Through The Tunnel Analysis

The stories “Brothers are the Same” by Beryl Markham and “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing share common themes throughout the stories, yet are based on two vastly different cultures. Both stories have their main characters going through a rite of passage, both in their own ways, so how do they compare? Well first it is important to know the background of these two stories.

The stories take place in two vastly different areas, both with their own cultures, traditions, and people. “Brothers are the Same” takes place in the Serengeti Plain with the tribe of the Masai, who are described as having “...some Egypt in their eyes and the look of ancient Greece about their bodies” (Markham pg. 361). These people have a ritual where the male children

In “Brothers are the Same”, the characters risks death with a fearsome lion who could rip each bone in their bodies apart within seconds if inclined to do so, and in “Through the Tunnel”, Jerry decides to dive through an underwater tunnel, taking the risk of drowning and being left for the rest of time up against the rocky ceiling of the tunnel. Danger is one issue, but why do they take these risks when they both aren't yet totally prepared to do so? The characters in “Brothers are the Same” take the risk of death by ferocious kitty cat because they both want to impress the same girl by becoming a man. On the other hand, we have Jerry, who only did it because he wanted to. He could have been more prepared, and not take as big of risk if he had just done more training. The story does imply that he wanted to do more training on his own, if it were not for him being rushed on time, only having a few days to accomplish his

Both stories have characters with great fears, but said fears are very different in their own ways. As described by the main character, his fear failure, and also has the fear that “she will see my failure” (Markham pg. 365) showing that he does not want this fear to be public. “Through the tunnel” has the character more afraid of death, as described by the line “...he must go down or he would drown. His head was swelling, his lungs were cracking.” (Lessing pg. 383) showing that he was on the brink of drowning, and being left to forever rot in the murky