The Beach and the Bay
Imagery is used to vividly drawn the distinction between the two swimming locations in the story. The beach is presented as the domain of safety and innocence through its association with Jerry’s mother. Likewise, the first characterization of the bay is portrayed as place of temptation with the image of Jerry looking longingly at the “wild and rocky” alternative to the more familiar beach he has gone to many times in the past (1).
The Brown Boys
The actual location of the beach is not given; it is simply understood to be a place populated by those who do not speak English. The boys are variously described as “smooth dark brown” with “sleek brown heads” who, after the physical exhausting trek through the tunnel, reappear ”blowing like brown whales” (2-4). That the story focuses so intently on the boys' skin color suggests their foreignness compared to Jerry, who is English and, more important, a younger and more immature participant in the fun. The world of the boys seems alien to Jerry because he has not yet left the comforts of his childhood completely.
Colors
From his position in the bay, Jerry can locate his mother’s position on the beach as a small speck of yellow beneath a small slice of orange. These colors are psychologically associated with warmth, happiness and, especially, childhood. The combination of these colors with the diminutive size of Jerry’s mother is symbolism portrayed through imagery: he is moving further away from the protections of his mother and into new territory marked by dark rocks and brown boys.
The Journey
Jerry's journey through the tunnel is marked by images of darkness and discomfort. The narrator describes the simultaneous slimy and sharp ceiling of the rock-tunnel, a brief crack of sunlight that Jerry imagines is air, and the blackness that lies ahead. This vivid imagery helps cultivate the feelings of fear and uncertainty Jerry experiences as he travels from one side of the tunnel to the other, from the safety of his childhood to the unknown world of adulthood.
