In the story “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing the main character Jerry is young and sees a group boys do something that he finds interesting, Going through the tunnel. The problem is he is too young and too weak to do it. The boys were Judging and excluding him and it made him sad. Jerry used the negative actions of the french boys as motivation to set a goal of swimming through the tunnel before he leaves. Although Jerry is not physically strong or mature he has a large amount of mental
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
short story, ¨Through the Tunnel¨, Lessing uses the main characters, Jerry and his mom, along with the setting to develop the theme. Jerry, the protagonist, has spent his summer on the beach with his mother. He has noticed other kids swimming through an underwater tunnel in the bay, he becomes determined to do the same. Throughout his struggling process of going through the tunnel, Jerry realizes that it wasn't all as great as he thought it would be. Lessing developed her theme through Jerry’s mental
The transition from childhood to adolescence is a difficult process with many obstacles. In Doris Lessing’s short story, “Through the Tunnel”, this idea is expressed when Jerry decides to leave the safe beach and play in the rocky bay. He strives to be like the older boys, but he can only do that when he matures enough. In Doris Lessing’s “Through the Tunnel,” the author demonstrates the many obstacles present in going from childhood to adolescence using symbolism and imagery. The safe beach symbolizes
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
“Through the Tunnel”, written in the early 50’s by Doris Lessing, is a short story filled with literary devices that create a coming of age story. On the surface, the story is about a boy named Jerry, an eleven-year-old boy, who is being raised by his widowed mother. They are on vacation on a beach at their usual annual spot. Jerry is faced with a challenge he desperately wants to overcome, by any means necessary. Doris Lessing uses symbolism and bildungsroman to portray the theme of coming of age
The short story Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing is full of symbolism about the transition out of childhood. Doris accomplishes this by writing about a young boy named Jerry and his journey swimming through the tunnel. During this difficult transition the main character gains the tools he will need during adulthood. Lessing uses symbolism abundantly in Through the Tunnel to emphasize on the theme of the transition from childhood to adulthood. In the exposition, Jerry and his mother are on vacation
In the short story “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessig, the main character Jerry teaches the reader that you can achieve your goals if you put dedication towards them, because he puts his time into exercising his lungs so he can stay underwater, and he also does not give up even when he does too much and his nose begins bleeding. “Again and again he rose, took a big chestful of air, and went down. Again and again he groped over the surface of the rock, feeling it, almost hugging it in the desperate
A coming-of-age story, Doris Lessing's "Through the Tunnel" employs three major symbols to connote Jerry's state of being and his rite of passage. In the exposition of the narrative, as Jerry is with his mother... Read the Rest of this Answer for Free Please view an ad from one of our sponsors to see the rest of this answer. Get Answer Then, when Jerry does swim out to the rocks and the wild bay, he leaves the protection of his mother--a "speck of yellow under an umbrella." When he sees the native
they want to do. Achieving goals take sacrifice, commitment, and overcoming obstacles on the path. The short story, “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing is about achieving a goal. A single mother and her child, Jerry, are on vacation at a beach. Jerry meets some local boys and watch them swim underwater for a long time. Jerry decides to set a goal and swim through the underwater tunnel. Lessing's characterization of Jerry shows that to achieve a goal, one must prepare, practice, and sacrifice. Characterization
The short story through the tunnel by Doris Lessing explores the idea of the struggles a child faces when growing up. Doris Lessing develops the idea of growing up and achieving self respect through 11 year old Jerry’s journey into adulthood. When we are introduced to Jerry in the beginning we see the first sign of his internal conflict. Jerry wants to go to the “wild and rocky bay,” however he is still a child and does not want to hurt or disappoint his mother, “Contrition sent him running
In the short story “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing a young boy named Jerry takes on the risky challenge of swimming through a narrow and long underwater tunnel on his holiday at the beach. It is an interesting story with a variety of remarkable characters. In the story, Jerry is on holiday at the beach with his mother, when he sees a group of older men diving through an underwater tunnel. This fascinates him so he starts practicing to hold his breath and dive until he can be like them. When
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
“Through the Tunnel” Essay (Rough Draft) In the short story, “Through the Tunnel,” the main character, Jerry, encounters an obstacle while traveling through the underwater tunnel; however, he is highly motivated to make it through. He pushes himself to the limit and eventually makes it through the tunnel. He develops a wise personality throughout the story by gaining knowledge and experience. He was no longer an eleven year old boy that was by his mother’s side constantly. In the end, Jerry became
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. Since a young age, Jerry has always gone to the safe beach
rocks in her short story, “Through the Tunnel”, are associated with modifications and instability. The main character, Jerry’s initial goal is to travel through a tunnel in order to fit in with the older and cooler kids. Throughout his journey, he encounters or utilises rocks in three different instances. He uses rocks to weigh himself down during training, he finds rocks scattered across the white ocean floor, and he is met with sharp rocks as he travels through the tunnel. Doris Lessing’s message
In Doris Lessing’s “Through the Tunnel”, Lessing uses imagery in order to show the audience that the transition from childhood to adulthood is a quest in itself. Lessing reveals that Jerry’s quest isn’t just to swim at the bay, but is to become a man by suggesting that swimming through the tunnel represents manhood and to become like the boys at the bay who Jerry idolizes as being men. It is evident that Lessing incorporates explicit overtones into her writing because in the text “It’s All About
symbols of strength and stability, but a small percentile of people would disagree. Doris Lessing would fit into the few, as the motif of rocks in her short story, “Through the Tunnel”, are associated with society inflicting modifications and instability upon individuals. The main character Jerry’s initial goal is to travel through a tunnel in order to fit in with the older and cooler kids. During his journey, he encounters or utilises rocks in three different instances, which each represents a way how
Tunnels can be strange for some people, but seeing a tunnel at the bottom of the ocean is very strange for Jerry. Jerry is on a vacation with his mother and goes out every morning to the rocks diving and swimming with the older kids throughout the day. Doris lessing describes Jerry as a kid who challenges himself against a strange looking tunnel in her story “Through The Tunnel” through the use of symbolism in the setting, the trip through the tunnel and the wild bay.
“He was at the end of what he could do… he feebly clutched at the rocks in the dark, pulling himself forward, leaving the brief space of sunlit water behind. He felt he was dying. He was no longer conscious” (Lessing 5). “Through the Tunnel,” written by Doris Lessing, follows the summer of a young eleven-year-old English boy named Jerry. For many years, Jerry and his mother visited this beach, getting to know many of the other families there. One year, however, Jerry had begun to lose interest