Through the Tunnel Study Guide

Through the Tunnel Plot Summary

Preview of Through the Tunnel Summary:

In Lessing's "Through the Tunnel," Jerry, a young English boy, and his mother are vacationing at a beach they have come to many times in years past. Though the beach's location is not given, it is implied to be in a country that is foreign to them both. Each tries to please the other and not to impose too many demands. The mother, who is a widow, is "determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion," and Jerry, in turn, acts from an "unfailing impulse of contrition-a sort of chivalry."

On the second morning, however, Jerry lets it slip that he would like to explore a "wild and rocky bay" he has glimpsed from the path. His conscientious mother sends him on his way with what she hopes is a casual air, and Jerry leaves behind the crowded "safe beach" where he has always played. A strong swimmer,...
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