Water and Dreams: A Bachelardian Reading of Doris Lessing’s Through the Tunnel

Abstract

Water is the essential substance universally acknowledged by all living organisms due to its critical significance and their need for it for survival. Gaston Bachelard believed that it transcends a simple natural element; instead, it symbolizes the essence of dreams, representing an interplay between the mind and the imagination. Bachelard primarily concentrated on the four fundamental components of the universe: water, fire, earth, and air. He also showed an interest in material components. His passion was manifested in a wide range of works, Earth and Daydreams at Rest, The Psychoanalysis of Fire, Water and Dreams, and Air and Dreams, and others. He used literary examples to illustrate his theory and philosophy on the poetics of water and dreams. However, this study aims to analyze Doris Lessing’s story “Through the Tunnel” from Bachelard’s perspective on water and dreams, based on his book Water and Dreams: An Essay on the Imagination of Matter. It seeks to analyze the depictions of water and dreams within a critical framework linked to the narrative roles and the personal construction of Jerry's character and the relationship of water in all of this construction. It also aims to analyze the elemental imagination of water and dreams in Doris Lessing’s short story “Through the Tunnel”. This investigation focuses on the poetic imagination, specifically the poetic elements of ‘water’ which is the subject of this research. It focuses on employing Bachelard’s vision of water and dreams to analyze the literary applications of water and dreams in the story, and their psychological impact on the life of the protagonist, Jerry, and the course of events. The study concludes that, for the story’s main character, Jerry, water and dreams have a clear impact on the development, refinement, and formation of his personality and his relationship with his surroundings, starting with his mother, his male peers, and society as a whole.