thus, he developed the habit of spending his free time in the water during his school years. However, Mrs. Singleton belongs to the land, part of the beach sand, and feels alienated from the sea. She opposes her husband and is furious at his attempt to teach their son to swim; she fears that if he learns, he will become her enemy. In this way, the son becomes a tool for their power struggle, with no consideration for his feelings or situation. Although both spouses have thought about separating several times during their marriage, they never voiced it. The attempt to learn to swim becomes their final decision. The contradiction between water and land, husband and wife, thus unfolds. Paul, the son caught in the middle of the war, faces a dilemma: learning to swim means losing his mother's protection, but not learning could harm his father. He is both heartbroken and fearful. After repeated failures, he finally learns to swim, but he does not swim toward his father or back to the shore—he swims into the depths of the sea. In the story, Swift shows great sympathy for the child but criticizes the unhappy couple who desperately maintains their marriage. In his works, children are often unhappy, a result of their parents' selfishness and greed. In this story, he refuses to let a child become a mere pawn in their conflict. Therefore, he gives him a chance to rebel in the end, expressing his disappointment and dissatisfaction. Paul ultimately swims into the sea, toward the place that is truly free, truly his own.
The Chemistry can also be categorized under family disputes. The story begins in a pond, similar to Swimming, where the water or pond becomes the source of later developments and fantasies, witnessing the process of a fragmented family moving from completeness to disintegration. After her husband's plane crashes into the Irish sea, the mother and "I" return to our grandfather's house, which has lost its grandmother. The grandfather dotes on us, often buying things for our mother and accompanying me to the pond to launch model boats. The family lives together in harmony until one day, Ralph, the mother's boyfriend, moves into the grandfather's house. The grandfather dislikes Ralph and seizes every opportunity to express his aversion. This creates tension between the mother and grandfather, while "I" watch the situation worsen helplessly. One day, the "unsinkable" model boat of "I," which had never sunk before, inexplicably sinks to the bottom of the pond, foreshadowing disaster. That night, "I" see the drowned father and anticipate the grandfather's tragic fate. The title The Chemistry has two meanings: first, it refers to the grandfather's profession, which he remains obsessed with even after retirement; second, it alludes to the magical and dangerous properties of chemical substances, derived from the grandfather's warning to "I." Although I was told beforehand that the transparent liquid in the unmarked bottle was "sandalwood water, hydrogen cyanide, not drinkable," the grandfather still drinks it that night, ending his life decisively. In fact, that night, "I" also wanted to take action—use nitric acid to disfigure Ralph, hoping to make the mother reconsider, but that night, "I" miraculously fell asleep and encountered the father. He mysteriously explained the reason for the sinking of the model boat: the mother had dug a hole at the bottom of the boat. When "I" finally understood the truth, the grandfather had already drunk the sandalwood water and left, and the father had gone to sea, and the beloved model boat had sunk to the bottom. This water has an inseparable relationship with "I's" childhood; it gradually accumulates painful experiences. Water becomes a mysterious omen, and the story it is part of ends with the manifestation of spirits and hallucinations. The third story of this kind is The God Clock. Like The Chemistry, it presents a modern story while involving spirits and supernatural forces, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and myth. A great great-grandfather created a magical clock that runs perpetually without winding. Even more miraculously, our family's descendants gained immortal powers on its birthday, unless they died unnatural deaths. From then on, family members no longer needed to marry or reproduce; they grew indifferent to the marriages and offspring of ordinary families and harbored stubborn prejudices and discriminations against women. In this way of life, the older generation never left, and the younger generation rarely appeared, leading to a situation where several elderly family members and a handful of young descendants lived under the same roof. The vast differences in values formed over generations of historical changes impose immense pressure on the younger generation, who are forced to accept traditions and authority unconditionally, making it hard to breathe. The family once had a rebel—the father of "I." Since learning the truth about the god clock, he was deeply dissatisfied with this predestined, eternal fate and longed for a life full of excitement. He tried every means to escape, ran away from home, traveled far and wide, married a dubious woman, had children, and even joined the war, ultimately dying at sea. "I" was raised by my grandfather from the age of two, and despite the nearly century-long age gap, I chose to obey. At forty-three, "I" fell in love with the widow of a music hall manager and married her. However, my strong patriarchalism and disdain for having children led her to leave eventually, dealing me a heavy blow. With the passage of time, clocks gradually faded from people's sight, abandoned and discarded mercilessly. My grandfather and I lived a miserable and desolate life in an empty shop. Later, I sold the clock shop and rented a house in the suburbs to spend weekends with my grandfather. While walking in the countryside, we encountered a storm and were struck by the still-standing highlands and mountains in the wind and rain. Suddenly, my grandfather had an epiphany: compared to the immortality of the Kreski family, only the heavens and earth are truly eternal. This profound realization left my grandfather utterly disheartened, and he ultimately chose a dramatic way to leave this world. The grandfather's death exposed the truth about the god clock, and the rebellious blood flowing in "I's" veins inspired him to hate this endless continuation of life that only adds years without wisdom. However, the fear of death made him reluctant to discard the god clock entirely. Later, the abandoned mother next door helped me, and in the process of assisting her with childbirth, "I" realized the true meaning of life—only through death can there be life, only through the destruction of the old can the new continue. The newborn baby miraculously stopped the god clock, and at that moment, "I" knew my time was near, but I could accept it with tranquility, no longer fearing death. The story reaches its climax in the latter part. It can be called a surreal novel, or a profound allegory. Through the rise and fall of a family, it implies an eternal truth: no one can be immortal, even with divine protection; only through the cycle of old and new can everything endure. Yet, such a common sense is not understood by everyone. More ironically, those from the Kreski family, who believed they could defy death, became frantic and insane when they realized death was approaching and the god clock would continue to live on in the world. Fortunately, "I," the protagonist of the story, finally understood the truth of life, accepted the new life with joy, and faced death with composure, offering a positive and fulfilling conclusion.
