The Usless Tunnel

Though the tunnel itself was almost meaningless as symbolic in "Through the tunnel", the boy himself and the struggle with training and going through itself is very symbolic. In the beginning of the story, Jerry is going to a family beach with his mom. Though he is a only child and at the age of 11, he is very dependent of his mother and almost is childish in his curiosity with the more dangerous other beach. When visiting it, he encounters older boys swimming there, and desperately tries to hang with them and get their attention, which he fails at and cries about it. Then he discovers the tunnel that the boys were swimming through. He tries holding his breath and training to swim through it, while doing this he becomes more and more independent from his mother. At the end of the story, he barely manages to swim through, and has finally accomplished what he trained for. He sees the older boys on the beach, but doesn't want to be around them. This is very symbolic because it shows Jerry becoming of age. From a boy who needs his mother for security and shelter, he becomes almost a man when he finally swims through the tunnel, which was the journey of him becoming a man.

Super-Huge Mustard

As I wandering around the enormous aisles of Sam's Club, something very large and yellow caught my eye. I stared dumbstruck and was in awe as the glorious, three pound tub shinned its magnificence upon me. While soaking myself in its holy light, my life flashed before my eye with this marvelous product. I saw myself standing in a baseball stadium, a hotdog in one hand, the large tub of goodness between my knees. Then I see myself using the tub everyday on things I eat; hamburgers, fish salad, bologna sandwiches, fries & cheese, beans with chili, turkey with salami, rice and ground meat, and meat loaf. After that, I saw myself laying on the couch, in a dark room lighted by candles. A movie is running on the TV, and I am covered by a cozy blanket. The large tub of mustard lay on my chest, and I was eating out of it with a large spoon.



I shake out of my fantasies of the Super-Huge mustard and I am back at the aisle. I must buy this, no matter the cost! I glanced at the label of the hub, ready to make my move. Two-hundred forty-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents, a respectable price for a product of that stature. I frantically open up my wallet but was horrified by the most grizzly of sights. All I was in possession of was four dollars, and a lonely nickel. A single tear ran down my check, and my fumbling hands drop my wallet to the ground. My dream would not come true today. All is lost. I stared at the relic of yellow gold in front of me for several hours until the store closed. The drive home was quiet and long. The sun was down and a light drizzle of rain made a very melancholy mood. I slumbered back into my house and sit down on the couch. As I flip on the television, a commercial for the Super-Huge mustard appeared instantly. Even there in the blackness of my room, I was engulfed by the bright yellow light of the mustard. I break down, and flip off the switch and head for the kitchen. Opening my refrigerator, I see an empty spot between the cabbage and the leftovers of last night's dinner. That was the empty throne that could of have been filled by the yellow container of greatness. I let out a great sigh, and with the last of my strength I drag myself up the stairs to the bedroom. I am too lazy to take off my clothes or get under the covers of my bed, and lay there silently observing the ceiling.