Summary

"Through the Tunnel" is a short story originally published in the New Yorker in 1955. The author, Doris Lessing added it to her collection of short stories, A Habit of Loving, two years later.

This story is about Jerry, an eleven-year-old British boy on the verge of manhood, and his widowed mother. They are on holiday in another country, probably someplace in Africa.

In the beginning of the story, we see the concern that each of these characters has for one another. Jerry and his mother are heading to a beach and Jerry sees a bay that looks intriguing. His mother asks him if he would rather go somewhere else and being the good son, he says no. Finally, he admits that he would rather go exploring. His mother grapples with the idea and then decides that though she is worried about...