"Brothers are the Same” by Beryl Markham is a short story in which the main character, 16-year-old Temas has to prove his manhood by slaying a lion in front of other men, including his enemy, Medoto. However, once the altercation is about to begin, Temas realizes that he is much more afraid of failing and being embarrassed than he is afraid of the lion itself. The story “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing is about 11-year-old Jerry, on an English beach vacation. While there, he ventures to a bay, where he finds several other boys playing. They show Jerry how they can stay underwater long enough to swim through a cave and come out of the other side, causing Jerry to feel isolated. Over the course of the next few days, Jerry gains endurance and is eventually …show more content…
These are shown through Temas & Medoto’s relationship, along with Temas’s confrontation with the lion and his feelings throughout. “The gaze of the lion did not at once swing to him. But every eye was on him, and the strength of one pair—Medoto’s—burned in his back like an unhealed scar.” (Markham 6) This quote strongly supports the aforementioned themes, because it shows how Medoto and the other spectators frighten Temas much more than the lion ever could. “Through the Tunnel” exemplifies similar themes of fear of failure, the fear of being judged, and the want for acceptance. The author shows these by using situations such as Jerry swimming with the other boys, and when he worked his way up to be able to hold his breath long enough to go through the cave in order to fit in. “He felt he would sink now and drown; he could not swim the few feet back to the rock. Then he was clutching it and pulling himself up onto it.” (Lessing 9) The quote shows how Jerry continuously doubts himself, but can do the things he is working towards much easier than he believes he