The usual interpretation is that the "safe beach" represents the comfort and security of Jerry's childhood and his mother and the rocky, "wild beach" represents the unknown adolescent future without his mother. The "tunnel" is a challenge or rite of passage or test Jerry must pass to gain access to that future. His determination to be able to swim through the tunnel like the older French boys stems from a desire to test himself, to discover new abilities, both in his body and his will. It is telling that much of the story has to do with the analytical way Jerry goes about preparing himself for the attempt to swim through the tunnel; unlike the French boys, who seem to Jerry to effortlessly go through, he has to approach things very carefully. He approaches it like a job: he practices holding his breath, he thinks about how long he will need to be underwater, he even requisitions from his mother the necessary equipment (the goggles). Of course his mother has no idea of what he is up to, but probably, in real terms, neither does Jerry despite his analysis of the task itself. He doesn't want to impress the French boys or anyone else. There is no sense from the story that he is interested in exploring the tunnel, on the contrary, he dreads …show more content…
Jerry's motivation is completely internal. We can understand it as his desire to get away from his mother, to assert his independence, but actually nothing has been asserted, other than his own will. And the result of his adventure is to return to his mother. He has been changed, but not in the way you might think. He wants his mother to be proud of him: he blurts out at the end that he can hold his breath for two minutes, but his mother pays little attention. "Don't overdo it," she says. Jerry cannot tell her about the tunnel. He has a secret he keeps from her
Robert Cormier introduces readers to two brothers, Jerry and Armand, who seem don’t have that much in common. Jerry, the 11-year-old protagonist of the story, has one great
The two stories "Brothers are the Same" by Beryl Markham and "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing are both about growing up and entering adulthood. "Brothers are the Same" about a boy named Temas trying to prove he was tough and could be called an adult. In a similar situation in "Through the Tunnel" a young boy named Jerry is determined to go through an underwater tunnel that he saw some older French boys go through. He wants to accomplish this goal to prove to himself that he could do it . The two stories share a similar theme, but the authors perspective on the topic differ.
n the short story, Tunnel by Sarah Ellis, humour is used to reflect the struggles of adolescence and the overall theme of change, maturity and growth overtime. The first use of humour as a form of criticism of adolescents is when the protagonist realizes that he is not properly trained to babysit his new child, Elizabeth or lb. He is shocked at the drastic different styles of play from his previous child. “In my babysitting course at the community centre they taught us about first aid, diapering, nutritious snacks and how to jump your jollies out. They did not teach Barbies.” The author uses juxtaposition and humour to criticizes the inherent pride that the youth carry with them about their knowledge. For example, the protagonist is prideful
... his groin but tries to defend himself. This is against the rules. After this a "free for all" begins. The lights are turned off by Brother Jacques, who is trying to stop all the madness. The story ends as Jerry is lying almost unconscious in his friend Goober's arms. Archie is taking pleasure in the whole scene, and Brother Leon is standing alone, watching this whole production as the ambulance draws near.
(page 92). Here jerry is telling her about his mother but later the narrator speaks with the owner of the orphanage. She tells the narrator. “‘I don’t understand,’ she said. “He has no mother…” (page 93). Here we seen the character made a bond but not a true bond. They failed to know each other more and
Like Moana, the prisoners could be feeling that maybe there was something more than just the cave (Powell 41). Moana’s pull to the ocean is her own way of looking beyond the shadows
Jerry is constantly getting harassed and asked why. “Would you ask Renault why he isn't selling the chocolates like everybody else. (cormier page 204)”. Then there’s the bullies that stop until they get what they want. Archie for example, he attacked Jerry any chance he got, making the entire school go after him too. On top of that Brother Leon blamed Jerry for the chocolate sale going badly, claiming that “Before a cure can be found, the case must be discovered. But in this case, Cochran, the cause is know. The carrier of the disease is known.” … “Renault...Renault..(cormier page
were wanting to show to others. In Through the Tunnel Jerry was not expecting this obstacle
One way that Jerry's transformation is shown is when he leaves his mother. Instead of going to the safe beach with his mother's protection, he goes to another one. The other beach that he goes to is treacherous and fearsome. By doing this he breaks away from her protection. When he refers to the bay as “the real sea” it shows how he is not under his mother's protection anymore. He feels free. Before he goes to this beach he stays on the “safe” beach, and thinks about the other beach all morning. “He did not ask for permission, on the following day, to go to his beach. He went, before his mother
In life we are faced with many decisive moments. Some gives us the opportunity to benefit from some situations. Others place us in a position where we are forced to choose how to act despite what our conscious dictates. It’s unfair to judge those who make their decisions based on needs, as opposed to what’s right or wrong. What we all know is that what we do today has consequences in the future. As the saying goes “you reap what you sow”. Despite the obstacles we face during different phases of our lives, some individuals remain positive about their future. They hang on to that thread of faith, hope or belief and they fight to reach their goals. That is the story of Jerry, the main character in the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire”.
...nough to catch a glimpse of the light shinning at the mouth of the cave. When he has once seen the light, he will immediately embark upon a lifelong journey to reach it.
Tom supports his family despite his unhappiness of his world. He tries to please Amanda by being the sole supporter, but only gets rewarded by Amanda's constant nagging and suspicion. Eventually Tom finds himself more like his father as he seeks adventure in the movies and hangs out on the fire escape he avoids suffocation, and desperately seeks the life he always desired; the life of adventure.
she is be talking about a tunnel that she has gone into as she says
Jerry Cruncher is a dynamic character because he was a gravedigger who physically hurt his wife. But he changed by promising to stop doing those things and maybe even start praying himself to build a connection with God. Now instead of being the resurrection-man and resurrecting others he's trying to resurrect
Jerry made a conscious choice of wanting to end his life, while Peter, a man that chose to act as the 'guinea pig'; and stayed and listened to Jerry's story, made a conscious choice of picking up same knife that killed Jerry. Although it was Peter who held the knife that killed Jerry, it was Jerry who took the responsibility to - despite great effort and pain – 'wipe the knife handle clean of fingerprints'; to allow no trace of the murderer. However, although Peter escaped without responsibility, he had to deal with the guilt that it was him who held the weapon that ended the life of Jerry. Peter had to face the rest of his life being aware of how others lived, and how one can feel so indifferent to the world yet live in the very same part of the city.