What Is The Theme Of Long Way Down By Jason Reynolds

In the novel Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, we are introduced to Will, a fifteen-year-old boy who experienced his older brother, Shawn’s death. Where Will lives there are three major rules in his way of life including, no crying, no snitching, and getting revenge on anyone who has killed a loved one of yours. In his case he seeks revenge on his brother's alleged killer, Riggs. The story is set in an elevator as Will is on his way to carry out revenge. During each floor Will encounters ghosts of past family members or friends who made an impact on his life. Each character shares a commonality of being killed due to the ruthless cycle of gun violence. Every character plays a role in swaying Will’s decision of revenge. Certain characters had

Shawn was also the person who passed down the rules to his little brother. So, when Shawn passed away Will took his teachings to heart which led him to the elevator, he is in right now. Once the elevator hits the second floor Shawn walks in. The most important thing he does is nothing, he gives Will the silent treatment as he used to when they were younger. Will is stunned as Shawn is shedding tears profusely, breaking the very rules he passed down to Will. Showing Will that it is okay not to follow through on revenge, as all he wants is for his little brother to be safe and alive for his mother. Shawn is showing regrets through his crying as he realizes he left his family who loved him most. Clearly Shawn left an impact on his brother, but another character who does the same is his Uncle

In the elevator Mark walks in putting Will in a playful headlock, also making remarks to his Wills similar appearance to Mikey. We learn about Mark’s interest in filmmaking as he was aspiring to create a movie with a camera gifted by his mother. Though once he lost his beloved camera, he was finding ways to make money to get another one. He took himself to the corner to sell drugs for only a day, but soon the day turned into weeks, into a month, until he was killed by his own greediness. Through this section Mark ends up recapping Will’s future revenge like a movie script, from when he gets out of the elevator to when he sees Riggs. When he gets to Will pulling out the pistol, Will is clearly uncomfortable by the thought of taking someone’s life. Mark lets Will visualize the scenario and how he may hesitate and struggle to kill Riggs, making it an important thing Will needs to consider in his decision of carrying out revenge. We are shown how Mark paints Will’s potential future, but the character with the most influence on Will is his father