The character of Jerry and his decision to swim through the tunnel so he can join the older boys is at the center of Doris Lessing’s story. The plot is resolved when Jerry succeeds and then realizes that being with the other boys no longer matters to him, and he also brags to his mother about how long he can stay submerged. Determination is necessary for him both to complete the swim and to have this epiphany.
Most importantly, the author shows Jerry developing a daily regimen of practice to improve his swimming. Jerry recognizes that breath control is the key factor, as he must hold his breath underwater—he had already counted how many seconds the boys were out of sight before resurfacing. He practices for several days in a different location and perseveres despite getting nosebleeds. He decides to continue the training and to make the effort, which requires him to get past his fear of drowning.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Discuss how the character trait of determination in Jerry in "Through the Tunnel" advances the plot of the short story.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What is the theme of the chapter Lead?
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
The statement "Development policy needs to be about poor people, not just poor countries," carries a lot of baggage. Let's dis...
-
"Mistaken Identity" is an amusing anecdote recounted by the famous author Mark Twain about an experience he once had while traveli...
-
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
De Gouges's Declaration of the Rights of Woman was enormously influential. We can see its influences on early English feminist Mary Woll...
-
As if Hamlet were not obsessed enough with death, his uncovering of the skull of Yorick, the court jester from his youth, really sets him of...
-
In both "Volar" and "A Wall of Fire Rising," the characters are impacted by their environments, and this is indeed refle...
No comments:
Post a Comment