Sobeloff is a lecturer and instructor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In the following essay, she discusses how "Through the Tunnel" fits in with Lessing's other works, particularly her African stories.

Doris Lessing is known for being a writer whose work affects people. She tackles political Issues but refuses to limit herself to being a political writer, and is equally acclaimed for her essays, fiction, and even science fiction dealing with interests ranging from nature to the status of women. "Through the Tunnel," which is ultimately a story about a boy growing up, seems at first glance to stand apart from her usual concerns.

Lessing was born in what is now Iran in 1919 to a German father and British mother, and then moved with her family to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1924. She embraced Communism and immigrated to England in 1949. Then she returned to Africa...