Through The Tunnel

Max Lerner once said “The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt.” Doris Lessing illustrates this point in her short story, “Through the Tunnel.” In the short story, Jerry, a young, English boy, finds himself by overcoming the obstacles of adolescence. As the story opens, readers learn that Jerry, who is on vacation with his mother, is eleven years old--a time during which many boys begin to distance themselves from their parents. On this vacation, Jerry desires some time away from his mother, and ventures away from the family beach to the "wild bay." Once there, he encounters a group of older boys, who seem to be natives, and who don't speak English. Jerry
watches them go underwater for an extended period of time and resurface beyond a large rock wall. The rest of the story focuses on Jerry's attempts to swim through the tunnel, and while readers might think at first that he's doing it to prove himself to the boys, the sense of accomplishment Jerry feels when he finally completes the challenge, lets us know that Jerry wanted to swim through the tunnel for himself. At the end of the story, he has successfully strayed from his mother and has done
Lapidot 2 something both dangerous and daring.
He has gained independence. When the adolescent strays away from the security of one’s parents, they are capable of obtaining their own individual achievement. Doris Lessing uses symbolism, similes, and imagery to portray the theme that the journey from childhood to adulthood is a challenge, and the rough patches along the way are not obstacles, but opportunities. In “Through the Tunnel”, Lessing shows Jerry’s journey through the use of symbolism. For example, the scene with the goggles. "As soon as she had bought the goggles, he grabbed them from her hand as if she were going to claim them for herself, and was off, running down the steep path to the bay" (Lessing). This scene with the goggles shows his determination and effort for completing his challenging task but at the same time, shows his need for protection. He is attempting something very dangerous and potentially life threatening, but he does that while wearing a form of safety. It’s almost as if he’s almost there... but not quite yet. As another source agrees, "He risks his life, but does so while wearing swimming goggles, which are symbolic of both his inexperience and his need for protection" (Wilson). It means that even though he’s determined to do something wild, he feels to need for safety. It shows the progress he slowly makes to adolescence, it’s a step in the right direction. It’s a part of growing up, he’s taking small
steps. Another instance where Lessing uses symbolism is essentially the whole setting of the story. The beach and the bay are extremely significant when it comes to the deeper
Lapidot 3 meaning of the story. The beach and the bay symbolize the two parts of Jerry that are in conflict. The safe beach where his mother relaxes, represents the safety and maternal protection Jerry experienced as a child. The wild bay represents the part of Jerry that wishes to break away from his mother's sheltering watch and become more independent. Each setting represents a feeling. The beach, childhood. The bay, adulthood. Facing the rough and rocky bay is scary, but is a part of growing up. "He leaves the safety of this nursery-like beach and journeys to the treacherous wild and rocky bay and the underwater tunnel." (Wilson) It is at the wild bay that he sees the boys swimming through the underwater tunnel. The tunnel also has symbolic meaning. This is where he decides to prove himself so that he can feel a sense of "belonging.” He sees what the boys can do and he challenges himself through intense self-training to try to be like them. The tunnel represents Jerry's rite of passage as he moves from childhood to adulthood. The tunnel is like the journey to becoming more mature and independent. You need training, you need practice, and you will definitely experience difficult and challenging obstacles, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel. In addition to symbolism, the author also conveys her message by using similes. Take this quote for example. "It was as if he had eyes of a different kind..." (Lessing) This particular quote was also part of the goggles scene. It means he could see clearer, the clearest he’s seen yet. (underwater that is) But more importantly, it shows his reaction to a
Lapidot 4 new experience on his journey to adolescence. "Once he purchases the goggles, he assumes a whole new identity, “Now he could see.” As Jerry realizes, “It was as if he had eyes of a different kind —fish eyes that showed everything clear and delicate and wavering in the bright water.”" (Wilson) It means that now that he feels safer (and sees clearer), he feels like he has a better chance in completing the task. Another example Lessing gives in her writing is during the scene where Jerry makes a fool of himself in front of the boys and as a result, they rejected him and his presence. (I call it the rejection scene) "Through his hot shame, feeling the pleading grin on his face like a scar that he could never remove..." (Lessing) The quote shows his reaction to his humility caused by the boys’ rejection towards him. At that point in the story, yes, he has decided to make his way to the “rocky bay,” but he still was acting very childlike, and because of that, he embarrassed himself in front of the big and buff boys. "Jerry feels failure and shame, yelling at them first in English and then in nonsensical French, the “pleading grin on his face like a scar that he could never remove.”" (Wilson) The situation was humiliating and immature. It shows his early stages in life, his more childish side. Imagery was also a big part in Lessing’s way in conveying the story to her readers. For example, the way she describes the bay. "From where he was, high up among red-brown rocks, it was a scoop of moving bluish green fringed with white. As he went lower, he saw that spread among small promontories and inlets of rough, sharp rock, and the crisping,
Lapidot 5 lapping surface showed stains of purple and darker blue. Finally, as he ran sliding and scraping down the last few yards, he saw an edge of white surf and the shallow, luminous movement of water over white sand, and, beyond that, a solid, heavy blue." (Lessing) I never thought it would be possible to use that many colors to describe something! As you can see, using imagery helped in a major way to give off the effect that you’re really there. You can really picture how the bay would like. It shows how different the bay is from Jerry’s regular, go-to beach. Through symbolism, similes, and imagery, Doris Lessing expresses the journey to adolescence to be an arduous one, but shows that it is possible, and when you achieve it, the feeling is beyond satisfactory. The overall importance is essentially to never give up and to put in maximum effort in everything you put your mind to. Adolescence can be a struggle, and you will most likely experience a mix of both emotional and physical obstacles, but once you push through your journey through the tunnel, there is no turning back.