The Qualities Jerry Displays in the Story Through the Tunnel

1 November 2015

    In Doris Lessing’s story Through the Tunnel ,Jerry, the main character,displays his qualities of persistence, determination and commitment to himself in his course of achieving his goal to swim across the tunnel.From the moment he decided that he would have to hold his breath for as long as 2 minutes, he had been fully dedicated into the training. He practiced so hard that his chest was hurting, but when he went back home, he still “dreamed of the water-filled cave in the rock and as soon as breakfast was over he went to the bay”(125). He spent hours underwater practicing holding his breath, and although his nose bled badly that night, although he felt weak and dizzy, on the next day, he still “exercised his lungs as if everything, the whole of his life…depended upon it”(125). And all the dangers that were in front of him couldn’t stop him from going down, he never stopped practicing and always knew what he was doing. Those things above perfectly show his persistence and determination.His self-commitment was shown in his determination and persistence in achieving the goal but not limited to that. He promised himself to go through the tunnel, not to “try and fail” or “try and die”. And to achieve that, in spite of his curious and impatience, he didn’t go down until he “knew every jut and corner” (125)of the tunnel as far as he could see, and could hold his breath for 2 minutes. He was indeed afraid of the long dark tunnel, when he thought that he would not go down, he feared more that he would not try. Though he “was trembling with fear that he would not go; and he was trembling with horror at that long long tunnel under the rock, under the sea”(127), in his self-commitment he dived down and drew himself into the tunnel.Through the use of details, the writer has successfully developed a vivid character, who is persistent, determined and committed.