Through the Tunnel

A detailed Summary of Through the Tunnel


In Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing, an eleven-year-old English boy is on vacation at an exotic beach. Getting bored with the little kid's beach, he goes to swim at a deserted, more rocky shore. He spots some older, more mature, and more developed native boys diving into the ocean and he joins them in an effort to fit in. However, the older boys ignore him and eventually abandon him. He discovers after diving into the sea, they swim through a tunnel in the rocks and eventually emerge on the other side. As the determined boy practices the skills needed to swim through the tunnel, he makes the journey from childhood to manhood.

This story uses the tunnel to represent a passageway from one location to another completely different location. The Chunnel, a tunnel that was constructed from northern France to England, goes


In the story Through the Tunnel the author uses a tunnel several ways to symbolize a boy's journey from childhood to becoming a man. First, the boy compares himself to some older native boys as they swim in the ocean together. He dislikes how childish he appears to them. He is determined to develop the underwater skills required to complete the arduous task of swimming through the under water tunnel as the natives have done. He under goes many trials, headaches, and heartaches but finally accomplishes his goal. Swimming through the tunnel, he emerges triumphantly on the other side with the pride of a man.

The story uses the darkness to represent the fear of the unknown. When the young boy finally thinks he is ready to make his way through the tunnel, he doesn't even know where it leads or how far it actually is. All he knows is that he must get

Some common words found in the essay are:
English Channel, Doris Lessing, France England, swim tunnel, story tunnel, journey childhood, story tunnel represent, tunnel represent, native boys, control fear, tunnel makes, beliefs story,

Approximate Word count = 578
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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