Essay Example on In the short story Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing

In the short story Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing the characters Jerry and his mother teach the reader that sometimes people have to step out of their comfort zone to accomplish what they are striving for Jerry and his mom visit a beautiful beach every day to enjoy the scenery and have a good time He soon became bored with the same beach and wanted to go check out others and had a certain beach in mind In this story Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing the characters overcome their fears of change while stepping out of their comfort zone To begin with Jerry and his mother always go to the same beach together and when change is brought to him he does not know how to react It was a normal day for the two of them walking down to their favorite beach as they always do When it was time for their daily routine of swimming and sunbathing Jerry s mother asked him if he would like to go to a different beach He responded Oh no he said quickly smiling at her out of that unfailing impulse of contrition a sort of chivalry 

1 Although Jerry really does want to go to another beach he still refuses to change Jerry is not yet ready to go on his own to another beach without his mother This soon is starting to change as they are walking down the path He begins to want to go visit another beach but does not want to fully admit it to his mom Jerry is beginning to realize that sometimes change is what you need to be happy Jerry's mother was also taking into Imrie 2 consideration change Have I been keeping him too close He mustn't feel he ought to be with me I must be careful 2 As a mother you always want your children to be as safe as possible at all times and sometimes it takes a while to let them go

Once he had gotten close enough one of the boys had turned around while smiling and waving This was just enough to make Jerry feel comfortable enough to go by them When he got to the boys he realized that they were no different than he was he just could not understand them Although this was not normal for him he still had a good time which was what he was trying to accomplish Jerry never gave up 

Again and again, he rose took a big chestful of air Imrie 3 and went down, Again and again, he groped over the surface of the rock feeling it 3 Though the other boys left him he was determined to figure out the tunnel situation When he first looked through the tunnel he was scared that he would not be able to make it all the way through But by continuously holding his breath longer and longer he soon became confident enough to try and make it through the tunnel He went with his positive mindset and attempted to swim all the way through the half-mile tunnel After a dreadful time in the tunnel he finally reached light gasped for air and he was through

This is exactly what his mother was doing She was slowly realizing that he is old enough to be trusted on his own Even though she is still worried about him as she should be Realizing that he is able to be alone she is now building up trust with Jerry which is exactly what he wants 

Though change is hard to accept sometimes it is what is needed to live a happier more content lifestyle In life things do not happen without effort sometimes it is necessary to step out of comfort zones to accomplish those things After Jerry's mother let him go to the beach by himself he saw something interesting boys jumping off rocks and stripping off their clothes This was not what led him to stay away from them These boys were not the same as him All of them were burned smooth dark brown and speaking a language he did not understand To be with them of them was a craving that filled his whole body 2 Jerry was hesitant to go towards the boys because he was not comfortable contributing to other people's activities that he could not relate to He then had an urge to participate which made him move closer and closer towards the boys

Stepping out of your comfort zone can never hurt you it can only make you a stronger as a whole A lot of things can be accomplished when risks are taken This means accepting change when it is brought to your attention and stepping out of your comfort zone even when you do not feel it is right This is strongly emphasized throughout the story by both Jerry and his mother When challenges are brought to your attention many disregard them and move on without trying to overcome them It is important to realize this because something as little as trying a little harder can impact the outcome of other things as well These can be such things as teaching yourself to not try and overcome your fears Nearly anything can be accomplished when you put forth the effort needed