Long Way Down Themes

Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. This is only the first part of Will’s journey—once he reaches the lobby, his plan is to avenge the death of his older brother, Shawn, who was shot the night before in what was likely a gang-related incident. Over the course of the minute in which Will is in the elevator…

Early on in the novel, Will introduces the reader to “the Rules” which guide life in his violent neighborhood. The Rules are short and simple: no crying, no “snitching” (which Will defines as talking to the police), and “revenge,” which Will says means, “If someone you love / gets killed, / find the person / who killed / them and / kill them.” Though Will presents the Rules as inarguable, nonnegotiable facts, both he (seemingly…

At 15 years old, Will is on the brink of coming of age, even before his brother Shawn is shot and killed. However, after Shawn’s murder, Will realizes that manhood has unexpectedly arrived early for him: he must, per “the Rules” of conduct in his community, avenge Shawn’s death by killing Carlson Riggs, who he believes is Shawn’s killer. Much of how Will conceptualizes manhood has to do with acting appropriately masculine—that is, as…