Detailed Summary & Analysis Prologue Seven Six Five Four Three Two Themes All Themes Loyalty and Revenge Grief, Fear, and Cycles of Violence Perspective and Reality Masculinity and Coming of Age Quotes. Someone shot Shawn while he was on the way back from the store to buy a special cream for his mother’s eczema. Will recalled the two stories that his mother had told him about his uncle. Shawn makes a pained, grinding sound as the elevator reaches the lobby. Part 7. Nick Hornby is the author of the novels A Long Way Down, Slam, How to Be Good, High Fidelity, and About a Boy, and the memoir Fever Pitch. Jason Reynolds. The elevator stopped on the third floor next. Nobody is there when the elevator doors open. Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. Jason Reynolds’ Long Way Down is a novel written in verse about 15-year-old Will Holloman as he reacts to his older brother Shawn’s death. It was lucrative for a few months until a young kid killed him. Our. She describes the burning in her body as Shawn lay on top of her and Will, trying to protect them from the flying bullets. When Will nervously grumbles about the slow elevator, Buck quips that it’s a long way down and laughs at Will’s insistence that he has work to do. Summary. Shawn was talking about an old friend who’s now a Dark Sun, and who tried to get Shawn to stop buying the special soap for his mother in Dark Suns territory. Time period The story starts off on New Year's eve and ends with March 31st. Will tells Shawn everything and says he’s trying to follow the Rules and kill Riggs. Part 1. She made him feel bad that he planned to shoot someone. Buck says that one day, he was with Shawn at the basketball court. Will planned to shoot Carlson Riggs, a member of the Dark Suns gang, who he believed killed Shawn. Long Way Down Part 5 Summary & Analysis Part 5: “4” Part 5, Pages 195-215 Summary. On the seventh floor, a man gets on and checks that the L button is lit up. Will tries to check her out, but the gun digs into his back and makes him wince. Part 4. Jason Reynolds' new novel Long Way Down is focused on a moment of decision. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Long Way Down. Frick pipes up and says that he was supposed to rob Buck as his Dark Deed, but when he approached Buck, Buck just laughed. He vows not to cry, and when Pop asks Will what Will thinks he should do, Will says he should follow the Rules just like Pop did. On the next floor, the man Will has waited to meet all his life gets on. Long Way Down Jason Reynolds 26-page comprehensive study guide Features detailed chapter by chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis The ultimate resource for class assignments, lesson planning, or leading discussions. Will cried all night. Will tries to wake himself up from what he thinks is a dream and deliberates about whether he should be scared or not. When the doors are almost closed, fingers stop them and they open again to reveal Shawn, wearing the blood-soaked clothes he died in. Will says it makes sense: Riggs avenged Frick’s death. Print Word PDF. Perspective and Reality. Long Way Down was inspired by Reynolds’s experiences working with incarcerated youth, whose fates, he acknowledges, could’ve easily been his own. Turning to Will, Buck asks how he knows Riggs killed Shawn. One never senses any actual danger or urgency in the plight of these characters to battle their demons before they kill them, and the lack of any sense that these people might actually end … He lights his own cigarette and the … “A Long Way Down” is a film that’s afraid of its subject matter: suicidal depression. Buck checked the bullets in the gun Will held, which Buck had initially given to Shawn. Analysis. Frick entered. Suddenly, gunshots ring out and they get down like they’re supposed to. This Study Guide consists of approximately 48 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Long Way Down. Will feels both confused and comforted until Pop grabs Will’s gun and puts it to Will’s head. A Long Way Down review – inert adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel 2 out of 5 stars. Part 4. Will plans to seek revenge, but before he can leave the elevator of his building, he is greeted by a series of ghosts who confuse and complicate his perspective on Shawn’s death and the idea of revenge killing. Chapter Summaries & Analyses. Will is getting impatient and thinks the elevator feels like a coffin. This section contains 1,599 words (approx. Chapter Summaries & Analyses. Uncle Mark asks Will what happens after he shoots, but Will insists that’s the end. long way down by Jason Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 17, 2017 After 15-year-old Will sees his older brother, Shawn, gunned down on the streets, he sets out to do the expected: the rules dictate no crying, no snitching, and revenge. Get started. Long Way Down - Pages 1 - 35 Summary & Analysis. Summary. Shawn’s girlfriend, Leticia, kisses him and shrieks, while Will and Shawn’s mother moans. Jason Reynolds. He killed the man he knew killed Uncle Mark, but couldn’t sleep that night or touch his wife, Will, or Shawn. The next morning, Will pulls the gun out and feels close to Shawn as he grips it. He would not speak to Will as Will tried to explain how he was following The Rules. Jason Reynolds. Summary. The story is written in the first-person narrative from the points of view of the four main characters, Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ. Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds, revolves around the main character Will, his family's history of vengeance, and Will's attempt to follow the rules on his quest for revenge. Created by David Alexanian, Charley Boorman, Russ Malkin. Back in their eighth-floor apartment, Will’s mother sobs while Will hides in his room. They travel from the North of Scotland, down through Europe, … Loyalty and Revenge. Pop explains that he was broken when Uncle Mark died, and he followed the Rules. The story is written in the first-person narrative from the points of view of the four main characters, Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ. Frick had meant to rob Buck so that he could join the Dark Suns, but he got nervous and ended up shooting Buck. The doors open and all the ghosts step out after the smoke. He died fetching special soap for their mother’s eczema. Download Save. 3 and take down Carlson Riggs, a former friend of Shawn’s whom he believes is also Shawn’s killer. Two guys take a trip of several months on motorcycles. They were playing on the playground when someone started firing gunshots around them, and Will watched Dani get shot and bleed to death while Shawn tried to shield them from the bullets. This Study Guide consists of approximately 48 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - When Buck then swiped at Frick, Frick got scared and shot him. Part 2. Essay Topics. Chapter Summaries & Analyses. He pulls down his shirt to reveal a bloody bullet hole, and Buck explains that Shawn found out who Frick was from Tony, who spends his days at the basketball court talking about everything to make himself seem cool. Hearing this, Will is disappointed that his father isn’t the man he thought he was. Part 3, Pages 130-146 Summary Will recalls Dani’s sudden and traumatic death on the playground. Pop died when Will was three, so Will doesn’t remember anything about him. Long Way Down Jason Reynolds. She opens her purse and shows Will a photo of himself and his friend Dani when they were eight years old, on the day Dani died. Part 7. The elevator descended and Buck entered on seventh floor. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. 5 pages at 400 words per page) View a FREE sample. Then, he started smoking a cigarette. Part 5. Shawn wasn’t an angelic person; once he turned 18, their mother stopped trying to control him. Will explains how to become a Dark Sun: one must acquire a cigarette burn under the right eye, live nine blocks from Will’s building, and perform a “Dark Deed,” which can be robbing, beating, or killing someone. However, Mikey ended up killing the wrong person. With Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian, Russ Malkin. Will lays out his evidence for why Riggs killed Shawn: Riggs was a member of the Dark Suns, a gang whose territory included the shop where Shawn had to buy the special soap. The next morning, Shawn taught him the first Rule (no crying). (including. Frick, however, doesn’t know who Riggs is. Mikey hugs Will, makes him feel safe and loved. Will entered the elevator and pressed the “L” button to take him down to the ground floor. Will asks what any of this has to do with Shawn, and Frick replies that Shawn followed the Rules. It is a follow-up to the Long Way Round of 2004, when the pair rode east from London to New York via Eurasia and North America. Summary. The other two Rules are no snitching, and always seek revenge—this means that if a loved one is killed, you must kill their killer. Part 6. Will introduces himself to the reader and swears that his story is true, though he understands if the reader doesn’t believe it. Long Way Down. When Will tried to follow it, he wanted to punch something. Will yelps, leaps back, and reaches for his gun. In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. Long Way Down - Pages 1 - 35 Summary & Analysis. Part 1. He asks the reader to call him Will, like everyone else does. At that point, then-16-year-old Buck took Shawn under his wing. He lights his own cigarette and the elevator stops. