Irrational Expectations In Long Way Down

This plot is one like no other. It combines the supernatural and the regular world, into an impactful novel in verse, that discusses empowering motifs such as gun violence and community influence on personal identity. In the novel Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds the protagonist, Will Holloman, had a brother, Shawn, who recently died due to gun violence. Will lives in an immensely toxic community, where violence is encouraged, and where brutal murders are normalized. In Will's community, there are three unwritten rules that must be followed by everyone. These rules not only force the perpetrator to do heartless things, but also, they are completely irrational. Will has a suspect, Carlson Riggs, from the gang, the Dark Suns, who he believes shot

Throughout the novel, Will utilizes several anagrams to express how he is feeling, as well as to describe the things he is starting to understand. However, a certain anagram stands out, as it strongly connects with the way a person becomes a part of the cycle of violence, in his community. When the elevator reaches Floor 5, Will’s uncle, Mark, gets on. Shortly after talking with his uncle, Will comes up with an anagram: “COOL = LOCO” (Reynolds 163). This anagram is a strong depiction about how people in Will’s community become a part of the cycle of violence. Although this process may start off innocent, it leads to craziness and chaos, as the word, loco, implies. Through this anagram, Will is trying to say that the people that he perceived as being “cool” were those who followed unreasonable societal norms. For instance, previously in the novel, Will mentioned that he looked up to those who always abided by The Rules and who exhibited traits of toxic masculinity. However, as the story progresses, we figure out that these communal expectations were completely unreasonable, so this anagram reflects on that. It reveals that those who followed The Rules, who Will had initially thought were cool, are in reality, crazy. They are crazy for thinking that these rules were reasonable and should be followed. This ties into the cycle of violence, because it describes its origin. The people in Will’s community who are often perceived as “cool'' or the ideal societal member, follow irrational societal expectations, and therefore, they are crazy. These people are often the ones to partake in lots of violence and then become a part of the cycle of violence. This comes to show that the cycle of violence in Will’s community is fueled by such people, who are thought to be role models but are