Wir bewegen uns auf Schienen, der Tunnel muss also irgendwo hinführen.
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Target Level: B1-B2, C1-C2
Description: Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s short story “Der Tunnel” lends itself well to textual analysis for learners at the B1 level or above. The narrative follows several unknowing passengers on a train en route to Zurich that enters a tunnel. The protagonist, a young student, appears to be the only passenger to notice that the train is still driving through a tunnel that is usually short. His attempts to raise concern with the people around him fail and the train continues barreling through the tunnel before it ultimately falls into unknown darkness.
I taught this text in the beginning of a seminar on catastrophe and natural disaster that was taught in German. Students focused on how the figures in the story react to catastrophe, how disaster is represented, and whether the specifics of a disaster itself matter for interpretation. We discussed the text as an allegory applicable to the current climate crisis and examined the reactions of the various passengers. The train’s engineer, for example, abandons his role and leaves the train and its passengers headed toward disaster. Other themes in the text to discuss include the motifs of light and darkness, disruptions of normal routines, and trust in authority.
To prepare for the in-class discussion, students completed a basic reading guide worksheet and took notes about the different figures in the text. Additionally, students kept track of the objects detailed in the text and what conclusions can be drawn from these details, helping develop close reading skills.
Instructors can also pair this text with an analysis of some of Dürrenmatt’s paintings and sketches, which are available online on the HelveticArchives website. In particular, his 1966 painting “Die Katastrophe” can be paired with the short story.
Methods and Approaches: Students practice close reading skills. Instructors can also focus on the prose style and the combination of Konjunktiv I with direct citations to analyze who speaks with authority in the text.