“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” (E. E. Cummings) The story Through the Tunnel is about a boy named Jerry, who is trying to decide if he wants to stay a little boy under his mother’s watch or branch out and be adventurous with the things he likes to do. The author, Doris Lessing, uses Setting, Symbolism, Point of View, and Characterization to form a theme in Through the Tunnel.
The Setting in Through the Tunnel is crucial to the plot. Based on the description in the story, the setting is a white sandy beach in coastal France, with villas lining the coast. In the story, Jerry “looked down at a wild and rocky bay, and then to the overcrowded beach.” The setting affects the plot because if there was no tunnel or bay, Jerry would not be able to show his adventurous side. Also, the setting affects the plot because if he wasn’t on vacation then he wouldn’t have as much motivation to go through the tunnel.
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The Language Devices, Symbolism and Point of View, help to develop a theme in Through the Tunnel.
In Through the Tunnel, it is told from third person because the narrator uses such pronouns as he, she, and they. The narrator is someone unnamed and is outside of the story. One example from the story is “he sat by the clock in the villa, when his mother was not near, and checked his time.” He or she is omniscient, which means that he or she can see everything and he or she knows what the character is thinking. The omniscient narrator is a good choice for the narrator in the story. If the narrator had limited knowledge, the reader would not be able to see what happened underwater since that part is just Jerry’s
thoughts. There are many prominent symbols in Through the Tunnel. Light was the main symbol because in the story while Jerry is in the tunnel and sees the light, this represents the turning point of the story. Also, it signifies knowledge of what is to come. Another symbol is which separates the beach from the rough bay. It signifies the new Jerry. The white beach signifies the purity of childhood. The tunnel signifies passage and Jerry growing up. The darkness at the entrance of the tunnel signifies mystery and lack of knowledge. The Detail Device that affects the theme in Through the Tunnel is Characterization. The Characterization is that Jerry is a hardworking boy who will stop at nothing to complete his task. Jerry shows this when he holds his breath long enough to go through the tunnel. In the story, his determination is shown when he trains himself to hold his breath. Also, he shows immaturity because he would do anything the other boys will do even if he couldn’t do it. These devices lead to the two main themes in Through the Tunnel, the first theme is growing up isn’t easy. As you can see, Jerry took a lot of time and effort to gain the skills necessary to swim through the tunnel and at the same time he gained confidence and independence. That leads into the next theme which is if you set your mind on something, then you can accomplish it. Jerry set his mind on getting through the tunnel and as a result, he did just that.
The two stories "Brothers are the Same" by Beryl Markham and "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing are both about growing up and entering adulthood. "Brothers are the Same" about a boy named Temas trying to prove he was tough and could be called an adult. In a similar situation in "Through the Tunnel" a young boy named Jerry is determined to go through an underwater tunnel that he saw some older French boys go through. He wants to accomplish this goal to prove to himself that he could do it . The two stories share a similar theme, but the authors perspective on the topic differ.
...he class barriers that exist in society and the differences between these different groups. She comes to see the differences and the similarities between her life and that of the two boys.
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In the short story "Through the tunnel", Doris Lessing describes the adventure of Jerry, a young English boy trying to swim through an underwater tunnel. Throughout the story, the author uses the third person omniscient point of view to describe the boy's surroundings and to show us both what he and the other characters are thinking and what is happening around them. By using this point of view, the author is able to describe the setting of the story, give a detailed description of the characters, and make the theme visible.