Through the Tunnel--critical analysis

“Through the Tunnel”, by Doris Lessing is a story about a boy named Jerry, and how he matures over time. Jerry wanted to be included in a group of older boys. He thought they would accept him if he could swim through a tunnel underwater. For Jerry, movement through the tunnel is a passage from the immaturity of boyhood to the maturity of adulthood. As the story opens, the author refers to Jerry as “the …showed first 75 words of 395 total…

…showed last 75 words of 395 total…he does not need to be congratulated or accepted by the older boys; a feeling he once longed to achieve. Jerry’s rite of passage is easy for most to identify with. Jerry’s rite was not uncommon for most adolescents. Every child needs to feel accepted. For most, the transition from childhood to adulthood is a very difficult time, which once accomplished does not seem as flattering as it did before it was accomplished.