Through the Tunnel indeed presents inspiring clarity and frankness due to the structure of the plot and the metaphors used to tell a coming of age story.
Focusing mostly on Jerry, the plot is very simple. Jerry’s key character determiner is his devotion and willingness to go beyond his own age.
The short story contains several fairly big metaphors within itself that explain its inspiring nature. The allegory of older boys whom Jerry is not able to understand illustrates how foreign and peculiar adult world is to someone like Jerry. Another great image is one of two beaches. One beach is familiar, where his mother is and the other is dangerous and unknown. Jerry is, nonetheless, fascinated with the second beach, a symbol of adult world and ultimately, of the inevitable path of growing up.
That path can be taken with hope and purpose, like Jerry did, which is the most inspiring aspect of the whole story.