Previous
The Elevator
The L (lobby) button in the elevator symbolizes, much like the elevator itself, the horrendous fate that awaits Will if he chooses to step out of the elevator and into the lobby. Once Will reaches the bottom, he plans to avenge his brother Shawn’s death by shooting his killer, Carlson Riggs. Will explains that as kids, he and Shawn found the L button hilarious—L, to them, stood for “loser,” so everyone who got out at the lobby was, according to their immature sense of humor, a loser too. While the idea that everyone who gets out in the lobby is a loser is clearly childish, this memory begins to take on new meaning for Will as he rides the elevator down to avenge Shawn’s death. While Will may not be a loser in the sense that he and Shawn once meant it, there’s no winning to be had by getting off and following through with his mission. Will inevitably loses if he goes through with killing Riggs—either a gang member will retaliate and kill him in return, or Will will wind up in jail, unable to live his life or achieve anything.
The L Button Quotes in Long Way Down
The Long Way Down quotes below all refer to the symbol of The L Button. 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.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Long Way Down LitChart as a printable PDF.
The L Button Symbol Timeline in Long Way Down
The timeline below shows where the symbol The L Button appears in Long Way Down. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Seven
...(“but not old,” according to Will) gets on. The man checks to see if the L button is lit. When Will and Shawn were kids, they’d ride the elevator for fun and...
(full context)
...but Buck puts a finger to Will’s chest. It feels like Buck is pressing the L button as he says that Shawn had it in him, but Will doesn’t. Buck asks if...
(full context)
Six
...and perfume that cuts through the cigarette smoke. The girl checks to see that the L button is lit while Will looks her up and down and tries to see up her...
(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” under his breath. He’s scared, upset, and uncomfortable...
(full context)
...tears and looks away from Shawn. Around him, everyone else’s lit cigarettes look like glowing L buttons . Will looks back at Shawn and sees that he’s crying, with tears pouring from...
(full context)
...opens and the smoke rushes out. Everyone else rushes out behind the smoke and the L button ’s light goes off. Will stands alone, dried tears on his face and his pants...
(full context)
