The Enormous Radio

“The Enormous Radio” is one of John Cheever’s most widely anthologized short stories. It is also a strong example of Cheever’s occasional tendency to shift toward magical realism, which entails the presence of fantastical or supernatural elements in an otherwise realistic narrative.

The story opens with a mundane description of two protagonists, Jim and Irene Westcott. On the surface, this paragraph provides objective details about them, but the characterization is marked by certain phrases that illustrate a critical, even judgmental tone. The Westcotts have achieved a “satisfactory average” life, and Irene is reported to be a “rather plain girl” with a “forehead upon which nothing at all had been written,” while her husband retains an “intentionally naïve” (33) manner as he starts to show evidence of middle age. This criticism in the opening paragraph serves a fault-finding function, one that ends with a great revelation about the Westcotts: They love classical music, but they keep this appreciation for an outdated form of entertainment hidden from others.

The story’s inciting incident comes in the second paragraph, when the Westcotts’ old radio, described as “beyond repair” (33), finally breaks down for good while they are listening to a Schubert quartet.