ipl-logo

The Theme Of Masculinity In Long Way Down

829 Words4 Pages

Masculinity. “The epitome of what a man should be,” or, “the social expectations of being a man.” The theme of masculinity is highly present in the book Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds. The main character, Will, has just witnessed his older brother Shawn get shot to death. Shawn has been a role model to Will throughout his whole life, and his death absolutely shattered Will. Now he must decide whether or not to “follow the rules” and murder the person he thinks took his brother's life, or just let it go. If he follows the rules, which are, 1. No crying. 2. No snitching. And 3. Revenge is a must, he will be accepted by his peers, even though he knows it’s wrong. But if he doesn’t follow the rules, a part of Will feels as if he is betraying his brother. As …show more content…

But he also has to uphold his idea of what being a man is, and that means following the rules, which clearly state that you must carry out revenge, no matter what. In Long Way Down, Will has to make a decision between what is right, and what society is pressuring him to do. While reading Long Way Down, one should consider the pressures Will faces from others, and what the gun means to him and what it meant to important role models in his life.
Will is constantly being told what a man should or should not do. This is clearly demonstrated in The Rules. “No. 1: Crying. Don’t. No matter what. Don’t. (Reynolds 31)” While The Rules don’t specifically apply to men only, the most prevalent rule followers in Will’s eyes are men, such as his brother. Will believes that this rule, and others are the most important things above all else. If one is

Show More
Related
787 Words | 4 Pages

Will’s brother Shawn broke down crying which showed Will that it is okay to break the rules and that getting revenge isn't the best choice because of its many outcomes and possibilities. Will's father, Mikey Holloman, is one of the influences in his life on why he won't get revenge on his brother's death. Will's father enters the elevator with everyone else. He talks about how Uncle Mark

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

Maybe that’ll change in Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. A character named Will would have to make a decision if he wanted to stop the circle of violence in his neighborhood, or get revenge for his dead brother Shawn. Will would stop the circle of violence after interactions with his dead relatives, encouraging him that it’s not the right thing to do and he will only hurt more people. Will realizes the fear and consequence behind rule number three. He also doesn’t want to let anyone down, especially his

Read More
1373 Words | 6 Pages

In addition, Reynolds expanded on the concept of revenge by explaining, "If someone you love gets killed, / find the person who killed / them and kill them¨ (Reynolds 1-6). For example, on the fifth floor, Will learns that his Uncle Mark was a hustler and got shot by a competing rival. So his dad attempted to avenge Uncle Mark, but it turned out that he shot the wrong guy, and he joined his brother in the end, leaving his family without a loving father and husband. Ergo, Will has second

Read More
454 Words | 2 Pages

He simply works to try to make his brother different and better for prideful reasons. In the end of the story this pride comes to haunt the

Read More
423 Words | 2 Pages

These characters also warn him of the consequences that would happen if he went through with committing the murder to get revenge. The author was trying to teach that revenge and loyalty are important things but should be used logically and shouldn’t be taken advantage of.

Read More
900 Words | 4 Pages

This is a valid point, however, Will has to follow the rules of his neighborhood since the murder of his brother Shawn. Will strongly believe in the rules and going through with them. Will still has mixed emotions, including some of violence, even when the elevator door opens. He also continued with the cycle of violence as well. ‘’I stood alone in the empty box, face tight, dried tears, jeans soggy, a loaded gun still tucked in my waistband.’’

Read More
1225 Words | 5 Pages

Leaving a Life of Violence to Find Your Own Path In Long Way Down, Reynolds set the theme with his introduction of Will Holloman, the main character. Everyone believes Will doesn't have the guts to follow The Rules like those before him. The Rules are simple: no crying, no snitching, and killing for revenge.

Read More
116 Words | 1 Pages

Destructive and prideful actions from the older brother lead to a bond broken beyond repair.

Read More
967 Words | 4 Pages

If the killing was meant to be a turning point, then the results must be clear. Just as Rawlins and John Grady get out of jail, they start talking about what went down, resulting in Grady admitting that he, “...never thought [he’d] do that,” (215). As the story progresses, there is a serious shift in the kind of dialogue exchanged, going from words with no meaning to sentences that tell days of life. Grady is accepting how fragile life is, and he starts to see that things are not as easy as they always seemed. Had he not killed the man, this change would not have happened.

Read More
669 Words | 3 Pages

He is portrayed as the stereotypical criminal who has grown violent in life. When he kills the family so casually it seems as if it’s routine,“‘Good afternoon,’ he said,” (8). In a sense, one could see he is detached from his own morality. As he carries on a conversation with the grandmother we learn that he doesn’t see his actions as right or wrong, “‘I found out the crime don’t matter. You can do one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car, because sooner or later you’re going to forget what it was you done and just be punished for it,’”

Read More
668 Words | 3 Pages

Despite trying to do what is best for his brother, he

Read More
903 Words | 4 Pages

Masculinity. It can be argued that no one word has undergone such a dramatic shift during the past century, as masculinity. In many ways J.D. Salinger’s groundbreaking novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”, and its main protagonist, Holden Caulfield, were both ahead of their time as they realized masculinity could not have a uniform definition. The reader is led on a journey by Holden, from fancy prep schools to the tough streets of New York City, all in the search for one thing: the meaning of masculinity. Holden’s search for identity culminates in his failure to conform to societal standards of masculinity, allowing Salinger to effectively question the need for such strict standards which seemingly only inhibit personal growth.

Read More
1103 Words | 5 Pages

Societies can contain many unspoken rules that people follow. Some of these rules are positive, while others are negative. These negative unspoken rules are seen in the novel Long Way Down as the society depicted in it has three negative rules. These three rules play a big part in the actions of the people in its society. They lead people to kill others to satisfy their revenge, and cause much unrest and remorse.

Read More
624 Words | 3 Pages

His actions without thought end with him getting shot and him shooting and killing his brother. If he would have thought before he did things he would still have a brother. In “The Sniper”, O’Flaherty made the theme action without thought very evident by using description and

Read More
1064 Words | 5 Pages

Masculinity (also called boyhood, manliness or manhood) is a set of attributes, behaviors and roles generally associated with boys and men. But the culture doesn’t end at the definition, it starts from there. The first thing to come to mind when the word masculinity is heard is usually a man flexing his gigantic muscles, as the word might sound to suggest, and that right there is the current culture of masculinity because sadly, in the world we live in, not everyone has a “muscular body”. So far we know the concept of masculinity, but the culture is what is truly hampering.

Read More

More about The Theme Of Masculinity In Long Way Down

Related Topics

Open Document