40 Years Since John Cheever's Death: The Poet of Inner Conflict

John Cheever, who was born in Quincy in 1912 and passed away in Ossining in 1982, delved into the tension between outward appearances and inner truths in his writing. His upbringing was marked by his father's battle with alcoholism and the economic downturn of 1929. Beginning in 1935, his works were published in The New Yorker, and he gained recognition after World War II amid the McCarthy era. Unlike the characters of Raymond Carver, Cheever's figures grapple with both internal and relational struggles, reminiscent of those created by F. Scott Fitzgerald but with a more introspective approach. His 1975 novel, Falconer, tells the story of Ezekiel Farragut, a man imprisoned for possibly murdering his brother, who comes to understand that he has always been confined. Cheever's own challenges with hidden homosexuality and alcoholism echo the book's exploration of escape and the pursuit of goodness throughout life.