Did you know that there are at least 321 people that deal with gun violence on a daily basis? Out of the 321 people, 111 people have died from being shot. In the novel, Long Way Down, Will, the main character, experiences the death of his older brother, Shawn. A day after his death, Will decides to follow the rules, which are no crying, no snitching, and seeking revenge. He takes the elevator, on his way to kill Riggs, the guy that Will thinks killed his brother in order to avenge Shawn. In Jason Reynolds’ book Long Way Down, Mikey Holloman (Pops) is the most influential character in Will and his final decision to not follow the rules.To begin with, the first reason Mikey is the most important character in Will’s decision is that he faced the …show more content…
Mikey also tells Will that he decided to follow the rules in order to avenge Mark. Mikey went out late at night and waited for Gee to come around so that he could shoot him, which he did. After that, Mikey states “Couldn’t kiss your mother,/couldn’t kiss you boys/good night./Just lay naked/in the scummy bathtub,/the cold porcelain/keeping me from sleep/from nightmares.” Before he shot Gee, he probably thought that taking revenge for his brother, Mark, was going to make him feel better, but it only made him feel worse. The extreme guilt of shooting someone haunted him and caused him to become isolated from the world and his loved ones. Will’s father then tells Will that he finds out the person he shot wasn’t the person that killed Uncle Mark, but just some guy that acted all tough. He shot the wrong person, which might also explain why he felt extremely guilty after killing Gee. As a result, Will states “staring at my father who/wasn't my father at all./At least not like I had imagined him./A man who moved with precision,/patience, purpose,/not no willy-nilly/buck-bucking off/at randoms/at random./Spent my whole damn life/missing a misser./That disappointed …show more content…
This might lead to Will not wanting to make the same mistake his father did and reconsider killing Riggs. Perhaps, he might try to find evidence on why it might be Riggs that killed his brother, Shawn. In short, Mikey’s mistake might stop Will from following the rules and end the ongoing cycle of violence.In addition, Will’s father is a distinguished character in Will’s decision because he allows him to experience what it’s like to be at the edge of death. As Mikey goes in to hug Will, he reaches his hand down to Will’s waist, grabs the gun, and puts it to his head. In the novel, Will claims “POP STOOD OVER ME,/the gun pressed against/the side of my face./Was the first time I had/ever had one to my head./First time I had been that/close to death. To the end.”After experiencing what it was like to be at gunpoint, Will might begin to realize that if he decides to follow the rules and kill Riggs, someone might also follow the rules to avenge Riggs. This experience might cause him to change his mind about following the rules so that he doesn’t have to deal with the consequences of it, which is being
Since he's seen someone almost die because of the carousel, the thought of someone he loves being harmed by it really upset him. The last instance in which Will displayed a fearful tone was when Mr. Dark tried to cover up Mr. Cooger’s obvious trips around the carousel, “…Will trembled…”(110) Will is showing a fearful tone by “…trembling…” since that is an action one performs when they are overtaken by fright. Will has a fearful tone in the situation because he was responsible for the extreme aging of Mr. Cooger and he understands that the freaks are going to have a vendetta against him since he caused harm to one of
He wanted to foreshadow death. More specifically, a death in which the killer had no desire to kill. George didn’t want to kill Lennie in the end, you could tell it was difficult for him. “The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.”
However, people don’t look into Mikey’s ways; he shows the most reasons. He lets Will know he could have the wrong person, may not like being on the other side of the gun and he’ll feel guilty for it and regret it. Mikey’s reasons are very good points and he can go more into depth with his reasons as to why he shouldn’t Will even starts to question
Will Shawn’s experiences and guidance help Will, or will it lead him astray? The first reason why Shawn has the biggest impact on Will is because he’s an older brother/father figure to Will. For example, a quote in the book states “ Shawn was my big brother, my best friend, my protector. He was the only one who always looked out for me, no matter what” (Reynolds, 21).
This scene over any others is the most important instance of religion being depicted in the movie. Will goes to church where people should be willing to do what is right and help, but instead they back down and leave will to deal with Frank Miller alone this is an instance where religion is something to be relied upon but instead it lets Will down. There are also two points where religion is used because it is needed and convenient. One with Will asking the church, he himself did not attend or think it important enough to get married in, to help him fight Frank miller. Most interesting the second instance is actually done by the priest and the people attending church these are people that should have had no question as to what the right thing to do was but instead the priest came up with an excuse to not tell the people in the church to go and fight.
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
Will at the start of the story wanted to find a sense of belonging but doubted that he could find it. For example, when Charles asked him to join the basketball team he denied him at first saying “I 'm not good enough to play” Harleen
One day, she got killed by a nearby shootout while they were playing, which ultimately altered Will's entire childhood and life. It impelled Shawn to teach him about the "rules "and adulthood because his childhood was already beginning to collapse on itself. The reason is that he just witnessed his best friend dying in front of him and described it as, "Her eyes wide, / the brightness dimming. / Her mouth, open.
Mikey was guided by vengeance while pursuing retribution and if Will follows this path, it would culminate in Will's death. This parallel impacts Will's decision the most not to continue his pursuit of revenge.
That's when we realize that Will isn't actually talking to these people he shows this by saying” buck thought you were dead”, or “my pop died from a broken heart”. The time is symbolizing that all
Will said that Shawn was the King which he wouldnt have said if he didnt look up to him. In the quote it shows that Will thought Shawn was cool bu the way he talked about him, not just in this quote but throughout the
This next quote shows how young Will still is and adds more to the fact he is questioning The Rules. On page 227 Will says, “The gun pressed against/ the side of my face./ Was the first time I had/ ever had one to my head./ First time I had been that/ close to death. To the end” (227), making us realize that he has never been on the other side of a gun. This makes him worried and plays a factor into his decision to kill or not to kill Riggs. Once you’re on the other side of a gun it makes it harder for your conscience to kill someone.
That one bullet cost Shawn’s life, and the next may do the same for Will. These rules had a bad impact on many lives in their neighborhood. They saw revenge as an act of justice. They believed it was the right thing to do. Which is why Will wanted to kill
One big way to improve Will’s communication is to deal with the relationship violence that occurred to him. Sean started this for him in the scene where he tried to get Will to see that his upbringing was not his fault. This was a big step for Will to understand himself and how he should see his relationships. Through Sean, Will also learned some emotional understanding of himself. Emotional understanding will allow him to have emotional competence.
During the film Will demonstrates anger as well as irritability in a short tempered manner. In a particular scene, Will becomes overwhelmed with anger after encountering an old classmate who bullied him in preschool. Such anger and irritability caused Will’s mind to become blocked during the violent act in which Will also assaults an office. The incident ultimately leads Will unraveling the root of the