Through the Tunnel

SYMBOL: A person, place, or object that stands for something beyond 2 THEME: The main idea in a work; the writer’s perception about life shared with the reader. Theme is rarely directly stated. SYMBOL: A person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself.

RITE OF PASSAGE: A story that depicts a life-changing realization. 3 RITE OF PASSAGE: A story that depicts a life-changing realization.   MOMENT OF INSIGHT: When the “light bulb comes on.” TRIGGER: The event that brings to pass the Moment of Insight.

4 …at the wild bay; and all morning, as he played on the safe beach, he was thinking of it. (Pg. 78) …over a middle region where rocks lay like discolored monsters under the surface, and then he was in the real sea—a warm sea where irregular cold currents from the deep water shocked his limbs. (Pg. 78)

Mother’s beach—safe, no rocks, sanding Symbols Mother’s beach—safe, no rocks, sanding (childhood and adolescent years) Boy’s beach—rocking, (adult world where one can get hurt) Mother’s path—easy to walk on Boy’s path—rocking, hard to walk on 5

They were big boys—men, to Jerry. (Pg.79) 6 The boys on the rocks They were big boys—men, to Jerry. (Pg.79) [adults doing something that the boy can’t] Mother [adults that look after kids] The Tunnel [choices made moving to the rite of passage] dark, rocks all over—nose was bleeding

7 TRIGGER To be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body. (Pg. 79) Look at me! Look! And he began splashing and kicking in the water like a foolish dog. (Pg. 79)

It was no longer of the least importance to go to the bay. (Pg. 84) MOMENT OF INSIGHT It was no longer of the least importance to go to the bay. (Pg. 84)

9 THROUGH THE TUNNEL Participles Suffering through bloody noses and breath taking drills, Jerry prepares himself to swim through the mysterious tunnel. As Jerry plays by himself, swimming and diving in the wild rocky bay, he spies a group of older boys on the cliff above him. Appositives Jerry, normally a calm and collected boy, decides he needs to impress the older boys by jumping off the cliff. The tunnel, a symbol of Jerry’s journey toward maturity, is filled with mystery and unknown dangers.

10 Set-offs A group of older boys—men to Jerry—that speak a foreign language come to the beach to hang out and have fun. Jerry’s decision to traverse the underwater tunnel is a courageous (if dangerous) idea. Series The author presents three symbols representing Jerry’s transition to maturity: the safe beach (his childhood), the wild, rocky beach (stepping out into the world), and the tunnel (his journey toward manhood).