I plan to discuss some short stories that are universally popular among young teenage students.

The most basic aspect of a story is its plot or the sequence of related events. Without that there’s no story. A plot always involves conflict or struggle. Consider these examples:

When the king got up in the morning, he couldn’t find his royal slippers. He became very annoyed. The queen, however, found them under the bed and placed them on her husband’s feet. The king then proceeded with the onerous duty of running his kingdom. …

(No plot. No conflict.)

When the king got up in the morning, he heard an ominous noise. Cautiously peering out of his bedroom, he noticed the faint outline of a stranger stealing down the hallway. Looking fearfully over his shoulder, the queen screamed. Suddenly a blood-curdling sound of swords clashing echoed through the palace. A disheveled servant stumbled into the royal bedchamber stammering incoherently. …

(Plot established. Conflict suggested.)

Conflict must be established in order to draw the reader into the story. “Through the Tunnel” is a coming-of-age story. Younger high school students relate well to the protagonist’s conflict that involves a self-imposed quest.

First, the class should be familiar with the stages of a well-made plot: exposition, rising action, turning point, climax, falling action, and dénouement:

exposition:       information that conveys important facts about the characters and the situation so that the reader understands subsequent events

rising action:   events or actions that complicate the basic situation

turning point:  the point at which the protagonist’s situation worsens so that the outcome for him or her is inevitable

climax:               the most intense moment in the story

falling action:   resolution of conflicts or tensions begins to occur

dénouement:    all tension is resolved happily or unhappily

All stories involve conflict, in other words, tension or opposition of some sort. Conflict is a fundamental element of fiction because it creates interest in the reader. In fiction as in life, we are interested when things go wrong. Without conflict, there is no story. A story imitates life, and life contains conflict or struggle. We constantly struggle with situations, with other people, with ourselves. We deal with conflict throughout our lives—conflict with authority figures such as parents or teachers as well as conflict with friends and others. Here are four main types of conflict:

external:    a character’s struggle against some aspect of the natural world

a character’s struggle against another character or antagonist

a character’s struggle against a community or society at large

internal:   a character’s struggle within himself or herself

In Lessing’s story, Jerry struggles with both external and internal conflict. External conflict arises between him and his mother over Jerry’s activities at the beach. He is drawn to the excitement of the bay where some French boys are involved in a fascinating activity, whereas his overly protective mother would prefer that Jerry remain with her on the beach. Internal conflict involves Jerry’s determination to accomplish something dangerous versus his knowledge that the boys’ activity is life-threatening. He wants to prove to himself that he is strong and brave by overcoming an ordeal just as he has witnessed the boys performing a risky feat. He realizes it’s dangerous, that it could possibly kill him, but he is determined to conquer his fear and his physical limitations. A second internal conflict involves Jerry’s awareness of his widowed mother’s loneliness and her concern for him versus his desire to overcome his dependence on her. When he has completed his ordeal, he finds it unnecessary to tell his mother about his conquest. He is also aware that his mother would be overly concerned, even frightened, by his accomplishment. Having conquered his fears, Jerry has survived his self-imposed test and is happy to succumb to his mother’s wish to stay with her on her beach.

For many readers, internal conflict is the most interesting literary conflict. Although we enjoy watching someone wrestle with an outside force, it’s often more interesting to watch a person struggling with his or her conscience or desires. Young teenagers are impacted by and learn from fiction that depicts internal conflict.

“Through the Tunnel” is a rite of passage story. A rite of passage is some sort of ceremony or experience that marks an important development or change in someone’s life—for instance, graduation from college or marriage. The main character in Lessing’s story learns something significant. That’s why the story resonates well with young teenagers. It’s useful to talk about rites of passage individual students may have experienced. At that point, one can perhaps relate a literary piece to students’ lives so that the piece comes alive for them.

Jerry experiences a rite of passage. He proves to himself that he can achieve difficult tasks, he gains a new sense of independence from his mother, and he matures as a result. His experience is beneficial to his maturing. Jerry has a close relationship with his mother, but he needs to become independent of her. Obviously, Jerry’s quest is dangerous and unwise, in spite of its helping Jerry begin to achieve independence. The story illustrates a tension: the life-long requirement to respect parental authority in conflict with young people’s natural and healthy need to achieve ultimate independence from that authority.

Lessing manipulates the two settings in order to suggest the central conflict. She contrasts the rocky bay with the beach via connotative diction and comparisons. Negative wording describes the bay; the colors are menacing, and other wording carries sinister implications. In contrast, colors and similes that describe the mother’s beach are warm and comforting. Students should realize that Lessing’s wording suggests the danger of the bay versus the safety of the beach.

Young high school students enjoy this story because it records events that they can relate to their lives.