Through The Tunnel Theme

Through the Tunnel Joss Whedon, a famous director, once said, "Everyone who made it through adolescence is a hero." Adolescence is a difficult part of life where we learn to become independent and we discover who we are. Many books explore the theme of adolescence, and it is expressed in many different ways. In this story, Jerry, a eleven year–old boy, goes to the beach with hismother and he sees some boys swimming through a tunnel. Inspired by them, Jerry trains hard until he can also swim through the tunnel. In the short story "Through the Tunnel" the author, Doris Lessing, uses symbolism of setting and comparison to express the difficulty of the transition from childhood to adulthood.

In the story, Lessing uses symbolism of setting...show more content...

Lessing wrote, "And now, in a panic of failure, he yelled, in English "Look at me! Look!" and he began splashing and kicking in the water like a foolish dog (Lessing 359)." By comparing Jerry to a foolish dog, the author emphasizes both how difficult Jerry's task was for him and how badly he failed it. This excerpt also shows that if Jerry wanted to be like the other boys by swimming through the tunnel, he would have a long and perilous road ahead. Later in the story, right before he was about to go through the tunnel, Lessing wrote, " But two days before they were to leave – a day of triumph where he had increased his count by fifteen – his nose bled so badly that he turned dizzy and had to lie over the big rock like a bit of seaweed, watching the thick red blood flow onto the rock and trickle slowly down to sea (Lessing 363)." This excerpt shows that the tunnel is dangerous as well as nearly impassable. Even if Jerry gets through the tunnel safely, he'll have to worry about the danger that follows – adulthood metaphorically, and physical harm literally. Adolescence is not only a mental challenge, but a physical challenge as well.

All in all, the short story "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing conveys the theme of adolescence through symbolism of setting and comparison. By setting the tunnel as a symbol of adolescence, the author helps readers understand the mental and physical struggles of adolescence. Adolescence is a difficult and crazy period in life, but somehow once most people get through it, they become mature, strong and kind. In other words, they're

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