Though Reynolds has said he no longer crochets to unwind, he used to be an avid crochet hobbyist. As Will says, after Shawns death, crying / is against / The Rules (30). publication online or last modification online. Its heavily implied that the nighttime is a metaphor for the collection of dark emotions that can overcome a person after someone they love has been killed. The first thing that Mikey brings is guilt. 9. GradeSaver, 3 November 2022 Web. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. And understandably, this isnt a conversation Will wants to have at all, let alone take seriously. We know the spirits of the dead exit the elevator at the lobby (along with the cigarette smoke) and Shawn's spirit asks Will if he's "coming" with them. Or, you can call it a gun. Much of how Will conceptualizes manhood has to do with acting appropriately masculinethat is, as, Instant downloads of all 1715 LitChart PDFs Even the thought of shooting hurts him, which brings us back to Bucks you aint got it in you (p.101). In addition, any storyboard can be made sharable, where a private link to the storyboard can be shared externally. Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. Uncertainty is a dominant theme in Long Way Down. PDF downloads of all 1715 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. I found a number of recurring symbols that either represented an idea and/or added to the books themes. Learning them is a rite of passage for all men, and they are passed on from father to son and from older to younger brother. Will never gets a direct answer to this question. Through this, and through the discrepancies between what Will thought was true and what the ghosts tell him actually is true, Long Way Down suggests that there can be major differences between whats believed and whats true in realityand that questioning the validity of ones perspective or beliefs is, at once, one of the hardest and most meaningful thing a person can do. It's impossible to ignore the supernatural aspect of Long Way Down all the individuals who share the elevator with Will on his way to avenge his . The second date is today's Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Long Way Down, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. A fifteen-year-old Black teen, Will has grown up in an unnamed impoverished neighborhood with a high incidence of gun violence, drug abuse, and gang activity. The author seems to regard The Rules as being so deeply inculcated in men that it would be futile simply to say that they are destructive. *(This Will Start a 2-Week Free Trial - No Credit Card Needed), This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides. 912 reviews 13.8k followers. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. The novels attitude to The Rules is critical, but it also suggests that people who live such difficult lives must have some code of conduct, and the law does not provide one for them. Long Way Down Summary. In Jason Reynolds' novel ''Long Way Down,'' published in 2017, a young man seeking revenge for his brother's death is visited by ghosts during an elevator ride. As compelling as Danis question might be to the reader, Will doesnt truly begin to question the righteousness of what hes doing until he comes face to face with Pop, who was killed when Will was three, and therefore isnt someone Will remembers. The ubiquity of violence has led Will and the others in his neighborhood to develop various survival strategies. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Griefdeep sorrow caused by someone's deathis a major theme in Long Way Down. Long Way Down exploresthe various connections that come forth from the cycle of violence and shows how following Rule #3, revenge, only results in more loss and bloodshed. Mixed into Will's determination to abide by The Rules and avenge his brother's death is a strong sense of moral obligation to make sure Shawn's killer suffers consequences. Past present future forever (p.174). Because of this, Will thinks he has no choice but to kill Carlson Riggs, the man who he believes killed Shawn. (I found this mildly confusing because where I live, the penultimate level is generally called level 1, but here, its level 2.) A Long Way Gone is Ishmael Beah's noteworthy memoir published in 2007.Beah gives a firsthand account of his experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone civil war in the 1990s. It is a follow-up to the Long Way Round of 2004, when the pair rode east from London to New York via Eurasia and North America. Shawn had been able to carry out what Will is preparing to do, and because of this, someone else had killed him. All symbols are correctly identified as objects that represent something else at a higher level in the story. that it stopped Mom fromscraping loose a riverof wounds. When Frick discloses his story how he was killed Will thinks, I wish I knew an anagram for POSER (p.276). When someone else joins him, the elevator ride begins to get strange. The last lines of Long Way Down show Shawn finally breaking his silence with his brother to ask if he is coming. Given the way in which Will talks about his loved ones (especially his male family members), its easy to see that his family is fractured. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. I followed The Rules.At least the first two. Refine any search. They werent meant to be broken.They were meant for the broken. Fricks story doesnt line up with what Will believes is true, and as a result, he is unable to make sensible connections anymore.. Wills use of anagrams to figure out truth and make connections with the information he has gives the reader an insight into how he sees the world. Indeed, all six ghostly figures bear witness to the ways in which a brief moment of fury or foolishness can cause irreparable consequences. Uncle Mark said,all chuckle, chuckle.He leaned toward Buck. Ultimately, the novel depicts a young man grappling with grief in an instance where the socially sanctioned form of mourning for males is to focus on their anger while denying any feelings that would expose them as weak or vulnerable. This depiction of the ghosts serves to underscore the wasted potentialthe stolen timeof those whose lives are cut short by violence. Hinton | Themes, Analysis & Quotes, Nike, Greek Goddess | Mythology, Symbol & Facts, Death by Scrabble: Irony, Point of View & Language, Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck | Motifs & Analysis, Citing Textual Evidence to Support Analysis, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie | Summary & Themes, A Dip in the Pool by Roald Dahl: Summary, Theme & Analysis. Log in here. In his narration, Will attempts to put forward this fearless persona, bringing attention to the fact that most readers might assume someone would be terrified to realize they are stuck in an elevator with a ghost. Create a storyboard that identifies symbolism in the story. Some of Reynolds first successful works were partially written during slow times at the Rag and Bone store he managed. Went downinto me and chewed on everythinginside as ifI had somehowswallowedmy own teethand they weresharper thanId ever known. killed my dad.Thats what my motheralways said. It is a bit of a long post, so in Bucks words, Might as well relaxits a long way down (p.97). Last Updated on June 14, 2021, by eNotes Editorial. Will is the novel's narrator and protagonist. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. And Will knows the rules. No Snitching. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Instant PDF downloads. One minute and seven seconds later, the door opens in the lobby, and Buck, Dani, Uncle Mark, Pop, Frick, and Shawn run out of the doors in the midst of a cloud of cigarette smoke. In order to deal with his grief, Will resorts to "The Rules," a set of dictates that discourage crying and encourage revenge as a means of coping with the loss of a loved one. It happens in an elevator teenaged Will is on his way to take revenge for the murder . After carrying out his revenge on his brothers killer, he had no peace. He knows who hes after. Will is seeking revenge for his brother Shawn's murder. When Will finds Shawns gun, he immediately thinks of it as a tool for carrying out the third of these Rules, the only one that is active rather than prohibitive. The moral that can be learned from this section is that "Treat others the way you want to be treated." You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Uncle Marks parting words are chilling. Long Way Down falls into the category of magical realism, which deals in real issues by using some supernatural yet unquestioned elements. Will knows, however, that seeking revenge will seriously hurt his momnow his only living family member. Perspective and Reality Theme Analysis. Dani, of course, is living proof that success isnt guaranteedshes dead because someone else trying to follow the Rules made a mistake. In this activity, students will identify themes in Long Way Down and illustrate examples from the text. Like. Illustrate instances of each and write a short description that explains the example's significance. Uncertainty. This multifaceted relationshipShawn was, in many ways, a brother, a mentor, and a father figure to Willmeans that Shawn and Will were extremely close. Reynolds uses connotation to reveal the grievance of Will after going through the loss of a loved one. Multitasking. Refine any search. You can hear Real World music on the BBC 2 television series and this new double CD (as well as the accompanying DVD to be released on December 3rd . But for men, crying is a sign of weakness, not a way to cope with grief. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original Long Way Down is a television series and book documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2007 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from John o' Groats in Scotland through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South Africa. (These instructions are completely customizable. The three specific Rules Will relates to the reader are No Crying. Any literary elements can be conveyed through characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination. No crying. But I guess not surprising, which I guess is even stranger, and even sadder.". In a world that forbids men to weep, not even for their fallen brothers, Will cant find a way to cope. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.). [] I thought about this when the man withthe gold chains got on and checked to see if theL button was already glowing. At only fifteen, Will assumes this responsibility as though it is a rite of passage into manhood. The six ghosts have little more than a minute in which to dissuade the fifteen-year-old protagonist from pursuing revenge. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Bucks cigarette. Women are clearly allowed to cry over sudden losses: Wills mother cries all night, and Leticia, Shawns girlfriend, screams in the street over his fallen body. Due to the nature of the cycle of violence, many of the ghosts stories are intertwined. Complete your free account to request a guide. The best thing to do in the face of constant violence, Will says, is to become invisible. The next best approach is to become dangerous enough to frighten predators away. Reynolds builds on this central theme with the introduction of several ghosts of people who have died from gun homicide. 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