Swift's second category of stories occupies a significant place in his works. Roughly half of his content revolves around questions of knowledge and truth, a philosophical issue of cognition. These questions are constantly posed to readers, prompting deep reflection. For example: Does history exist? Is it necessary to understand history? If humans do not know or understand history, can it be considered non-existent? Similarly, for an individual, is truth important? Do we need to know the truth? If we do not know the truth, can we ignore its existence? Does it reduce the impact of our current lives? The Hofer is a typical story about knowledge and cognition, centered around the theme of "What I do not know cannot harm me." It tells the story of "I" and my uncle Walter, who have long-standing disagreements, rooted in our completely different attitudes toward animals. The uncle is a zookeeper who has always cared deeply for his animal friends, while "I" believe that zoos merely confine animals in cages, stripping them of their nature and survival skills. In recent years, the uncle has taken on the task of protecting and caring for a rare species of Hofer, attempting to breed them artificially. "I" strongly condemns this self-proclaimed interference in the natural process of species evolution and its inhumane behavior. "I" emphasize that humans should not interfere with nature's ecological balance but should allow species to thrive or perish in their natural environment. Regarding the uncle's doubts and suffering in dealing with the Hofer, "I" advise him: If Hofer had not discovered this species, it would be no different from non-existence for humans; if a species exists outside human sight, whether it survives or goes extinct is irrelevant to humans; similarly, if we do not know what happened, we do not need to take responsibility for it. The uncle rejects this attitude, which only cares about the known, believing that since he knows this species, he has a responsibility to protect it and cannot pretend it does not exist when facing difficulties, allowing it to fend for itself. He even instinctively links his own fate to the survival of the Hofer, insisting that humans and animals are not fundamentally different but interdependent, so he persistently makes various efforts to help the Hofer survive in the world. Although they hold different views, they eventually reach some consensus. As urbanization accelerates, their once-quiet environment is threatened. The uncle's confusion and anger, along with his concern for the Hofer, make "I" feel a sense of shared grief for human existence and, to some extent, understand his perspective. When the uncle's environment is destroyed, he understands even more clearly the reasons for the extinction of the Hofer. Ultimately, he chooses to escape together. This should be their best outcome and most ideal. The theme of "What I do not know cannot harm me" is repeatedly raised and emphasized in the story, revealing the uncle's clear avoidance of responsibility. These repeated evasions make its opposite stand out clearly: certain things I know can cause me great harm. The Hypochondriac is a typical story about the opposite of cognition. It is driven by two threads: the mutual suspicion between the doctor "I" and the patient M in their doctor-patient relationship. The hypochondriac M's arrival is a nuisance to the doctor, who is annoyed by his outward appearance and imagined illnesses, often asking him to leave. Until one day, after receiving a call from the neighbor, the doctor delays until evening to arrive at M's house with suspicion and reluctance, but it is too late—M has already been taken to the hospital and died. The truth that M was indeed ill makes "I" deeply self-blame and doubt his medical skills and character. In a daze, he often experiences hallucinations, with M's image appearing either in autopsied corpses or in current patients. Finally, one day, he collapses from emotional breakdown. The other thread is the doctor "I" and his wife Barbara, whose complicated marital relationship cannot be untangled. His wife is pregnant, which should be a good thing for the aging "I," but the problem is that he cannot be sure if he is the father. The child is about to be born, and he sincerely hopes it is his own flesh and blood. But the truth leaves him utterly devastated. The patient, the child—the truth—who is the unwelcome intruder? And who disrupts the originally normal life? The story raises two questions: If the doctor had initially recognized M's illness as real rather than imagined, would M have died? If the doctor had been ignorant of his wife's affair, would he have happily accepted the child she was carrying? It is this contradiction between what should and should not be known that leads to a series of pains and ultimately destroys the doctor. The story clarifies the meaning of the title at its later point, resolving the doubts that have long troubled "I." He finally realizes that his great-uncle, an authority in the medical field, indulged in his appetite without restraint in his later years, ultimately dying of obesity and fat atrophy, which was a challenge to the truth. When such "harmful information" is presented clearly, like an autopsied dead cat, it does not bring joy but a sense of emptiness. This emptiness leads his great-uncle to resist passively and powerlessly with contempt for knowledge and disease in the rest of his life.
