All people face obstacles that provide many different challenges. Physical, mental, or a combination of the two, is what gives life its purpose. This very struggle is captured in the short story, “Through the Tunnel,” by Doris Lessing. Lessing uses irony, imagery, similes, symbolism, and metaphors to illustrate the challenge of a young boy named Jerry. The author uses many different recurring objects to represent the different challenges and conflicts Jerry overcomes, both mental and physical. Doris Lessing uses the recurring object of the underwater tunnel in order to symbolize growing up, determination, and establishing yourself as an individual.
One of the things that is represented by the tunnel is growing up. “They began diving again
One of the things that is represented by the tunnel is growing up. “They began diving again