THROUGH THE TUNNEL

SETTING

Through the Tunnel took place on a beach and on a summer holiday of Jerry (main character) and his mother on a country that is foreign to them.

PLOT SUMMARY

This story is about Jerry, a young English boy, and his mother were vacationing at a beach in a country that is foreign to them both and the beach location is not specified. Each tries to please the other and not to impose too many demands. Jerry’s mother, who is a widow, is "determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion," and Jerry, in turn, acts from an "unfailing impulse of contrition-a sort of chivalry." It was on the second morning that Jerry went to explore the bay that full of rock and it was a wild looking place. His mother let him go but with her worry because he is an only child, eleven years old and his mother has been keeping him to close with her. There he saw some boys were stripping of their clothes and they came running down naked to the rocks. He swam toward them but he kept his distance at a stone’s throw. Jerry then came closer to them, they greet each other but after the boys found that he was a foreigner they proceed to forget him. He was with them and they began to diving again and again from the high point to the well of blue sea between rough pointed rocks. In this time Jerry saw the one boy that diving and swam through the tunnel and come up on the other side. This challenge him and he wanted to try and did it like that boy. He came on the other morning and dived into the water to find the tunnel but he could not find it. As he watched the boys showing their ability in diving swam through the tunnel, he want to be part of this group so badly so that he can learn how to dive like them. He then ask his mother after he got home to buy the swimming goggles and he must have it immediately no other time. After his mother bought the goggles he grabbed it from her and running back to the bay, he dived into the water and finally he found the tunnel because he can see clear using the goggles. He then exercise and learn how to control his breathing by holding the heavy stone and stayed under water for a few minutes. This cause blood comes out from his nose because of the pressure but he never quite. After the hard exercise with blood that comes out, he finally succeed to swim through the tunnel.

THE MAIN CHARACTER

The protagonist in this story was Jerry, the young English boy who was eleven years old. He has a Principe of wanting to know something and experience it by himself. This Principe that make him success in his learning and prove that he can swim through the tunnel under the sea as the other boys did. Jerry is now approaching the very great transformation because he now learn to be strong and independent, not depend to his mother for everything. He knows that, if he depends on her mother then he cannot prove his gentleness as a man who is strong and brave. Jerry also is hard working person because he exercises so hard until he gets want he want. So, this story is all about a young man’s determination to prove to himself that he can do the impossible, which is to swim down where the older boys swim.