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Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in This Is Where It Ends, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Gun Violence
Community and Tragedy
Family and Sibling Relationships
Change, Uncertainty, and Growing Up
Abuse
Summary
Analysis
Riding in the police car, Claire is both comforted and terrified. She thinks of Matt playing with his soldier figurines or chatting with Chris. She needs to have a clear mind so that she can be of use when they return to the school. Placing her hand over Chris’s, she knows that the students will find a way to be “stronger than our fear.” Even this road is evidence of their shared traditions: every year the entire track team runs down it to the school, where they camp out and share food and candy. Claire looks forward to doing this for the last time as a senior, marking the best possible end of her high school career.
This is an important turning point in Claire’s conception of herself in relation to her community. At the outset she said that Opportunity hadn’t “shaped” her, but now she speaks in the first person plural and feels that not only she but also the landscape around her are defined by the communal rituals that take place within it. Seeing her community in danger has shown her how much she treasures it.
Themes
Several more of Tomás’s paperclips break without any success. There’s no sign of Fareed or the police, no noise despite the thousand students on the other side of the door. Suddenly, a knock comes from the other side of the door. Tomás jerks back and grabs his screw driver, since he doesn’t know if it’s an innocent student or a violent shooter. After a few minutes of silence, he raps out a quiet rhythm in return.
Tomás believes that he possesses the abilities and responsibility to address this crisis on his own. The fact that he manifestly fails in doing so suggests that mass shootings are not arenas for personal heroism, and that focusing on such narratives detracts from the discussion of gun violence as a larger social issue.
Themes
Sylvia doesn’t know if it was smart to knock on the door, but she’s more and more sure that someone is out there; meanwhile, everyone is too distracted by Tyler’s rants to pay attention to her. In the reciprocal knocks, she recognizes the rhythm of one of Abuelo’s favorite songs; she realizes that her brother is outside, safe from Tyler and possibly able to help. But she’s immediately terrified again when she sees Autumn walking slowly towards Tyler.
Here, the family history that Tomás and Sylvia share allows them to communicate and give each other strength, even though they haven’t been on good terms in months. Their sibling relationship is much stronger than passing tensions or disturbances. At the same time, Sylvia’s fear at watching Autumn approach Tyler highlights how sibling relationships, though always meaningful, can also have highly toxic effects instead of strongly supportive ones.
Themes
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Autumn seems to get smaller with every step she takes toward Tyler, and Sylvia wonders when she last “laughed without reservation.” She doesn’t want her girlfriend to give in to Tyler’s poisonous attitude, but she also knows that she would do anything for her family—her brothers who returned home to take care of Mamá and her Abuelo who tries to keep Tomás on the right track, and everyone who accepted her sexuality without question. She can’t imagine how hard Autumn’s life is without all that support, and Sylvia has never revealed the truth about Tyler because she wants her girlfriend to have some vestige of family. She feels torn between her girlfriend onstage and her brother behind her.
Like the Brownes, Sylvia’s family has confronted a tragic crisis—her mother’s illness—and the revelation of a daughter’s sexuality. But while the Sylvia’s family shows solidarity on both occasions, Autumn’s father collapses under his grief and Tyler takes her sexuality as a personal affront. Sylvia’s reflections right now show how families can be both sources of strength and undermining factors.
Themes
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Autumn can’t stop thinking about Nyah’s brutal death. Even though Tyler is her brother, she wishes he would kill himself. She feels that everyone around her blames her for his brutality, and wishes she had spoken up sooner. Suddenly, she sees Tyler reaching for young Matt—of whom he always spoke fondly when he dated Claire—who is trying to crawl under the seats. She can’t believe this is the person who once brought her chocolate after dance practice, but then she remembers how he exposed her dancing to their Dad and allowed him to beat her. Speaking hoarsely, she calls out to her brother.
Autumn feels guilt for Nyah’s death and responsible for preventing Matt’s. This shows her capacity for bravery and empathy, two traits that Tyler lacks. On the other hand, she’s perversely succumbing to Tyler’s line of thinking: that his rage and violence are her fault, and that it’s her job to placate him and keep him from inflicting harm on others.
Themes
Through exchanges like this, the novel characterizes the media as self-serving, looking for a scoop while ignoring CJ’s desperate pleas for help.
Themes