The Tunnel begins with a question: "What calls people to the sea?" Nature. Water once again becomes an essential theme in the story, related to "I," my mentally disabled brother Neil, and my own marriage. Neil loves the sea, and only by being by the sea does he feel happy. For this reason, the family goes to Clive Errach every year. After the parents' death, the task falls to "I." The white cliffs by the beach attract Neil, who loves to walk to the top and gaze at the sea below. Finally, one day, while "I" is not looking, Neil jumps from the cliff. My wife Mary resents Neil and is furious about our annual Clive Errach trip, but I know she is not idle; she has chosen to travel with her lover at this time. The novel ends with "I's" fear of the truth and avoidance of it. Neil is dead, but "I" would rather believe he is not dead, would rather go to Clive Errach every year, waiting for his return; his wife has a lover, and "I" do not want to find out. Because "I" truly understands that it is better to be in the dark than to know the truth, at least everything can remain the same.
The Hotel tells the story of a hotel manager with psychological problems. After his mother's death, "I" falls into a state of delusion and is eventually admitted to a mental hospital for treatment. Only after the doctor's suggestion does "I" admit to his attempt to kill his mother, and then he is allowed to leave. Out of fear of the hospital and to alleviate what he calls his guilt, "I" decides to open a hotel to heal his psychological trauma. The hotel accommodates guests who appear respectable but are actually guilty. They forget their past, their responsibilities, and their worries here, eating well, sleeping soundly, and having fun. Meanwhile, "I" finds a sense of psychological balance in others' vices. One day, a strange couple causes chaos among the guests. The father and daughter's disguised incestuous behavior reveals the true purpose of the hotel's existence, and its corrupt nature makes the guests see their own true selves. They cannot face this fact and flee in panic. After the truth about "I" in the hotel is exposed, he reverts to his guilt of trying to kill his mother. In this story, the hotel symbolizes a mental hospital. For those with guilt, it is a safe and free place, hence a source of happiness.
The Sultan's Palace begins with a trip. An Englishman "I" and his wife travel to Turkey for a holiday to ease their tense relationship. When his wife tells "I" that she was harassed by a male waiter, he cannot bear it and begins to doubt the truth of what she says and does. This doubt worsens their relationship and turns the purpose of the trip into a. The protagonist finally realizes that it is better not to know or pursue. This novel also touches on the relationship between private space and personal privacy. "I" failed to handle this relationship well, unable to tolerate his wife's demand for private space, which led to the failure of their marriage. It is worth noting that the "palace" (seraglio) in the novel has another meaning beyond the tourist attraction they visit. It comes from the Latin word "serate," meaning "to lock, to secure." The protagonist tries to use a marriage certificate to lock the other person and keep them forever, like a woman in the ancient harem. This is quite absurd.
Our Niky's Heart was not included in the collection Swimming and Other Stories. It was originally published in the Spring 2000 issue of Granta magazine. It also deals with the issue of truth and cognition. The story tells about Niky, the beloved son of the mother and our dear brother, who lost his life in a car accident. The strong mother, at the doctor's suggestion, agrees to donate his heart. Months pass, and she still waits eagerly for the results, hoping to know where her son's heart has gone. The difficulty of finding the truth makes "I" go to great lengths, but the news he learns after much effort is so disappointing: his brother's heart was transplanted into a forty-six-year-old woman, an elderly woman of the same age as his mother. The beautiful wish of donating his heart to a young man or young woman is shattered. With no choice, I decide to tell a great lie, telling her that Niky's heart was donated to a young woman. The truth will forever remain hidden, and the mother will not suffer serious harm. The novel once again proves that the truth brings not joy but a heavy blow.
