The Tunnel Sarah Ellis

In the short story “Tunnel” the author, Sarah Ellis, introduces the narrator, Kenton, who is a teenage boy. He desires to have wild and adventurous jobs in the summer but unfortunately can only have the contradictory job as a babysitter. While babysitting, Kenton takes Ib, a six-year-old girl, on an exploration mission where they find a tunnel. In the past, Kenton, who is claustrophobic, went into this same tunnel and was extremely frightened. When Ib goes into the tunnel, Kenton has to face his fears once again to make sure Ib is safe. Kenton is a complex character because he is responsible, selfless, and tolerant.

Kenton's complexity is first revealed by how responsible he is. Kenton is a babysitter and is usually left in charge of caring

This is evident when Ib tells Kenton to play with Barbies and he does. Kenton says, “Once I am Wanda, I don’t know what the heck to do.” (Ellis, 44) and “When you have sixteen-year-old guy hands, there is no way to hold a nude barbie without violating her personal space.” (Ellis, 45) This shows that Kenton is uncomfortable and does not know how to play with barbies. However, he does not let that bother him. “I’m quite prepared to be Wanda if that’s what the job requires.” (Ellis, 44) Then, he plays barbie with Ib which proves that he is able to tolerate unpleasant situations. Moreover, Kenton’s ability to tolerate Ib is further manifested when he makes his shadow into letters of the alphabet with Ib. It is apparent that Kenton does not enjoy this when he sarcastically pretends that it is useful. And what kind of work experience can you bring to this job young man?" "Well, sir, I spent one summer playing with Barbie dolls and practicing making my body into a K." "Excellent! We’ve got an exciting opening in that area!" (Ellis, 46) However, he continues to make alphabet shadows to play with Ib and keep her interested. These examples of Kenton acting tolerant are evident in his varied