What Is Jerry's Symbolism In Through The Tunnel

Jerry set up a goal to go through itbefore summer vacation ends. He admitted he was afraid of the tunnel, which it a steptowards being mature.

Jerry is one of the main characters in the short story, Through the Tunnel. Jerry is an eleven year old, English boy who is trying to become more independent, but still wants to please his mother. Throughout the story he struggles through getting through the tunnel because he looks up to what he considers men passing through the tunnel. He tries everyday and never gives up. He also is looking for his mothers appreciation and approval at times. At the end of the story, Jerry feels that he has accomplished some things such as holding his breath for about three minutes, however he still has to work on the strength for traveling through the tunnel. Overtime Jerry finally felt that he had enough courage to jump off the rocks and swim

In the short story "Through the Tunnel", Doris Lessing describes the adventure of Jerry, a young English boy trying to swim through an underwater tunnel.  Throughout the story, the author uses the third person omniscient point of view to describe the boy's surroundings and to show us both what he and the other characters are thinking and what is happening around them.  By using this point of view, the author is able to describe the setting of the story, give a detailed description of the characters, and make the theme visible.

Initially, our first thoughts of Jerry at the beginning of the story, is that he acts immature and is burdened within a circle of maternal protection. During the opening of the story, the author conveys Jerry’s relative childishness by labeling him as “the boy”. The author also uses the mother to demonstrate his youth and how he is trapped in a circle of maternal protection which leads us to think that he is lonely due to that reason. In this part, “His mother walks in front of him, carrying a bright white strap in one hand” tells us that because the mother was walking in front of him, it gives us the impression that the mother still thinks of him as a boy that needs to be protected from any potential harm. We see more of Jerry’s immaturity and how the burden of protection leads his actions as we go through the story. During the part where Jerry sees the group of boys acting free-spirited, we see that he is overcome with desire to be with them, probably because he feels that because he is always in the circle of protection making him feel lonely and isolated from everyone. At first, he is added into the group and begins to have fun jumping from the cliff into the water with the other boys. Later on however, he starts to act immature when he realizes he could not do the same thing the other boys were doing. That was, underwater for a long time and going through the dark tunnel and he becomes scared. In this passage,“... In a panic of failure, he yelled up, in English, “Look at me! Look!” and he began splashing and kicking the water like a

Jerry is a young boy who has not yet fully matured yet. His mother finally lets him go off on his own when he see the french boys. They are much stronger and older than him but he still hangs out with them and they don’t seem to mind at first. The french boys all swim under the big pile of rocks in long periods of time without air. Jerry is amazed and wants to find out how they did it. The boys laugh and judge him as he sits on the rock, alone without the ability to swim with the boys. This is when Jerry sees the tunnel for himself and sets the goal to swim through it before the end of vacation

When the prisoner makes his way back into the cave, he will have to readjust to the darkness, since he has been out in the daylight- however, he knows this does not matter as he has seen what is beyond this cave. The prisoners would not want be freed: the cave is all they have come to know, it is their reality; the cave is where they are most comfortable. Leaving the cave would mean they would have to adjust to new factors and face the fact that their whole understanding was based upon an illusion. Even if the prisoner goes back to tell the other prisoners about all that he has seen in the world outside the cave, they won’t believe him; they will not understand what he is speaking of. Those who live in the cave are accustomed to that life only; if someone leaves and discovers that reality is drastically different, then that person is going to have a hard time convincing the others that there is anything other than what they know. The person who tells them otherwise will be criticized and labeled "crazy" by the inhabitants of the cave because they simply don't know any

The characterization of Jerry illustrates the stages of maturing and becoming independent. In the beginning of the story, Jerry is depicted as young and immature. The immaturity of Jerry is shown when he is trying to capture the older boys’ attention. In order to capture their attention, “he began splashing and kicking in the water like a foolish dog.” This action conveys that Jerry is still immature, and wants to join the older kids. After seeing the boys pass through the tunnel, Jerry also wants to pass through in order to be a part of their group. In order

Although, Equality did not want anyone to know about the tunnel. He says, “But here, in our tunnel, we feel it no longer. The air is pure under the ground. There is no odor of men. And these three hours give us strength for our hours above the ground” (Rand 44).

