The promise of American freedom is stirring the imaginations of people around the world. Freedom is the idea of ​​American equalities and a success mechanism for each individual's skills and abilities. Freedom becomes a tool of economic prosperity of American industry which has had a great influence on American culture since the industrial revolution. Over the years, technological evolutions characterize the changes in American life which becomes increasingly materialistic. However, American freedom is not always consistent with the harmony of power and wealth. The traditional values ​​of the past which are self-sacrifice are currently inferred as the pursuit of wealth. The differences between traditional values ​​and individualism, faith and modernization, strength and hardship are predictable before wealth affects American freedom and life. During the 1960s, the middle and upper classes enjoyed post-war prosperity and material well-being. America's suburbs are growing at a rapid pace. American citizens are becoming more modern than ever. Liberation from the traditional view of American freedom changes the view of American society by embracing changes in dress code, sexual morality, and respect for one's rights. Therefore, this alteration of freedom in American society is perfectly depicted in John Cheever's short story, “The Swimmer”. Cheever's story reveals the disordered mind of the protagonist, Neddy Merrill, who at the beginning of the story is described as a young, strong, athletic man with financial influence in upper-class society. However, Merrill abuses his freedom, which leads him to be a weak and broken man who loses his wealth and family and finds himself……halfway……3. Literary Resource Center. Network. 24 July 2014. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CH1420032077&v=2.1&u=avl_jeff&it=r&p=LitRG&sw=w&asid=10fbb04b42cd70f3ace028430ed32d2dCheever, John. "The swimmer." The Northon Anthology American Literature. 8th ed. vol. E. New York: W. W. Norton, 2012. 156-65. Print.Current-Garcia, Eugene. "The Swimmer: Overview." Reference Guide to American Literature. Ed. Jim Camp. 3rd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Network. 24 July 2014.url of the documenthttp: //go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? Id = Gale%7ch1420001586 & V = 2.1 u = avl_jeff & it = r & p = litong & sW = w & asid = 205e8eb920959d84229e3fe70dc46wallace, " and the World War." Introduction. The Northon Anthology American Literature. By Jerome Klinkowitz. 8th ed. vol. E. New York: W. W. Norton, 2012. 3-7. Press. Literature since then 1945.