Coming Of Age In A Short Story 'Long Way Down' By Jason Reynolds

Your Name

Mrs. Winans

English 9 3W

5/18/23

Coming of Age Do you remember the moment when you first realized your parents weren’t superheroes? My definition of “coming of age” is when someone realizes they must make decisions or do things on their own. It could be a slow process that takes a long time, or a sudden moment that takes seconds. Coming of age can be realized through many different experiences or emotions, such as the grief you feel after you lose someone close to you, or the understanding that your parents are simply human. In “Long Way Down” by Jason Reynolds, a 15 year old boy named Will has lost many people close to him, and the book takes us on a journey through his coming of age. Another example of coming of age is shown in

He goes inside to play guitar for awhile, and when he’s done, he walks into the kitchen where his mother is cooking. Normally, she would barrage him with questions and conversation, but today she is silent. The author writes, “Taken aback by her calm, Felipe found himself unsure of what to say next.” Unsure of what to say, and sensing something is off, he walks up and hugs her, and suddenly feels tears falling onto his hands. The story ends as they exchange “I love you.” This story is a very important example of coming of age as many people experience something similar at a point in their lives. It’s when you realize you’re old enough to start caring for your parents as they have for you your entire life, and also realize that they are no different than you, and still can feel emotions. This is something that most children do not understand, and as you can see in the story Felipe is not sure of what is going on, and has likely never experienced his mother crying before. It is a humbling yet eye opening experience. While this could be the most common way people undergo the process of coming of age, there are many others. For example, through

In the beginning of the story, we learn that Will’s brother has just been killed. In order to get revenge, he takes a gun to go kill the man he believes killed his brother. He gets in an elevator and begins to ride it down. Throughout the ride, people who have died in his life begin to join the ride on every floor, including his father and his brother. They talk to him and explain their stories of death, revenge and loss. Eventually, once Will reaches the bottom floor, the doors open and all of the ghosts exit. However, he decides to stay in the elevator and not get revenge, even though he wanted to. “I want out”, he says. Still, he does what he knows is right. This story shows how quickly a person can change and mature, or at least make a good decision. In these few minutes, we see Will struggle with the decision of whether or not to get revenge on his brother, but after talking with people he has lost in his life, he decides that killing more isn’t going to help anyone. This short journey represents Will’s coming of age by using his past experience with loss to make a mature decision. While some people may not have lost people like Will, an important lesson can still be applied to anyone dealing with grief, which is to not let the grief take control of your mind or your