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Chapter 20
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
Claire doesn’t want to believe that her brother has actually died. In a flashback she remembers Matt’s sixth birthday, when the family indulged his obsession with all things flying by turning his bike into a pretend spaceship. Chris brings Claire some water, but all she can think about are the memories she’s shared with her siblings—like a long-ago trip to the beach on which she, Matt, and Tracy lay together in the sand at night, marveling at the enormous sky.
While Chris is a comparatively minor character, his ability to empathize with women in his life is notable. Unlike Tyler, who only conceives of Autumn in relation to himself, and Tomás, whose anger and volatility prevent Sylvia from relying on him emotionally, Chris is mature enough to understand that what Claire needs most is for someone to listen to her and value her concerns.
Themes
Claire starts pacing around, feeling incredibly alone even though she’s surrounded by people. When she spots a police officer she demands to be allowed to help in some way. Although he initially refuses her offer, eventually the officer takes her and Chris to the medical tent, where they can help comfort frightened students who are waiting to be registered and reunited with their families. The officer says that Claire and Chris should try to find their families instead of doing this, but she points out that “Opportunity High is our family,” and they have to support the students.
At the beginning of the novel, Claire felt very alienated from her high school community and found the idea of a cohesive student body (as presented in Principal Trenton’s speech) unrealistic. Her explicit identification of herself with Opportunity High is indicative of her new awareness of how entrenched she is in her community.
Themes
The SWAT officers lead a group of students out of the auditorium, with Autumn trailing behind; as they leave she sees bullet-riddled lockers and more bodies on the floor. She wonders if Sylvia has gone outside, but she knows that Tyler must still be in the building if he hasn’t been caught by the police. As a shot rings out and the group rushes towards the doors, Autumn turns a corner and runs upstairs instead. She thinks about the trip she and Sylvia planned to New York, a shared road trip after graduation towards a new future together.
Autumn’s hopes for a New York road trip with Sylvia contrast with Tyler’s desire for stasis, even if it has to be achieved by force. Even though the changes involved in growing up are frightening, they also open up new possibilities—like the opportunity to travel and deepen relationships. Autumn’s thoughts here show that she’s moving definitively away from her brother’s mindset.
Themes
Tomás exits the classroom and moves down the hall, where he can see Tyler rattling door handles. The shooter is startled to see him but recovers his balance, taunting Tomás for trying to protect Sylvia. He says that Tomás is in his control now and can do nothing to save himself, but Tomás replies coolly that since he doesn’t care if he dies, Tyler doesn’t have any power over him.
Tyler has repeatedly said that possessing a gun gives him complete power over others, but by demonstrating their own bravery, Tomás and other students challenge the idea that control can be achieved by physical threats alone.
Themes
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Tyler shoots at the wall and threatens to assault Sylvia again after killing Tomás. Tomás counters that even without him Sylvia will still be safe and loved, whereas no one will care about Tyler after he’s dead. As Tyler raises the barrel of his gun Tomás thinks of all the times he’s seen his sister laughing, and knows that his sacrifice is worth it.
It’s notable that Tyler doesn’t even think of Sylvia as a person—to him, she’s merely an object that he can use to get to Autumn or Tomás. While Tomás’s sacrifice is noble, given that his sister and Fareed have already escaped to the roof it’s not clear if this dramatic gesture is necessary. Even in this crucial moment, Tomás continues to be influenced by conventionally masculine ideas about what heroism should be.
Themes
Sylvia is appalled by her brother’s behavior. She can hear parents and police on the ground below, but she bangs on the window and sobs, trying to get back into the school while Fareed tries to calm her down. A helicopter descends towards the roof and Fareed goes over to speak to the police, but Sylvia won’t leave the school without Tomás. With all her strength, she opens the window and dives back into the school before Fareed can stop her. Right away she hears gunshots, and then Tyler bragging that he’s “won.”
Tomás imagined himself as a stereotypical male, willing to take any risk to protect the women for whom he’s “responsible.” That Sylvia protests rather than accepts this behavior argues that this brand of masculine volatility is not actually beneficial to women and may only perpetuate violent cycles.
Themes
Jay tweets that he has “no words for today,” and lots of other Twitter users reply that they’re thinking of him. A priest tweets that his church is holding a candlelight vigil that night.
It’s bitterly ironic that even though people use language and social media to comfort each other, no one can truly explain or rationalize what has happened.
Themes
