Jerry’s reaction to the local boys in paragraph 41 reveal: that he swam through the tunnel in order to _

Now that Jerry can hold his breath longer, he begins to study the entrance to the tunnel. When he goes home, he is told that he is going to be going home soon. This makes him more determined than ever. He goes out and two days before he is scheduled to leave, he gets a nosebleed that makes him dizzy. It is now that he realizes if he passes out in the tunnel that he will die and it makes him concerned. He debates going home and trying it next year but then decides to try it then anyways. He realizes that if he waited until next year, he would never do it.

The story goes on to describe how Jerry gets through the tunnel and his fears of dying while going through it.