When experiencing the transition of maturity, what do children have to learn? Doris Lessing answers this in her short story “Through the Tunnel”. Jerry is an eleven year old English boy that wants adventure away from his sheltered life he has become accustomed to. He is on vacation at the beach with his mother when he encounters older boys that Jerry immediately looks up to. They swim through this underwater tunnel and Jerry gets inspired to accomplish this dangerous feat. He must learn to overcome many challenges along the way. These challenges represent the responsibilities that come with age. Lessing represents multiple items as symbols to show the idea that with maturity, comes greater responsibility.
Lessing’s symbolic portrayal of people …show more content…
The beach, the bay, and the tunnel all pose as stages in the story.“It was a torment to him to waste a day of his careful training, but he stayed with her on that other beach, which now seemed a place for small children, a place where his mother might lie safe in the sun. It was not his beach (Lessing 405).” Here, the beach is illustrated as a symbol of childhood for Jerry. To him, the beach is a place where his childhood was spent, but that it’s time for him to leave the beach for the bay. Also, the beach is depicted as a safe-haven for Jerry. After experiencing the risk of the bay, the beach is childish to Jerry. Finally, this example addresses Jerry’s unapparent possession of the beach. He says it is not his beach, as if he has found another place for him. “...he looked back over his shoulder at the wild bay; and all morning, as he played on the safe beach, he was thinking of it (Lessing 402).” This short excerpt portrays the nature of the bay. Lessing describes it as wild. To Jerry, the bay looks lush and precarious. Secondly, the bay’s significance to Jerry is shown. Jerry’s intrigue throughout the day and his desire to visit the bay portrays its quintessence. This example also begins to compare the bay and the beach. The use of the word wild describing the bay represents the great difference between the beach which is described as safe. “He looked down into the blue well of …show more content…
The people in “Through the Tunnel” provide Jerry’s motivation for this change. His mother shows the kind of life Jerry wants to escape from, while the boys incite the desire to change. The places in this story double as stages during Jerry’s quest. The beach is the stage of childhood, that Jerry now realizes he wants to get away from. The initial risk of advancement is represented by the bay. It is was first arouses Jerry’s desire for an adjustment in life. Finally, the tunnel is the fundamental stage in which Jerry will achieve his goal. The importance of Jerry’s swim through the tunnel is interpreted through the physical, psychological, and emotional challenges he overcomes. Through the duration of Jerry’s pursuit, he learns to overcome many battles in order to get what he wants. From these points, we see that with greater maturity and responsibility, children have to learn to conquer any obstacle that comes their
Lessing’s symbolic portrayal of people …show more content…
The beach, the bay, and the tunnel all pose as stages in the story.“It was a torment to him to waste a day of his careful training, but he stayed with her on that other beach, which now seemed a place for small children, a place where his mother might lie safe in the sun. It was not his beach (Lessing 405).” Here, the beach is illustrated as a symbol of childhood for Jerry. To him, the beach is a place where his childhood was spent, but that it’s time for him to leave the beach for the bay. Also, the beach is depicted as a safe-haven for Jerry. After experiencing the risk of the bay, the beach is childish to Jerry. Finally, this example addresses Jerry’s unapparent possession of the beach. He says it is not his beach, as if he has found another place for him. “...he looked back over his shoulder at the wild bay; and all morning, as he played on the safe beach, he was thinking of it (Lessing 402).” This short excerpt portrays the nature of the bay. Lessing describes it as wild. To Jerry, the bay looks lush and precarious. Secondly, the bay’s significance to Jerry is shown. Jerry’s intrigue throughout the day and his desire to visit the bay portrays its quintessence. This example also begins to compare the bay and the beach. The use of the word wild describing the bay represents the great difference between the beach which is described as safe. “He looked down into the blue well of …show more content…
The people in “Through the Tunnel” provide Jerry’s motivation for this change. His mother shows the kind of life Jerry wants to escape from, while the boys incite the desire to change. The places in this story double as stages during Jerry’s quest. The beach is the stage of childhood, that Jerry now realizes he wants to get away from. The initial risk of advancement is represented by the bay. It is was first arouses Jerry’s desire for an adjustment in life. Finally, the tunnel is the fundamental stage in which Jerry will achieve his goal. The importance of Jerry’s swim through the tunnel is interpreted through the physical, psychological, and emotional challenges he overcomes. Through the duration of Jerry’s pursuit, he learns to overcome many battles in order to get what he wants. From these points, we see that with greater maturity and responsibility, children have to learn to conquer any obstacle that comes their