Jerry's mother's motivation is to balance allowing independence while ensuring safety, advancing the plot by enabling Jerry's growth. She avoids being overprotective, granting him freedom to explore another beach and buy swim goggles without questioning him. Her approach encourages Jerry's independence and maturity, facilitating his rite of passage through the tunnel. Her trust and restraint empower Jerry to undertake and complete his personal challenge, thus driving the story forward.

Jerry's growth and evolving maturing is reflected in his relationship with his mother by the presence of a new distance between the two. His mother's approval and love is no longer enough for him, and he seeks acceptance in a group of older boys who he meets while on vacation.

In "Through the Tunnel," Jerry's growth and maturity are seen in his relationship with his mother. In the beginning, Jerry stays close to his mother, asking permission to part from her, then returning to her after going to the rocky bay; later, he demands goggles and goes independently to the rocky bay. However, in order for him to swim through the tunnel at this new stage of maturity, he must first leave his mother behind "if it killed him." He does and emerges triumphant. But, Jerry also realizes that in order to be a free person, he cannot let others' expectations of him dictate how he feels about himself. Henceforth, he will rebel against societal norms programmed into him by his mother'

Jerry yields to his mother's demand at the story's end because he no longer feels the need to prove himself. After successfully swimming through the underwater tunnel, a personal rite of passage, Jerry gains self-respect and maturity. He achieves his goal of equaling the older boys who previously dismissed him, thus removing any importance from returning to the bay. Exhausted yet fulfilled, Jerry complies with his mother's wishes, as he has nothing left to prove.

Jerry's mother in "Through the Tunnel" plays a crucial role in the theme of rites of passage by embodying the balance between protectiveness and allowing independence. Her anxieties about overprotecting Jerry push him to seek independence and prove his maturity. This is symbolized by Jerry's determination to swim through the underwater tunnel, marking his transition from childhood to adulthood. The mother's indirect influence helps Jerry achieve his rite of passage, despite her unawareness of his achievement.

Jerry's relationship with his mother complicates his desire to swim through the tunnel because it interferes with his budding independence.

Jerry and his mother share a devoted yet independent relationship, marked by Jerry's journey toward maturity. His mother is protective but not overbearing, while Jerry feels a sense of responsibility and chivalry towards her. As Jerry seeks independence, he secretly challenges himself to swim through the tunnel, marking his transition from childhood to maturity. By the story's end, Jerry's successful passage through the tunnel symbolizes his newfound independence, acknowledged subtly by his mother.

Jerry is described as "defiant and beseeching" towards his mother because he is caught between his desire for independence and his need for her help. He wants to swim through the tunnel like the older boys and requires goggles for this task. His defiance reflects his urge to mature and assert independence, while his beseeching tone reveals his dependence on his mother to achieve his immediate goal.

Jerry's mother hinders his initiation into adulthood by occasionally restricting his independence, such as keeping him at her beach for a day, which temporarily prevents him from attempting the tunnel swim. Her presence also symbolizes the typical parental obstacle for a teenage boy seeking independence; being seen with his mother is not "cool," and Jerry desires to assert his independence and maturity away from her oversight.