25 pages 50 minutes read

Doris Lessing

Through the Tunnel

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1955

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

Consider how the narrative point of view affects the story. Why is it important that the author gives us Jerry’s and his mother’s thoughts? How would the story be different if Jerry were the narrator?

2.

Identify four places in the story where figurative language reflects something about how Jerry experiences the world, then choose two of these instances and explore their significance in depth. What does the language say about his character, and how does it contribute to the story’s themes?

3.

Why does the geographical setting go unnamed? What might change about the story if readers knew exactly where it was taking place?

Related Titles

By Doris Lessing

Study Guide

logo

A Woman on a Roof

Doris Lessing

A Woman on a Roof

Doris Lessing

Plot Summary

logo

Briefing for a Descent Into Hell

Doris Lessing

Briefing for a Descent Into Hell

Doris Lessing

Plot Summary

logo

Martha Quest

Doris Lessing

Martha Quest

Doris Lessing

Study Guide

logo

No Witchcraft for Sale

Doris Lessing

No Witchcraft for Sale

Doris Lessing

Plot Summary

logo

Prisons We Choose to Live Inside

Doris Lessing

Prisons We Choose to Live Inside

Doris Lessing

Plot Summary

logo

The Fifth Child

Doris Lessing

The Fifth Child

Doris Lessing

Study Guide

logo

The Golden Notebook

Doris Lessing

The Golden Notebook

Doris Lessing

Study Guide

logo

The Grass is Singing

Doris Lessing

The Grass is Singing

Doris Lessing

Study Guide

logo

To Room Nineteen

Doris Lessing

To Room Nineteen

Doris Lessing