Summary

“Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing tells the story of eleven-year-old Jerry. He and his widowed mother are on a beach holiday in a foreign country. One day, Jerry ask his mother if he can go alone to another rocky beach. Once there, Jerry dives in the water and swims, looking at his mother from afar.

He sees some local boys swimming and joins them. However, he cannot talk to them because of the language barrier. After a few dives, one of the boys jumps into the water and disappears, reappearing after some time beyond a big rock. The others follow. Jerry dives after them, but he can’t see any hole through the rock. He yells at them in English making funny gestures in the water, but the boys aren’t impressed. Embarrassed, Jerry yells random French words, but the boys ignore him. Jerry feels rejected and foolish. The boys dive under the rock once again and Je...