[ Doris Lessing's short story ] Review of Doris Lessing's Through the Tunnel

Doris Lessing is a novel prize winner. She is known as a feminist. She wrote some books and ‘through the tunnel’ is one of her novels. This story is included in the ‘to room nineteen’, which is collection of short stories of Doris Lessing.

‘Through the Tunnel’ is a short novel that is about eleven year old English boy named Jerry, who courageously faces growing pain alone. He was the only child with no father. Like many other years, he and his mother went to the foreign beach which was visited by many people. The first day they arrived, he saw a wild and rocky bay. It was a little far from the safe beach that he had spent time with his mother. After having seen it, Jerry wanted his mother to let him go to the bay. She said okay to him, so he went to there in order to swim. At the bay Jerry watched some boy diving and having fun time together and wanted to join them. They also saw Jerry, but as soon as they knew that Jerry was a foreign young boy, they lost their interest to him. From distances, Jerry just watched them swim and play. But there was interesting thing. Jerry became aware that they dived at this bay and after a while they appeared at the opposite bay. Jerry thought there must be a tunnel under the sea. He dived, hoping that he could pass the tunnel like them. However, the only thing he saw was huge rocks on sea floor and not only it was too hard to find the tunnel without appropriate goggle, but also salty sea water made his eyes too sore. Unwillingly he had to come back to his mother and told her that he need a goggle. She just listened to him and bought him a goggle without asking why he needed it. As soon as he got the goggle, he went to the bay and tried to find and pass the tunnel again. Though, he still fell short of something. It was respiration. He didn’t have enough vital capacity to dive and pass the tunnel. That night, he bled at the nose. His mom told Jerry not to bite off more than he could chew. The next day, Jerry got to the bay and tried again and again until he finally succeeded. He couldn’t be satisfied with the safe beach where his mother and he had spent time together. He was no longer a boy who needed protector. Although he didn’t have a father like any other boys, he could stand up on his own to become adult. And passing the tunnel was the chance to become a grown up. He didn’t hesitated at all. He just tried and tried so as to achieve his goal, through the tunnel. It was true that he felt fearful and dizzy when he swam. But he didn’t surrender. When he finally passed the tunnel, he didn’t want to belong to the elder boys any more. He went back to his mom, being totally exhausted. He slept like a baby. After that day in the morning, his mom wondered why he got the bruise on his head. He said to his mom it just happened. She was worried but thought it was out of concern. Jerry said to her that he could submerge for two to three minutes in the sea. Hearing what he said, his mom just told him not to work hard on the thing. He already succeeded at the goal he wanted to achieve, so he just nodded to his mom. Going to the bay to pass the tunnel was not his primary issue to him any more.

This story says an important thing about a life of an ordinary boy. Actually it is father’s role to teach how to swim and how to control the respiration when a boy dives. But to Jerry, there was no role model and no teacher. He was on his own. In this situation, mediocre boys would give up the rocky bay and just sit beside their mom. What Doris Lessing wants to say through this story is of a boy having courage to become mature even though there is no one to tell him what to do something and how to do it and why he should do it. It was true that he felt frightened. Think about it. If you were him, would it be frightening to be dizzy when you are in tunnel? You could die in the tunnel and be trapped for good. And you could feel this kind of rite of passage isn’t helpful to you at all. But Jerry didn’t. He failed and failed but he tried and tried. He just kept trying despite the failures. He was in desperate to find the entrance every time he entered the tunnel. What he does know was his decision to pass the tunnel and he had to achieve his goal. Can you remember the last time when you had such a firm resolution and the last time when you pushed your ball to make your dream come true? Have you ever had such a courage and resolution to make yourself proud? It is this eleven year old boy’s story that makes us realize we have lost our passion or realize we have not had such attitudes toward our life. What Jerry didn’t know was to give up. It is fun to think that giving up is one of my habits. I am not proud of it, but it is true. Fun and sad fact.

So this is a kind of inspirational and fascinating story to teenage boys in English speaking countries as well as all the adult on this planet. It makes me think about my life again with a different point of view. Life can be achieved and conquered if I don’t give up and keep trying. Do not make yourself embarrassed again by living your life fully and passionately.