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Analyzing The Theme Of Loss In The Book 'Long Way Down'

674 Words3 Pages

"I still remember that moment of self-discovery, standing at the crossroads between childhood innocence and adult responsibility”. Coming of age is when a person is in an area of transition. This is most commonly when a child is turning into adulthood. Coming of age builds character by shaping a person's identity based on experiences and beliefs. A person might go through loss and identity during the coming of age. Sometimes loss is good, it is a new sense of wisdom, maturity, and meaning in life. Also, a person's identity changes as they transition into adulthood. In Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, Will experiences loss throughout the book when his brother passes away. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Juliet has an identity crisis when she …show more content…

In the beginning, Will was loyal, loving, and bewildered. “I yanked and pulled and snatched and tugged at the drawer until it opened just more than an inch. Just wide enough for my fifteen-year-old fingers to slither in and touch cold steel”. This quote shows Will reaching for a gun to go take revenge for his brother's death. We can clearly see he is unaware of how dangerous this is because he is filled with many emotions. He wants to avenge his brother because of the rules. On his way down, he encounters all of his lost loved ones who try to persuade him to stop and give up. He finally meets his brother, who starts breaking down in tears. This convinced Will to stop and let it go. Will's coming-of-age moment happens in the elevator when his brother starts crying. This is breaking the rules that will live by. This shows him another side of life and his brother. “Tears pouring from his eyes, I thought you said no crying, Shawn” (Reynolds 298). This quote shows how At first, he wants to avenge his brother's death, but by the end of the story, he realizes that violence is not the answer. This experience helped shape Will's new identity through

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