Now comparing these stories, Jerry and the narrator of “Sixteen” are very much alike, just as they are apart. Maureen Daly and Doris Lessing really give the reader a good feel for the characters and mood, making the tone easy to comprehend. In “Sixteen”, the narrator is very serious when talking about how she is, in fact, quite smart, and knows what she’s doing when it comes to life. Along with this, Jerry is very serious about practicing his breath golding and swimming because he wants to be able to get to and go through the tunnel. It’s a goal, not a dream. Both of these characters take the reader on a very personal journey; one into the mind and heart, and one into the process of him becoming a “man”. Two very difficult things to normally talk about. The authors create anxiety for the readers when Jerry is actually in the tunnel. He begins counting, higher and higher, the longer he’s in the tunnel, making the reader think, “There’s no way he’s going to make it out.” There is also a sense of anxiety in

We came to a stream of light. Where was that coming from? Not ahead, but overhead. When we looked up, we saw a grating. There were only cold steel bars, unmoving bars, and not a way out. Forge on. The smell was all over us now and caused frequent gags. Carole asked, “How far do you think this tunnel goes?” I said, “I don’t know. I don’t even know where the tunnel goes. I’m hoping far enough to get under the freeway.” Carole squeaked out, “I’m scared. It’s really creepy in here.” “ I know,” offering some

In the story through the tunnel a boy named Jerry overcomes his fears, becomes more mature and proves to himself that he can do anything he puts his mind to. One day on the beach jerry asks his mom if he can go to the other side of the beach where he meets four native boys diving under the water and coming out on the other side. When jerry tries to find the the hole he cannot so the next day he comes back with goggles and dives down looking for the whole, once he finds it he practices holding his breath until he thinks he can hold long enough to get thru the cave. The day before they go jerry decides to go thru the cave and he comes out victorious. Jerry doesn't really rejoice in his accomplishment but he does say to his mom out of nowhere

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

Whenever someone accomplishes a huge achievement, they have stories of how hard they worked to earn it. In almost every single story of accomplishment, there are obstacles the hero has to overcome. Doris Lessing, a British novelist, had a very hard childhood, full of struggles to survive, and yet she published 86 novels and won a Nobel Prize in Literature. In Lessing’s short story “Through the Tunnel,” the main character Jerry faces the challenge of swimming through a long underwater passage. A close examination of the story shows dark objects represent setbacks while the light represents achievement. Thus, the initial darkness of the tunnel’s appearance, the luminous color of the ocean, and the changing of light during Jerry’s passage through

“Yet, walking down the path with her, he blurted out, ‘I’d like to go and have a look at those rocks down there,’’ (Lessing 1). During the short story, “Through the Tunnel,” Lessing shows that Jerry has an interest in breaking away from his mother early on in the story. He shows a passion for wanting to go to the wild bay, instead of staying with his mother at the safe beach for their vacation. Jerry’s transformation from boy to a young man is revealed in the settings of the safe beach, wild bay, and the journey through the tunnel.

In Jerry's journey through the tunnel in the story "Through the Tunnel," the author chooses words that create a sense of danger and suspense. As he enters the tunnel, he has to turn his shoulders sideways, "wriggling" them in order to get in. Already the tunnel feels claustrophobic, and although it seems he has room to swim once he in inside, Lessing describes the area he is in as "small" and "rock-bound" -- although Jerry is just inside, it is already as if he were trapped. The water is "yellowish-grey," an unpleasant color that may set the reader on edge with its imagery. The water "pushes" him up against the roof, it is unforgiving and unpleasant. The roof itself is "sharp," showing the reader that although Jerry is not yet having trouble breathing, the tunnel is still unpleasant. Then, as Jerry moves forward, a "sharp pain" dizzies him as he knocks his head, and he is suddenly "without light," a distinct transition from the yellowish-grey water at the opening of the tunnel. The use of "weight" to