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. In the novel Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds, Will, the main character, has been taught to live by the rules: don't cry, don't snitch, and take revenge. In 'Long Way Down,' The Ghosts Of Gun Violence Chill A Plan For Revenge Jason Reynolds' new book follows a 15-year-old who must make a crucial decision after the murder of … Then, the loved one of his victim had killed him. The elevator stops again. The elevator stopped on the sixth floor. Long Way Down Character Analysis . The man starts to look oddly at Will, and finally he turns around and shows Will his T-shirt, which has a photo of the man and a caption memorializing his own death. LONG WAY DOWN. 1. Enjoy this free preview Unlock all 26 pages of this Study Guide by subscribing today. Dani entered. Download Save. Shawn turned around and asked Will if he was coming. Characters The police put up yellow tape, zip Shawn into a body bag, and take him away. We'll make guides for February's winners by March 31st—guaranteed. Long Way Down - Pages 193 - 234 Summary & Analysis. No one he knows invented them, they've just always existed: No Crying, No Snitching, Get Revenge. Character Analysis. He pulls down his shirt to reveal a bloody bullet hole, and Buck explains that Shawn found out who Frick was from Tony, who spends his days at the basketball court talking about everything to make himself seem cool. He sees that the hands belong to the ghost of Uncle Mark, whom Will recognizes from the many photos of Mark around his house. Will must decide if he’ll follow neighborhood code to keep quiet and seek revenge on Shawn’s murderer, or if he’ll make another decision. The rules are so old it’s hard to know where they came from, but Will knows they are not meant to be broken. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Will decides to shoot the man who he believes killed Shawn. Symbols & Motifs. Will thinks that Shawn didn’t, but he remembers Shawn saying that he knew who killed Buck and watching Shawn load his gun. They embrace happily, and Buck introduces the man as Frick, his killer. Buck was Shawn’s mentor after Pop, the boys’ father, died. The 60-second trip down the elevator from his apartment to the killer is among the longest of his life. Long Way Down Jason Reynolds. He gave the chain to Shawn to cheer him up, and Shawn left the court. When it happens, Will and his friend Tony are outside, wondering if they’ll grow taller now that they’re 15. Uncle Mark walks Will through the “scene” of killing Riggs, but when they get to the point of Will pulling the trigger, Will struggles to say it. Then, Shawn killed Frick as revenge. Will is disturbed—the girl can see Buck’s ghost and somehow knows Will has a gun. Uncle Mark extremely tall and impeccably dressed, and he emotionally tells Will that he looks just like Pop. When the elevator finally reached the ground floor, all of these un-dead people exited the elevator, but Will remained inside. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor next. Themes. Part 5. A Long Way Down is a novel written by British author Nick Hornby, published in 2005.It is a dark comedy, playing off the themes of suicide, angst, depression and promiscuity.. Part 6. Will tries to adopt a tough stance and listens to Buck explain that he gave the gun to Shawn and told Shawn to keep the gun away from Will. Frick, however, doesn’t know who Riggs is. The big-screen version of Hornby's black comedy about suicidal strangers who bond on the roof of … Themes. A Long Way Down: Characters; Summary ; Symbols; Image patterns; Figure of Speech; Themes; Irony ; Conflicts ; Time, Setting and Perspective ; Author ; Main Characters ( left to right ) J.J He is an American who came to London with his girlfriend Lizzy. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”. The story starts of with four different individuals intending to commit suicide on New Year’s eve on Topper’s Tower. Only his mother calls him William, and his brother Shawn used to too, when he was trying to be funny—but last night, Shawn was killed. When they stand up, Will sees that Shawn is dead. Though Will wants to tell Pop everything, he doesn’t—he doesn’t want to look weak in front of the other ghosts. He is also the author of Songbook , a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award, Shakespeare Wrote for Money , and The Polysyllabic Spree , as well as the editor of the short-story collection Speaking with the Angel . Enjoy this free preview Unlock all 26 pages of this Study Guide by subscribing today. Part 3. On the elevator, Uncle Mark tried to get Will to narrate his revenge plan like a movie, but Will struggled when he got to the part about vocalizing his intent to shoot Riggs. Will’s father, Mikey Holloman, entered. Will announces that he found it anyway, and that he needs it to avenge Shawn’s death and follow the Rules, just like Buck would’ve done. Teachers and parents! Get started. A Long Way Down: Characters; Summary ; Symbols; Image patterns; Figure of Speech; Themes; Irony ; Conflicts ; Time, Setting and Perspective ; Author ; major themes" A cure for unhappiness is happiness" is one of the themes of this novel. Print Word PDF. Print Word PDF. Jason Reynolds. After Will wets himself in fear, Pop removes the gun away and gives it back to Will. Themes. Part 3. The morning after Shawn’s death, Will digs into the middle drawer and fishes out the gun. 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