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Chapter 3
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
In the principal’s office, Tomás waits for the bell to ring, but he’s spooked when it does and the hallway isn’t filled by the usual rush of students. Fareed seems undisturbed, but suddenly they hear two loud cracks; Tomás has gone hunting and Fareed grew up in a “war zone,” so they both know what is going on. They need to find a way to warn someone, but Tomás also realizes with horror that his sister, Sylvia, is in the auditorium.
Even though Tomás likes to play pranks and shake things up at the school, he also counts on things to be comfortably predictable—as his unease at the absence of students, even before the gunshots, illustrates.
Themes
Sylvia is shocked and terrified to see Tyler standing at the front of the room. She and Autumn are too far from the doors to escape; they can see teachers trying to approach Tyler and being shot, one by one. Two students are lying on their seats in pools of blood, and the English teacher, Mr. Jameson, tries to stanch the principal’s wounds. An elderly librarian starts walking toward the door; remembering how the woman regularly brings her Mamá fresh bread, Sylvia starts praying for her while she watches Tyler. He fires at the librarian, who falls down on the floor.
The teachers in the room are the first to confront Tyler, but they all fail immediately. This signals that the narrators can no longer count on adults to protect them; rather, they have to act like adults themselves. This is a sudden and extreme dramatization of the questions about growing up that all of the narrators were already facing. Although everyone enjoyed making fun of Principal Trenton’s speeches, her death signals the end of the era of tranquility and safety the speeches represented.
Themes
Initially thinking it’s the starter gun, Claire hears the second shot from the track. Understanding what’s happening, Chris runs to the gym doors, only to find that they’re locked. Two students start crying, Coach Lindt is in shock, and Claire knows that her brother needs her. Eventually everyone turns to Claire, who is in charge of the JROTC team. Since everyone’s phones are inside, Claire decides that the coach should find the emergency phone while she and Chris notify the security guard, Jonah, and ride with him for help. Chris follows Claire as more shots echo through the school.
Just as the teachers inside are unable to protect the students, Coach Lindt is too shocked to take charge of the situation as he normally does. For Claire, this is a moment of realization that she’s just as qualified to handle the crisis as an adult. Her quick thinking now emphasizes her personal strength but also robs her of the comforting idea that responsible adults will always be able to care for her.
Themes
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Sylvia screams and Asha drops her bag. Autumn realizes that all the doors are locked, and there’s no way out of the auditorium. She can’t believe that the boy standing on the stage, picking off students and teachers, is her brother. After all, Tyler is the one who protects her from her Dad and appreciates her talent for dance. She knows she should reason with him, but instead she clings to Sylvia and they edge towards the back of the auditorium, as Tyler shoots a small girl running towards the door. Then, he shoots the clock in the auditorium and tells them all to “stay where [they] are.”
Throughout the novel, Autumn will be forced to acknowledge the difference between her idea of Tyler and his actual behavior, both towards her and towards other students. Her pattern of excusing her brother’s actions prior to the shooting shows how much she cares about maintaining family relationships, even if doing so entails suffering abuse.
Themes
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CJ is trying to reach out to others in Opportunity, but she meets with scorn and disdain. The town can be a bulwark of support, but it can also drive residents apart.
Themes
