In "Through the Tunnel," by Doris Lessing, the author uses settings and complex characters to establish that discovering one's own identity can be a truly harsh experience. In the case of the protagonist Jerry, he wants acceptance from his peers and to be in control of his life, but his harsh reality is that he still wants to stay with his mother because she is all he has. Jerry learns that identity is given to you from those around you, not something you establish on your those around you, not something you establish on your own.
The symbols play a important role in the story as Jerry ventures from the security of the safe beach to the unknown parts of the wild bay. The story begins with a description of Jerry's mother carrying a bright striped purse. It was this and many other uses of describing Jerry's surroundings with the use of bright colors that symbolized that Jerry was living in a child's world. The safe beach was known and a place of comfort for him. The author writes that Jerry goes swimming "over a middle region where rocks lay like discolored monsters under the surface." (Lessing 402). The rocks being described as discolored monsters is showing even though Jerry wants to be own his own and swim in the bay, he is scared at the thought of being alone in the water and not seeing his mother again.
The story symbolizes Jerrys rite of passage into a new stage of his life. He went from tagging along with his mother to the beach every day to exploring a cove where challenges await him, only him. Through bloody noses, and breath taking drills, Jerry prepares himself to swim through that mysterious tunnel to cure his curiosity. Jerry and his mother are attached at the hip early on in the story. Every time Jerry tries to slip away from his mother, a surge of guilt sweeps over him as she smiles, he was very familiar with that anxious, apologetic smile(page 375). Finally, Jerry is able to leave his mothers side and explore the wild and rock bay(page 375) that his curiosity has drawn him to.
An important symbol in the story that is a representation of Jerry's maturity as well as his childishness is the goggles.
He didnt really think about deciding to go through the tunnel, it just became something he wanted to do as he asked his mother to buy goggles to see underwater. But now, now, now! He must have them this minute, and no other time. He nagged and persisted until she went with him into the shop. 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, (246). This shows that even though Jerry is trying to mature there he is still childish deep inside. In a way, he idolizes the older boys, so he wants to prove himself to everyone that hes mature. This is one of the first decisions hes made by himself, besides the initial decision to go down to the bay. The goggles help him see clearer in the water which help him to be more patient and understanding throughout his trip through the tunnel.
This story shows a little boy growing up in only a few days, gaining a sense of independence and maturity that everyone longs for. Jerry has changed in such a short amount of time and he finds his identity. He realizes that sometimes, people need to open their eyes and look at others for what theyve changed into, and other times, people need to look at themselves, because everyone is changing constantly because of the people and settings around them.
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