Doris Lessing Through The Tunnel Symbolism

Summer Essay 17 The challenges one faces by going through adolescence may vary vastly because each individual is unique. This lesson is shown in the short story by Doris Lessing, “Through The Tunnel.” A young boy, Jerry, takes a risk while on vacation with his mother to show himself he is no longer a child. He faces some challenges, and trains himself to accomplish going “through the tunnel.” In the short story, the author Doris Lessing, demonstrates the hardships one goes through adolescence by presenting imagery and symbolism. The author illustrates imagery using words and colors that help the reader visualize, for example in Jerry's eyes, his mother was a speck of yellow under an umbrella. Lessing states, “There she was, a speck of yellow under an umbrella …show more content…
Lessing states, “As soon as she had bought the goggles, he grabbed them from her hand as if she were going to claim them for herself” (Lessing 360). Jerry's excitement for his mother buying the goggles show his buzz for wanting to conquer swimming under the tunnel. Although he is not experienced, Jerry uses those goggles for protection and safety. With the symbol of the goggles, it allows the reader to identify how the objects lead Jerry through the hardships of growing up. Lessing provides information and examples to show symbolism; when Jerry is able to hold his breath for longer fragments of time, it proves independence. “Jerry's ability to hold his breath may be understood as independence”(Wilson). Allowing him to count to fifty or even sixty underwater, it exemplifies he can be independent, and no longer needing help from his mother. No obstacle, like his nose bleeds, was too much for Jerry. With tremendous practice of controlling his breath, Jerry would go through any obstacle to achieve going through the tunnel as a symbol of