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The elevator in Will’s building represents his sense of feeling trapped—trapped by “the Rules” of his violent neighborhood, and trapped in his grief over his brother Shawn’s death. Most of all, Will feels trapped in the irrevocable choice he believes he’s made by stepping into the elevator: once he makes it down to the lobby of his apartment building, he plans to avenge Shawn’s death by shooting Carlson Riggs, who he believes killed Shawn. The sense of claustrophobia and of being stuck that Will feels in the elevator is heightened as ghosts from Will’s past join him, begin smoking in the confined space, and ask Will uncomfortable questions he hasn’t considered: what if he misses? What if he’s after the wrong guy?
The elevator seemingly doesn’t have to carry this connotation, since it becomes breathable again once they finally reach the bottom and the ghosts (and their cigarettes) exit. In this sense, it also represents Will’s ability to choose his fate: to either free himself or remain trapped. Should Will return to his apartment on the top floor without killing Carlson Riggs, the elevator ride back up could potentially symbolize a new future for him. But if he continues out of the lobby and goes to Riggs’s apartment, the confinement represented by the elevator ride he’s just completed will extend to either a jail cell or a coffin—by shooting Riggs, Will is likely to either condemn himself to prison or trap himself in a life that will be cut short when someone else retaliates against him.
The Elevator Quotes in Long Way Down
The Long Way Down quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Elevator. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Seven
Quotes
[...] I thought about this when the man with
the gold chains got on and checked to see if the
L button was already glowing. I wondered if he knew
that in me and Shawn’s world, I’d already chosen to be
a loser.
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Six
Quotes
Then
the bus-stop
lean back
to get a glimpse
of the world.
But the metal barrel
dug into my back,
making me wince,
making me obvious
and wack.
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So I explained them to
her so she wouldn’t think
less of me for following
them
[...]
So that she knew I had
purpose
and that this was about
family
and had I known
The Rules when we
were kids I would’ve
done the same thing
for her.
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Five
Quotes
BUT TO EXPLAIN MYSELF
I said,
The Rules are
the rules.
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Four
Quotes
I was only three.
And I don’t remember that.
I’ve always wanted to,
but I don’t.
I so don’t.
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Two
Quotes
I TOLD HIM
about the
drawer,
the gun,
that I did
like he told me,
like Buck told him,
like our grandfather told
our uncle, like our uncle
told our dad.
I followed The Rules.
At least the first two.
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Get the entire Long Way Down LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Elevator Symbol Timeline in Long Way Down
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Elevator appears in Long Way Down. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
...into Will’s back, rubbing it raw. Time seems to stand still as he calls the elevator, steps in, and starts down.
(full context)
Seven
Will notes that in elevators, everyone must follow the “elevator rules:” they get in, check that their floor button is...
(full context)
The elevator vibrates as though it’s off track, like the middle drawer. Scared, Will asks what’s taking...
(full context)
...one in his mouth, and lights it. The match sounds like a finger snap. The elevator stops.
(full context)
Six
...girl turns to Buck and sarcastically says that she didn’t know smoking was legal in elevators. Will is disturbed that the girl might be able to see Buck and wonders if...
(full context)
...impression of Shawn is just Shawn’s impression of Buck. Since Buck’s ghost is in the elevator, Will doesn’t flirt, and he thinks it’s hard to think about killing and kissing at...
(full context)
...doesn’t want to flirt in front of a ghost, but they won’t be on the elevator forever. Plus, he remembers Shawn saying that if a girl says she knows you, that...
(full context)
...in her mouth and leans forward for Buck’s match. As Buck strikes the match, the elevator stops.
(full context)
Five
The elevator feels like a box of smoke. Buck and Dani puff and puff on their cigarettes,...
(full context)
In the elevator, Uncle Mark pulls Will into a hug, but Will can’t figure out how to hug...
(full context)
...he decides to find Rigg—the guy who he knows killed Shawn. Will gets into the elevator, goes down to the lobby, and walks the nine blocks to Riggs’s apartment. He pulls...
(full context)
...what an iceman is, but it makes him think of cold-blooded bad guys. In the elevator, as Will says, “and shoots,” it seems like the words go right into Will’s body...
(full context)
...he reasons that people who are alive, like him, can’t get away with smoking in elevators. Uncle Mark rolls a cigarette between his fingers and asks what happens next in Will’s...
(full context)
Four
...takes the first step forward, and he and Will meet in the middle of the elevator and hug again. Will tries to forget all of his confusion and lose himself in...
(full context)
...been wondering whether Pop could actually shoot him, since the version of Pop in the elevator isn’t real. But their hugs were real, and the gun is real—there’s a bullet in...
(full context)
...mouth. Buck steps forward with a match as Will steps into the corner, wishing the elevator would get to the lobby and that everything could hurry up. Buck lights a match...
(full context)
Three
A chubby, light-skinned stranger with a mop of dirty brown hair gets into the elevator. He doesn’t acknowledge anyone, so Will figures he’s real and not a ghost like the...
(full context)
...can say anything, Will asks how Buck knows Frick and why Frick is in the elevator. Buck scoffs and says that Frick murdered him. Will is shocked and can’t formulate a...
(full context)
...who seemed as silly as the suburban kid he just stole from. Everyone on the elevator except Will laughs.
(full context)
...for “poser.” Frick looks at Will like he’s crazy, turns around, and stares at the elevator door. Will realizes he can only see his own reflection in the door. Frick pulls...
(full context)
Two
No one is there when the elevator door opens, so Will punches the L button over and over. Will mumbles “come on”...
(full context)
...is still his favorite and only brother. A grinding, moaning sound, like the one an elevator makes, comes from deep within Shawn. That noise is the only thing Shawn communicates to...
(full context)
...is burning in Will’s stomach, and it feels like stinging fire. Will wants out; the elevator door opens and the smoke rushes out. Everyone else rushes out behind the smoke and...
(full context)
