Through the Tunnel

Repetition draws readers’ attention to a particular element, emphasizing its importance. In this narrative, one of the most notable examples of repetition is Jerry’s chronic nosebleeds. They occur several times to illustrate the physically demanding nature of his self-imposed training. The blood represents the struggle he must endure to approach manhood. Another point of repetition is the great rock barrier that contains the tunnel. The rock is described repeatedly in the text, at turns big, sharp, overwhelming, and scary. The rocky bay is also on Jerry’s mind whenever he is not around it, further emphasizing its importance to the story. Repetition is also inherent to Jerry’s project because self-disciplined practice requires repeated effort. As Jerry visits the bay over and over, thinking about it again and again, the repetition evinces Jerry’s determination and even his obsessiveness, which inform his character arc. When this repetition stops—when he finally feels no need to return to the bay—the effect is dramatic, accentuating that Jerry is now indeed a different person than he was at the beginning of the story.

Broadly speaking, a symbol is anything that represents something beyond itself. Usually, a physical object will represent something abstract, but abstract things can also be representational. Without symbolism, this story would be a simple tale of a boy’s adventure on a beach during vacation. However, through symbolism, the story achieves more depth. Much symbolism appears even in the story’s first paragraph: That Jerry is walking with his mother symbolizes his connection with her; the fork in the path, where the path splits off toward the rocky bay, symbolizes that Jerry faces a decision of whether to mature; the rocky bay symbolizes the risks of independence, and so on. These and other symbols—such as the mother’s arm, the tunnel, and the swimming goggles—make the story more powerful. Though they complicate a text and help convey its thematic messages, symbols are often unstated and must be inferred by the reader. The most significant symbol in this text is the tunnel, which ties together various thematic elements.