Why is "through the tunnel" a coming-of-age story? because jerry goes through a rite of passage in "through the tunnel," the story is classified as coming-of-age story. in "through the tunnel," swimming through the tunnel is important to jerry because he wants to impress the older boys. in "through the tunnel," jerry does not challenge himself. in "through the tunnel," jerry does not feel as emotionally close to his mother as he does to his father.