Through the Tunnel

The contrast between the beach and the bay in "Through the Tunnel" is both literal and figurative. The beach is smooth, dry sand, while the bay has sharp, craggy rocks. The waves along the beach...

Doris Lessing builds suspense in "Through the Tunnel" by using negative connotations and painful imagery, describing Jerry's "wild bay" experience with phrases like "rough, sharp rock" and water...

In "Through the Tunnel," Jerry's internal conflict involves his struggle for independence and self-identity, wanting to prove himself capable and mature. His external conflict is the physical...

The bay loses its importance to Jerry after his swim because he has achieved his personal goal of swimming through the underwater tunnel. This accomplishment signifies his transition from childhood...

In "Through the Tunnel," word choice creates a sense of danger, suspense, and atmosphere while effectively conveying the setting. Descriptive language and vivid imagery immerse readers in the...

At the beginning of "Through the Tunnel," the mother-son relationship is characterized by mutual respect and a balance between protection and independence. Jerry's mother, a widow, consciously allows...

"Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing uses both figurative and literal language to enhance its themes. Literal language describes Jerry’s physical journey and actions, like swimming through the...

In "Through the Tunnel," the fish are described using several similes. They are compared to "pieces of wood or slate" and their movement is likened to "a water dance," emphasizing their gracefulness....

The falling action of the story occurs right after Jerry has made it through the tunnel. As he is resting from his feat, he see the native boys diving but no longer has an interest in them. He...

In "Through the Tunnel," Jerry faces significant physical challenges, such as holding his breath and swimming through a narrow underwater tunnel, which test his endurance and strength. Mentally, he...

Jerry is determined to swim through the tunnel. He practices holding his breath and does so for two minutes, determining that he is ready. On the day before they leave, Jerry will attempt to swim...

Young Jerry wants to go out to the rocky bay because he thinks that there he will be able to swim through an opening in a rock.

In Doris Lessing's "Through the Tunnel" the two beaches symbolize the two parts of Jerry that are in conflict.  The safe beach, where his mother relaxes, represents the safety and maternal...

In the short story "Through the Tunnel," it could be inferred that Jerry survives his underwater adventure because he is determined and daring. Jerry increases his chance of survival because of his...

The climax of "Through the Tunnel" occurs when Jerry successfully swims through the underwater tunnel. This achievement resolves the internal conflict of proving his independence and maturity, as...

The last sentence of "Through the Tunnel" implies that Jerry is content with his achievement and his new sense of independence.

In the story, Through the Tunnel, by Doris Lessing, there are several examples of characterization. In the beginning of the story, Jerry's mother's naked arm is described as being "very white in the...

Lessing's story "Through the Tunnel" was published in 1955, one year before she was declared a prohibited alien in her former home of Southern Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe). While the allusions to...

Jerry is not used to being away from his mother. He's only just eleven years of age, and so he has not had a lot of independence or freedom to be on his own yet. He was even somewhat reluctant, as...

The exposition of "Through the Tunnel" is the part of the short story that introduces the setting and background information; it is also an introduction to at least some of the characters.

Jerry insists to his mother that he needs a pair of goggles after spending a day on the beach because he has been unable to find the underwater gap that the other boys had been swimming through. This...

Jerry's goal in "Through the Tunnel" is to swim through an underwater tunnel, which symbolizes his desire for independence and maturity. His most grown-up action is his determination and perseverance...

The point of view used in "Through the Tunnel" is third person omniscient.

The setting is not just any setting. It's a wild beach, which is the location where Jerry's inner conflict plays itself out. The wild side of the beach leads to an underwater tunnel that is too small...

Jerry's terrible nosebleed two days before leaving the beach makes him decide to wait a year before trying to swim through the underwater tunnel. However, he almost immediately changes his mind and...

Jerry is the eleven-year old protagonist of Doris Lessing's short story "Through the Tunnel." It is a coming of age story as the boy challenges himself physically. He's an English boy who is on...

Through the tunnel, Jerry's underwater swimming adventure was brought closer to him. The quote refers to Jerry's success at holding his breath for a specified amount of time. He is incredulous and...

Jerry wasn't crazy, but he was very foolish to take such risks. He easily could have drowned in the dark tunnel, and it is reasonable to assume that his body might never have been found. His young...

What Lessing does in lieu of having a ticking clock is to use Jerry's counting.  Jerry keeps counting off the seconds in various things and that acts just like a ticking clock. The first time...

I think Jerry learned more than only two lessons in the story.   One lesson that he learned was the importance of training.  I think he always knew the importance of training, which is...

The tone in "Through the Tunnel" is one of determination and tension as Jerry strives to achieve his goal. Readers respond with empathy and support for Jerry's coming-of-age journey. Symbolically,...

This is actually rather a difficult question to answer, because I think that a number of the factors that made Jerry decide to swim through the tunnel were unique to his situation and background....

It's rather sad, but we'll find the answer here: "The boys were gathering up their bits of clothing and running off along the shore to another promontory. They were leaving to get away from him....

I think the following quote best illustrates Jerry's impatience.   “I want some swimming goggles,” he panted, defiant and beseeching. She gave him a patient, inquisitive look as she said...

Jerry's physical and mental "tortures" are mostly self-imposed, as he embarkes on a dangerous rite of passage during he and his mother's summer stay on the beach. They are on the coast of a foriegn...

Very interesting question. Overtly, "Through the Tunnel" is not a moral story, rather it focuses on the "rite of passage" that Jerry goes through to move from childhood into manhood. However, one...

"Contrition" is a noun that names the feeling of being sorry or regretful for one's behavior. It also implies some guilt and remorse for this behavior. So, when Jerry's mother sees that he is...

An interesting bit of information is found in his mother's concerns. Early in the text, she expresses he worries that perhaps she has been too overprotective with Jerry and wonders if she should...

Jerry learns something about growing up when he makes it through the tunnel, and he realizes that independence can be scary.

The short story "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing tells of an eleven-year-old English boy named Jerry, who goes on vacation with his mother. He and his mother have a congenial and respectful...

When Jerry first encounters these "big boys -- men to [him]," they're described as being "of that coast, all of them burned smooth dark brown, and speaking a language he did not understand. ...

The story "Through the Tunnel" likely takes place somewhere in southern France.

This is an interesting question, because the only one I think we can discount completely from your list of four archetypes is the fall, as there is no sense in which Jerry's story can be compared...

What is important to focus on is how the theme is developed through the use of the symbol of the tunnel in this excellent short story. By the end of the story Jerry has gone through a journey from...

Certainly you can see what Jerry does as an inititation rite.  I say this because it has one very important thing in common with initiation rites in many cultures.  What that is is the...

In the short story "Through the Tunnel," the author is suggesting that the process of maturation is not a linear one. As we grow up, we don't neatly proceed from one step to the next in an orderly...

Interestingly, this short story was first published in 1955, so it is set quite soon after the Second World War. This could explain the apparent lack of a father figure during the story and the way...

Jerry says the "safe beach" is "not his beach" because it "now seemed a place for small children [...]." He has been practicing and practicing in order to swim through the tunnel in the rock,...

Jerry's mother allows him to explore the bay because she wants to give him independence while balancing her protective instincts. She recognizes his need for autonomy and adventure, understanding...

In Lessing's "Through the Tunnel," the bay is and represents something the boy isn't supposed to do or can't do; it is something the older boys can do, and the boy wants to do.  The bay is...