A Literary Analysis Of Lessing's Through The Tunnel

Literary Analysis of Lessing’s “Through the Tunnel” Throughout life, certain events may lead up to a point of maturity or jump start one’s gradual coming of age. In Doris Lessing’s “Through the Tunnel,” the idea that certain circumstances cause the development of maturity is exemplified through a young, English child named Jerry. Lessing uses symbolism and Jerry’s conflict to augment the story’s theme --coming of age. Throughout the story, Lessing uses symbolism to corroborate the theme of coming of age. For example, Lessing paints a picture of a “wild and rocky bay” that captures Jerry’s growing curiosity (Lessing 1). The bay symbolizes wild, adventurous moments in life that might cause someone to mature. In this story, the bay is contrasted by the “safe beach,” which symbolizes familiarity and life’s
The contrast between the beach and the bay is a perfect analogy to Jerry’s battle between safety and risk. While at the bay, Jerry stumbles across a group of native boys, and his desire “to be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body” (Lessing 2). In the story, Lessing uses the native boys to symbolize the human desire to “fit in” and the idea of conformity. Another example of symbolism in the story is the goggles that Jerry demanded from his mother (Lessing 3). The goggles represent a newly gained perspective of life. In the text, Lessing uses the following quote to explain the goggles: “Now he could see. It was like he had eyes of a different kind – fish eyes that showed everything clear and delicate in the wavering white water” (3). On the other hand, Kathleen Wilson, editor of Short Stories for Students, says, “he risk his life, but does so while wearing swimming goggles, which are symbolic of both his inexperience and his need for protection” (246). Along with Wilson, Kate Holleran, an instructor at Robert Morris College and a writer on literary