Jerry's Symbolism In The Tunnel

Through The Tunnel, provides the reader with an opportunity to acknowledge the steps to manhood that every boy feels is necessary. As the boy, Jerry is without his father, the only taste of manliness that he has discovered yet is swimming within the bay and out of his mother’s sight. Doris Lessing shows throughout the text, the miniature accomplishments that Jerry overcomes, such as the increased time Jerry can hold his breathe, and how far he is willing to go into the ocean. This can be seen as a metaphor for how far Jerry is willing to go out of his mother 's reach and what he has to do for himself to feel like a true “man”. This helps show us that while it’s great for parent’s to be protective, sometimes the child has to find what’s in their

However, after he finally let’s go of her arm, he ventures out farther and farther into the water, symbolizing to the readers Jerry’s first taste of freedom. This is illustrated within the text when Jerry’s mother states, “Are you tired of the usual beach, Jerry? Would you like to go somewhere else? “Oh, no!” he said quickly...Yet, walking down the path with her, he blurted out, “I’d like to go and have a look at those rocks down there.”. As Jerry comes to each new day, he becomes obsessed with achieving the goal of going through the tunnel, in the process describing not only his determination, but his feelings. Imagery becomes apparent as Jerry becomes more hesitant, describing his surroundings and feelings of the cave walls in comparison to his emotions. For instance, Jerry shows the readers an insight to his surroundings which drives the intensity to certain moments in time. This is shown through Jerry’s action of trying to fit through the tunnel “He was being continually pressed against the sharp roof, which felt slimy as well as sharp. Again he thought of octopuses, and wondered if the tunnel might be filled with weed that could tangle