A Short Story : The Story Of Growing Up

In “Through the Tunnel,” the author, Doris Lessing, writes about a vacation of a widow and her son named Jerry. Lessing turns Jerry’s and his mother’s relaxing vacation into a serious one with the tools of symbolism to unveil the hidden message of the rocky bay and the tunnel, vivid imagery of the tunnel, as well as similes and personification regarding Jerry’s attitude towards the adventure; moreover, the author creates an overall tone of determination and wonder to help construct the well-known theme of never giving up. It is safe to assume the rocky bay and the tunnel both symbolize very important aspects in this short story. The rocky bay could be said to symbolize a turning point in Jerry’s life.

On a cold December morning snow blanketed the ground while a frozen mist masked the trees. Only the very tops could be seen. I stepped outside and inhaled the clean, crisp Texas air. Still half asleep, I walked to the truck feeling the soft powder compact beneath my boots and the snowflakes melt as they hit my skin. It was the time of year that I had been longing for.

A strong essay goes beyond the explicit and makes logical inferences about the psychological and literary elements of the stories

The story Through the Tunnel is about a young boy named Jerry and his mother going on vacation to a beach resort that they have previously visited. The villa they are staying at consist of two beaches. The safe, crowded beach is where Jerry’s mother goes and the wild Rocky Bay is where Jerry ends up spending most of his time. While Jerry swims in the water at the wild bay, he sees a group of boys diving into the water. Jerry knew right when he saw them, he wanted to be just like them. In his eyes, “They were big boys—men to Jerry” (Lessing 148). To show that he was brave, he found the courage to dive off the

Growing up: change; coming of age; becoming more mature. All throughout life most people desire to grow up and become more of age so they can explore and do the actions they want, and be on a higher level. At the same time they do not want to take on all of the responsibilities, they just want to be independent. Although, typically, growing up can be a choice that some make and some do not. In the First Part Last by Angela Johnson, Bobby made a mistake which caused him to not have a choice; he had a baby in High School, which resulted in him having to become independent quickly, and come of age.

Throughout the story Through the Tunnel, the most important theme that recurs is self determination. The boy in the story, Jerry, has demonstrated this self determination by pushing himself through tough situations. One of these situations was when Jerry saw the French boys playing in the ocean. In the text, it said, “To be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body.” (244) This quote proves his determination because later on in the story, he then swam toward them. Eventually, they started playing, and the boys yelled cheerful greetings at him. That’s when Jerry knew that he was welcomed in. Without his determination in this scene, Jerry wouldn't have been able to play with the boys. Jerry demonstrates self determination in

Even though, jerry wants to be accepted and in control of his life, the harsh reality is Jerry’s identity wants to be with his mother. Further throughout the story the tunnel is shown as the symbol of the story; letting the reader know that Jerry senses that it is the door to his identity. Additionally, the chronological structure is effective throughout the story in showing the process of growing up and an insight into Jerry’s transformation. Moreover, the 3rd person omniscient narrator and formal register presents the character of Jerry and his mother in a distanced way and without a biased perspective. This suggests the sense of detachment and alienation that Jerry is starting to feel from his mother as he is growing up and wanting to make his own choices. The story is firstly introduced with a description of the mother carrying a bright striped purse. It was this and other uses of describing Jerry’s surroundings with the use of bright colours symbolising jerry’s childish world and thoughts. In addition, the thought of jerry’s childish thoughts shows his struggle to establish his own identity. The author writes that Jerry goes swimming “over a region where rocks lay like discoloured monsters under the surface”. The simile shows that even though Jerry wants to be independent and swim alone in the bay, he’s terrified of being alone in the water and not seeing his mother again. Briefly, Jerry learns that you cannot

As a child, the narrator overlooks his father’s volatile behavior because of his innocence and eagerness to feel wanted. During a family trip to a lake, the narrator and his mother ride on his father’s back because they are unable to swim. At one point during the swim, the father lets go of the narrator and watches as the narrator and his mother struggle not to drown. The narrator becomes attached to this memory because, ironically, it is one of his father's most notable acts of love. Despite nearly drowning, the narrator’s

My name was announced over the loud speaker “Gary Winthrop now up to bat.” I stepped into the box and took a practice swing. I starred the pitcher right in the eyes tempting him to throw me the ball. He wound up and threw me a slow curve ball that felt like it was hanging in the air forever. I took one step and took a smooth swing. The ball popped off my bat like a rocket and flew over the fence to score the winning run. All 50,000 fans in the stands went crazy. I heard my alarm clock go off, dang it was just a dream. I really didn't feel like going to school.

You witnessed my growth. You saw the light while my sky was pitch black. Through the darkness you saw constellations. When people criticized me, you saw hope in me. You see some people sink, some of them choke, some got a boat but I haven’t and you sacrificed yours for me. Others saw me standing, while I was suffering. Fake happiness is the worst type of sadness.

Jason stared up at Tyler's eyes; deranged, dilated, discolored. Tyler wore a smile on his face, his usual smirk twice as wide and displaying too many teeth. He held a silver and black pistol in his hand.

I live in a mountainous region and am always inspired when I see what I believe to be a miracle: on a sheer cliff, where it would seem impossible for anything to grow, a tree will stand tall, growing straight out of the solid rock. I believe that I should be awarded this scholarship because, like this tree, I have the "courage to grow". Through hope and teachability, I have turned personal obstacles into a solid foundation from which I have grown as a person. For example, instead of allowing multiple moves to discourage me from settling, I have decided to make a difference everywhere I live. From starting an outreach group for new students at a school in the South to ministering to military children at a church in the Rocky Mountain West, I

I felt like some of you know me one way, others in a different way. Many of you don’t know my full story. So here it is. Growing up I was always bullied and yeah it hurt, but I got through it. I was just taking what life was throwing at me. I had anxiety growing up that led to depression in about the 7th grade. I just tried my best to deal with it. Growing up I always felt out-of-place, always wishing I was older and more independent. Once I got to high school I knew things would change. But never in the way that they did. It was an instant success, well the social part at least. Everyone wanted to know what I was doing and where I was going. And oh let me tell you I’m going places. Things were different in high school I had tons of friends. All my good ones

The voice in my head, normally so calm and controlled, was screaming at me to run. That was exactly what was going through my five year old mind when I walked around the hallway corner to see my mother being beat to her death by my biological father, Brax Magnus. As I tried so hard to stay and defend my mom, I could not help but panic and so I ran. I ran so far until I seen a small gas station. I went inside to find a phone, but realized I did not know who to call. The cashier, seeing that I was crying and looked panic, walked over to me.

This is a story about a boy, a boy named Gunner. Gunner’s life was… not so good but no matter what happened he always said it’s ok ;)