How does Neddy Merrill relate to the world in which he moves? Why does he decide to swim home?

In John Cheever's "The Swimmer," Neddy Merril relates to the world in a very detached way. Teddy considers himself to be one of value, and he decides to swim the county like a “pilgrim, an explorer, a man with a destiny." Because of this elevated sense of self, Neddy becomes detached and disillusioned with the world around him, and consequently is unable to form real connections with the other members of society. He views the world around him very much in the way one watches a film, and he sees his life play out and fade before his eyes by the story's end.

Neddy's elevated sense of self has not only detached him from the world around him, but it has caused an almost mythical sense of self where he believes he can conquer anything. Neddy begins his journey with "the intenseness of his pleasure” and the “youth, sport, and clement weather…seemed to flow into his chest” so much that he fancies himself an explorer, one fit to swim an entire county's worth of swimming pools. However, though Neddy considers himself a “legendary figure," he has really “gone for broke overnight," and his vainness and detachment result in his being alone.