The common feature of the above several short stories is that the protagonists, out of helplessness and avoidance of the truth, develop such doubts and fears of cognition. When facing difficulties, they are limited by themselves and often have no way out, producing a sense of frustration and resentment that leads to avoidance. They develop the idea of "if only I had known today, why did I do it yesterday," wishing to live in ignorance. Due to the psychological impact of World War II and the recurring nightmares that haunt them, another characteristic of Swift's characters is also mentioned in this article, which is the third major theme. In a few short stories, children become the main characters. Swift places children at the center to clearly state that children are not only victims of the imagined war but also victims of the real war. A close reading reveals that these stories are based on the first two categories of content. Gabor is a typical example. It tells the story of a war orphan. To prevent the war orphan from suffering the same hardships as he did in World War II, the father adopts a Hungarian child refugee—Gabor—and does everything to give him a comfortable and easy life, helping him forget his past suffering. However, he prefers to play English-German war games with "I," which makes the father extremely frustrated. The relationship between the two children gradually improves, and Gabor seems to adapt to the current life and forget the suffering of losing his parents and family. One day, an incident breaks the surface calm. The two children accidentally encounter a young couple on a date and truly see the beauty of the woman's maternal breasts. The sight makes the orphan Gabor deeply miss his mother and fall into deep sadness and pain. Swift asserts that war brings deep-rooted suffering, a mark that can never be erased for children. Superficially, it can only bring temporary comfort. The father in the story once experienced that pain and knew the taste of it, so he did not want another child to suffer the same suffering. He tried his best to make up for it, but the war had already happened, and the pain had already been experienced. No matter how much he makes up for it, what has been lost can never be recovered. The war instigators, driven by the of power and desire, sacrificed the lives of thousands of families and countless people to achieve what they called "civilized progress," without considering the impact on children and the future of the world; the innocent children had no choice but to bear the pain caused by the mistakes of the adult world on their tender shoulders. But regardless, in Gabor, we still see a touch of positive and warm human nature.
The Son is also a product of war tragedy: Costakis and his wife Anna, with their adopted son Adonis, emigrated from war-torn Greece to England. They opened a small Greek restaurant and struggled to make a living. Watching their adopted son grow up, the couple finally did not have the courage to tell him the truth about his adoption. Life is peaceful and calm, but Costakis always has a knot in his heart, feeling that the secret is about to be revealed. He lives in constant fear and helplessness, waiting for that day to come. The story is shrouded in the shadow of World War II. When the German army occupied Greece, Costakis cut off his mother's finger, which was already starved to death, to take off the ring and exchange food. This terrifying scene often appears before his eyes, and he cannot help but feel guilty and self-reproach. Over the years, he has always feared recalling the past and feared everything related to the past. For him, telling his son the truth would force him to return to the past and expose the scars of the past. When Adonis frequently visits the clubs set up by the Greek refugees, Costakis becomes increasingly afraid. He feels that the time has come for him to look back on history and reveal the truth. In the end, Adonis really went to Greece and confirmed that he was adopted. He also brought a shocking truth to the adoptive father: in fact, Costakis was also an adopted child; he was adopted after his parents were killed by Turks. There is no doubt that Adonis is lucky. He clarified the truth through his own efforts and accepted the facts calmly, but poor Costakis is different. He believed his mother, the woman who made him cut off her finger, was his biological mother his whole life. Now he knows it was someone else's mother, and the already strong sense of guilt instantly swells, nearly driving him to collapse. The terrible truth makes Costakis question his identity, his history, and his fear of war. He thought that his deliberate and kind-hearted concealment would reduce his son's suffering, but he later realized that concealment does not mean it never happened, and the revelation of the truth would bring even more devastating blows. The novel raises not only questions of epistemology but also exposes the terrifying face of war. We know that this is the common fate of Swift's characters. For them, to live a peaceful life, it is best not to delve into history, not to reveal the truth. Reading through the entire collection of stories, we can clearly conclude that in the same story, the three themes do not have clear boundaries and often appear simultaneously. They interweave and complement each other, showcasing the superb artistic craftsmanship.
The author is a renowned contemporary British novelist. In 1980, he published his first novel, The Sweet Shop Owner, and the following year, his second novel, Badminton, won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. In 1983, the publication of The earned him a nomination for the prestigious Booker Prize and won several other awards, including the Guardian Novel Prize. In 1996, his sixth novel, The，finally defeated the competition and won the Booker Prize of that year, establishing his important position in the contemporary British literary scene. Today, Swift has numerous readers worldwide, and this book is the first Chinese translation of his works.