Question

Why does Jerry agree to go home with his mother at the end of the story "Through the Tunnel"?

Answer 1

He is defeated by his attempts to swim through the tunnel

Answer 2

Answer:

He has achieved his goal and can enjoy his success quietly.

Explanation:

Jerry and his single mother were on a holiday in some foreign country. Being the only child, he sometimes find it constricting of his mother being with him in everything he do or wherever he go. On the beach, he had always wanted to be able to enjoy the water without his mother's ever caring watch. On one occasion, he came upon some local boys swimming underwater for long duration, somewhere a bit further away from the beach where his mother was. From then on, he also started to train to hold his breath underwater and pass through the hole of the big rock through which the boys were able to come to the other side of the big rock. On the final day, he did succeed in achieving his goal but only after almost killing himself, tired and strained, with blood coming out from his nose and a gash in his head. But he achieved his goal and can now enjoy his success quietly, thus agreeing to go back home with his mother at the end of the story.