Some people are so determined that they risk their lives in order to achieve their goals. Jerry, the protagonist in the short story is called Through the Tunnel by Daris Lessing. He faces a strong personal challenge during his beach vacation. The eleven-year-old Jerry changes his personality during his adventure. The challenges of diving through the tunnel change Jerry's character. He turns from cowardly to brave, overprotected to independent, and childish to mature, the adventure changes his personality.
The overprotected son becomes independent from his mother, during his challenge or journey. Jerry has no siblings and his mother is widowed. His mother was always frightened off one thing that she might lose him, that's why she overprotects him. He didn't want to go out with his mother any further. He wants to have freedom in his life. One day his mother gives him permission to go to other sides of the beach, which is called Bay. In fact he like this place and he wants to come here everyday because no one here who gives him order what to do, he can do what he want to do. Now, usually he goes to the other sides of the beach. Now, he thinks that he has freedom in his life. Jerry turns overprotected son to independent young man and this entire characteristic is come from to him, after swimming underwater through the tunnel.
In the beginning of the story he acts like a coward because he didn't talk with other guys and he feels cowardly most of the time. He wants to have friends, but he cannot talk with them. He saw some big guys and they are diving underwater, and he wants to join them. He is extremely happy when he joins them because he thinks that he made some new friends. They can swim underwater through the tunnel, but he can't because he can't stay more than 1 minute in underwater. Later on, the boys completely ignore him because they think he can't swim underwater through the tunnel. He feels very alone and he thinks that the big boys think that he is a coward and he can't swim underwater. After that, Jerry sets a goal, which he should swim
