In the short story " Through the Tunnel," author Doris Lessing
Doris Lessing
Doris May Lessing CH OMG was a British-Zimbabwean novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, where she lived until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia, where she remained until moving in 1949 to London, England. Her novels include The Grass Is Singing…
What is the story through the tunnel about in the tunnel?
“Through the Tunnel” is the story of Jerry, a young boy who is training to make a physical passage through an underwater tunnel, but it is also a story about a boy preparing (unbeknown to him) to make the passage from childhood into young adulthood.
How do I track the themes in through the tunnel?
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Through the Tunnel, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The story begins with Jerry and his mother on vacation from their native England to a coastal town in an unnamed foreign country.
What is Jerry's imagination like in the beginning of the tunnel?
In this early stage of exploring both the tunnel and his newfound freedom, Jerry still has a rather childish imagination, as when he assumes an underwater plant could be a threatening octopus. Pushing through these fears, though, Jerry still wants nothing more than to accomplish exactly what the older boys could perform with ease.
How does the boy make his way through the tunnel?
He squeezes his body into the opening and slowly makes his way through. In the process of swimming through the tunnel, he bumps his head against the ceiling of the tunnel, but feels confident about his breathing. He again imagines a threatening octopus lurking in the dark.
What is the theme of Through the Tunnel?
The passage from childhood to adulthood is the theme of "Through the Tunnel." When Jerry first arrives on holiday with his mother, they spend their time together on "the safe beach," but Jerry's thoughts are about "the wild bay." What Jerry experiences about himself in that bay will help him to leave behind the ...
What is the theme of Through the Tunnel quizlet?
What is the theme, or the central idea, of Through the Tunnel? An individual's struggle to achieve difficult goals.
Which point of view is used in Through the Tunnel?
“Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing is a third-person narration.
What is the genre of Through the Tunnel?
FictionThrough the Tunnel / GenreFiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places in ways that are imaginary or inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a narrow sense, "fiction" refers to written narratives in prose – often limited to novels, novellas, and short stories. Wikipedia
What is the main conflict in the story through the tunnel?
The plot of the short story “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing follows Jerry, an 11-year-old boy, through a single event of his life: training to swim through an underwater hole in a rock. The plot is focused on two main conflicts: overcoming one's limitations, and humans versus nature.
What is the setting of through the tunnel?
The short story “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing is set in a foreign country at the seaside, where the English characters usually spend their holidays: “…the crowded beach he knew so well from other years.”.
What literary devices are used in Through the Tunnel?
Doris Lessing short story “Through the Tunnel” creates the theme of transforming in her short story by effectively using the literary devices of imagery, diction, and simile.
What does the tunnel symbolize in Through the Tunnel?
The tunnel represents Jerry's passageway from youth to maturity, a symbolic journey from boyhood to manhood. By proving himself worthy, Jerry is showing the world that he is no longer a child.
What does this passage most clearly suggest are Jerry's reasons for training himself to swim Through the Tunnel?
He wants to find out what is inside the tunnel, stealing the boys' secrets. He wants to prove himself to himself, conquering his feeling of shame. He wants to be seen as funny to the boys, easing his feeling of seriousness. He wants to prove himself to his mother, gaining her admiration.
Is Through the Tunnel based on a true story?
Pål Øie directs based on a script by Kjersti Helen Rasmussen. Based on a real-life incident, the story follows what happens when a tanker truck collides and catches on fire in a tunnel. Families and tourists are trapped as a blizzard outside makes it hard for first responders to get to the scene.
How does Jerry change as a result of his experience in the tunnel?
The eleven-year-old Jerry changes his personality during his adventure. The challenges of diving through the tunnel change Jerry's character. He turns from cowardly to brave, overprotected to independent, and childish to mature. In short, the adventure changes his personality.
Why is the setting important in Through the Tunnel?
The most important part of the setting, the tunnel, reflects the atmosphere of the story. The atmosphere is serious and filled with determination. The tunnel is ominous which gives it a serious feel and the tunnel is solid and long reflecting the determination. Through the Tunnel is told in third person omniscient.
What happens in through the tunnel?
The plot of "Through the Tunnel" involves 11-year-old Jerry struggling to locate and swim a secret underwater tunnel. After spending several days locating the gap, then practicing breathing exercises to hold his breath, he succeeds in traveling the tunnel through to the other side.
How does Jerry feel about himself after swimming through the tunnel?
How does Jerry feel about himself after swimming through the tunnel? He felt proud because he did what he set out to do.
What is Jerry's motivation for wanting to swim through the tunnel?
It is very important for Jerry to swim through the tunnel so that he can prove to himself as well as the older boys and his mother that he is not a child.
What internal conflict does Jerry's mother face?
He faces an internal conflict on whether he should stay with his mother or follow his desire to go to the bay. Likewise, Jerry's mother also faces an inner conflict between her sense of duty and her sense of giving way towards her son.
What is the contrast between solitude and community in Lessing?
From the story’s first sentence, when Jerry ’s attention is split between going to the crowded beach with his mother or to the rocky bay by himself, Lessing creates a sharp contrast between solitude and community . Throughout the story, Jerry seems to be privately weighing the burdens and benefits of being surrounded by others in a community against the difficulties—and, he discovers, the joys—of being alone.
What is the story behind the tunnel?
“Through the Tunnel” is the story of Jerry, a young boy who is training to make a physical passage through an underwater tunnel, but it is also a story about a boy preparing (unbeknown to him) to make the passage from childhood into young adulthood. As the story opens, in the time before Jerry has attempted to swim beneath the rock and through the tunnel, he is still a boy. By the time…
How does Jerry get through the tunnel?
Nervous about his decision, Jerry grabs a stone, holds his breath and plunges down to the tunnel. He squeezes his body into the opening and slowly makes his way through. In the process of swimming through the tunnel, he bumps his head against the ceiling of the tunnel, but feels confident about his breathing.
What happens when Jerry and the boys suddenly reappear on the other side?
When they suddenly reappear on the other side, Jerry realizes that they must have passed through an underwater tunnel . The biggest boy, and the apparent leader of the group, is the first to attempt the daring feat of swimming through the underwater tunnel, which Jerry can’t see.
How long can Jerry hold his breath?
While he sets off on his routine, Jerry is surprised that he can hold his breath for ten whole seconds longer than his previous attempts. He thinks he could probably make his way through the tunnel at this point, but decides to wait. Instead, Jerry sits at the ocean floor and studies every aspect of the tunnel.
What happens when Jerry comes out of the water?
When he comes out of the water on the other side of a large rock, the rest of them follow the same routine and dive down. Jerry goes in after them but can only see the surface of the rock.
What does Jerry's mother tell him?
His mother tells him not to physically overdo it during his time at the bay. After only a day of not being under his mother’s close care, Jerry is now significantly less concerned with being an obedient son. He slowly becomes obsessed with his new task of getting through the tunnel.
What is Jerry's mother's view of the rocky bay?
Unaware of what Jerry had been doing out of her sight at the rocky bay, his mother is only able to notice the injuries that he sustained while swimming through the tunnel. Jerry’s maturity, confidence and autonomy are all concealed away from her view, accessible only to Jerry himself.
Why is Jerry's mother's arm reddened?
After only one day of sunbathing, Jerry’s mother’s arm has noticeably reddened, which demonstrates how foreign the climate and geography are for these British tourists. Jerry is tempted again on this second day to follow his mother out of a guilty sense of duty but ultimately can’t contain his desire to explore.
