Shawn's Footsteps In Long Way Down By Jason Reynolds

Shawn’s Footsteps Following the murder of his brother, Will is overcome with sadness. In an effort to seek justice and make sense of his loss, Will embarks on an elevator ride down seven floors, encountering a series of ghostly visitors who challenge his perceptions and force him to confront the cycle of violence that floods his community. In Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds explores how Will envisions a different path than previous generations through the flaws of his brothers. At the beginning of the book, Reynolds correlates losing a tooth to Shawn getting pulled out of Will’s life. He regards his sudden deprivation as “a stranger…gripping a tooth / one of the big / important ones, / and rips it out” (Reynolds 6). The realization that something

It becomes evident to Will that following in Shawn’s footsteps could have negative implications. The object that Will uses as a reminder of his brother shows Shawn’s flaws, “I wrapped my fingers [around the gun] / placing them over Shawn’s / little brother holding big brother’s hand” (Reynold 64). The relationship between the gun with both brothers and the brothers’ relationship to one another is made evident with Will’s actions. Will covering Shawn’s fingerprints with his own symbolizes his lack of preparedness to carry out the plan. Due to the fact that the gun brings back dreadful memories of an imperfect Shawn; Will decides not to follow his brother's path in an effort to end the cycle of violence that has perpetuated in his family. Will states his troubles with wrapping his head around the thought of killing Riggs and shows uncertainty by repeating the word “[r]ight?” multiple times (Reynolds 296). Not only does this show agnosticism, but also shows horror. He is uncertain for many reasons; if he were to complete his initiative he would follow in his family's legacy which leads to death. On the other hand he would lose his community's honor and approval. Torn from the consequences he eventually let his conscience overpower his influenced thoughts and break the cycle and surpass his community's