How does a reader find the symbolic meaning in a story?The question refers to the selection "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing

When seeking symbolic meaning in a literary work, the
reader looks for objects that are mentioned with some frequency, such as the mother's
arm; in addition, the reader examines in what manner and under what circumstances
these objects are mentioned, as well as being attentive to the significance of the title
and its relationship to the narrative.  Of course, in Doris Lessing's "Through the
Tunnel," the underwater passage is, indeed, significant as it is pivotal to Jerry's
attempts to prove to the older boys that he is not childish.  The mother's arm and the
tunnel, then, are the two symbols of the short story.  Colors, too, are often
symbolic.

The mother's
arm

In the exposition of the story, the
mother worries that she may be "keeping him too close."  Thus her arm symbolizes Jerry's
childish attachment to his mother since mothers of young children usually hold onto
their children.  Symbolically,  the mother's arm represents her being disconnected from
Jerry "bare" and slightly "reddened from yesterday's sun" as she swings it without Jerry
beside her like a small boy.

The
tunnel

Because the older boys are able to
hold their breaths and swim through the tunnel while Jerry cannot, the tunnel comes to
represent a rite of passage into adulthood for Jerry.  Without telling his
mother--breaking from her motherhood--Jerry practices until he is successful in going
through this tunnel.  After the completion of this act, Jerry feels fulfilled.  For,
when he sees the local boys diving and playing, "He did not want
them."

Colors

Certain
colors always carry a significance to them.  Lessing makes use of this significance as
Jerry sees his mother on the shore, "a speck of yellow under an umbrella that looked
like a slice of orange peel." 

• Yellow, a color
  that has negative connotations, is often associated with danger or cowardice.  In this
  story, Jerry's mother represents a childish security which he now perceives as cowardly,
  unmanly. 


• Orange symbolizes a demand for
  attention.


• The white sand above the great rock through
  which the older boys swim represents Jerry's innocence before he makes his rite of
  passage.


• The black of the deep tunnel's wall symbolizes
  mystery, depth,and power, all of which Jerry experiences when he passes through the
  tunnel's length.