Doris Lessing

The ocean can be an adventure if one wants it to be. “Through the Tunnel”, makes one feel like never giving up with what they want to accomplish in their life. In “Through the Tunnel”, Doris Lessing uses imagery and characterization to convey to never give up on the things that one wants to do in life, because if one gives up, then they will never know what might have happened. For Jerry, a day at the beach turns into an adventure that gives him confidence in himself. Imagery lets one…

limit Jerry from reaching his aspirations. Through the Tunnel, by Doris Lessing demonstrates how commitment can help reach a goal. When Jerry goes on a beach vacation with his mother he finds some rocks where there are other boys. He feels a certain need to be among them. “To be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body. He swam a little closer, they turned and watched him with narrowed, alert dark eyes.” (Lessing, p. 244) When the boys get closer they wave to him and are…

The short story “Through the Tunnel” Doris Lessing, the non-fiction story, “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Rider” Bruce Weber, and the novel, “The Outsiders” S.E. Hinton, all portray that coming of age is when a person goes through a changing experience which allows them to grow and become their own heroes. Bruce Weber’s non-fiction story “The Loneliness of a Long Distance Rider” portrays that loneliness is the key to coming of age and healing after going through a traumatic experience.…

“All good writing is swimming underwater and holding your breath.” (F. Scott Fitzgerald). In Doris Lessings, “Through The Tunnel” a young boy named Jerry overcomes many obstacles in his early life. Jerry is a typical eleven years old who would like to make friend. He pushes himself to the limit trying to do so. Jerry meets a group of foreign boys. His attempts in making friends do not work out. Soon after the encounter Jerry finds out about a tunnel through a rock. He tries to swim through the…

Literary Criticism: “Through the Tunnel” Most people have never considered risking their lives to accomplish something out of pure determination. In the short story, “Through the Tunnel”, by Doris Lessing, the main character is Jerry, a young boy on vacation. Jerry loves to swim, but he gets sick of the same old, crowded, “safe” beach. Jerry tries a new place, filled with new and interesting adventures. After careful preparation, he accomplishes a potentially life defying adventure. Jerry is a…

When experiencing the transition of maturity, what do children have to learn? Doris Lessing answers this in her short story “Through the Tunnel”. Jerry is an eleven year old English boy that wants adventure away from his sheltered life he has become accustomed to. He is on vacation at the beach with his mother when he encounters older boys that Jerry immediately looks up to. They swim through this underwater tunnel and Jerry gets inspired to accomplish this dangerous feat. He must learn to…

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…

Adversity is a factor in every person’s life, but not everyone is lucky enough to possess resilience. Resilience is the ability to prevail when faced obstacles in life. There are many methods people use to gain resilience, and there are many reasons why people cannot, but one reason why people never become resilient is because they live a life with unsupportive or detrimental parents. Elizabeth from the short story “Jericho” by Margaret Price and the boy from “Untitled” by Anonymous are key…

individuals by standing up for our independent thought rather than giving in to the “Group Mind”. __________________________________________________________________________ In the same way, Doris Lessing, the author of “Group MInds,” presents a similar view when describing the influence of group mind. Lessing believes that we need to guard against the influence of group mind and that we need to make ourselves aware of these influences. She feels that people have the right to speak out against a…

The three stories, "Through the Tunnel", "The Bridge", and "The Scarlet Ibis" all have some pretty deep messages behind the seemingly innocent stories. In "Through the Tunnel", it is about a boy named Jerry, who adventures to the big beach and discovers some new friends--the big boys. The big boys were jumping off a cliff into the water and disappearing for minutes at a time underwater. The curiosity began to take over Jerry as he tried to join the big boys in their adventure. Soon enough the…