Through The Tunnel Symbolism Essay

Symbolism and Meaning of Through the Tunnel

Symbolism can really make a story meaningful. Through the Tunnel is a story full of symbolism. There is symbolism in anything from the setting to the tunnel itself. The three major symbols in the story are the beach, the bay, and the tunnel. They all represent a progression from dependent and irresponsible to independent, responsible and mature. Doris Lessing does an excellent job at showing how symbolism can tell an entirely different story.

The first major symbol that is first encountered is the beach. The beach is where Jerry and his mother come to for vacation. The beach represents more than just the setting as it represents dependency and immaturity. In the story, it says, “...as he played

on the safe beach, he was thinking of it” (Lessing 356). This is evidence to back it up because, symbolically it is talking about the safety and comfort of early life or childhood. In the story it says, “Next morning, when it was time for the routine of swimming and sunbathing, his mother said, Are you tired of the usual beach, Jerry? Would you like to go somewhere else” (Lessing 356)? This also supports the meaning that childhood is more conservative and safe. As a child, one is usually under a routine, and don’t have as much of a saying in it because a child is a dependent and the parents make a lot of choices for them. So when Jerry’s mom says, “tired of the usual beach” the author is really implying, “Are you tired of your usual life of being a child.”
Another symbol is the bay. The bay is away from the beach and is unregulated and unsupervised. It says, “It was a wild-looking, and there was no one there” (Lessing 358). The description of the place can describe adulthood as it can be wild. Adulthood can be wild in way such as getting a job and unexpected events. The symbolism in the bay isn’t just the setting, it can also be the people part of the bay. There are older foreign kids at the bay hanging out. It says, “They were all of that coast; all of them were burned smooth dark brown and speaking a language he did not understand” (Lessing 359) Doris Lessing could have made the boys foreign for a reason. The fact that Jerry doesn’t understand them could symbolically mean that he doesn’t understand adulthood and what it takes to be independent.
Probably the most important symbol in the story is the tunnel.

The tunnel represents the journey that comes with being mature and independent or a rite of passage. Growing up there are going to be ups and downs. Everyone will face conflict especially the older and more mature we become. When Jerry was swimming through the tunnel, it was described as, “He felt he was dying. He was no longer quite conscious. He struggled on in the darkness between lapses into unconsciousness” (Lessing 366). In the tunnel he was in a major conflict, trying to get through the tunnel to save his life. The conflict in the tunnel represents the conflict one will experience in life and growing up. When the mom asked Jerry to take a break from swimming, it says, “She was ready for a battle of wills, but he gave in at once. It was no longer of the least importance to go to the bay” (Lessing 366). This symbolically shows that Jerry knows his place in life right now. Jerry is a kid and shouldn’t rush to be independent, and needs to stay on the “beach” and be dependent on his mother.

Doris Lessing has created two stories in one by using symbolism. One story is about a boy who tries to swim through a tunnel to impress himself and others. The other story is about a boy struggling to find his place in either being dependent or independent. Lessing shows the importance of symbolism because a story can not make sense but can be based off symbolism and mean something

different.