Many people move through life trying to obtain a goal. Some people succeed at accomplishing their goals, while others fail. Why does this happen? Do the methods people use to obtain their goals cause them to fail? The stories The Swimmer by John Cheever and The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe help to make this clear.

In The Swimmer, Neddy Merrill, the main character, swam down a "stream" comprised of pools owned by people of a particular county. Neddy named the stream after his wife, Lucinda. Neddy's ultimate goal was to swim the entire county's pools using only "Remembered or imaginary . . . maps and charts but these were clear enough" (Cheever 102).

He started out his journey from the Graham's pool. Neddy was full of energy and very excited. Along the way, Neddy was interrupted by the people whose pools he was swimming through. Many of...