Long Way Down

“I think she hoped / her voice would / somehow keep him / alive” 

Will refers to Leticia in this passage, one of the earliest scenes in the novel. Shawn has just been shot, and Leticia weeps over his body in the street. Will describes her weeping as an attempt to him back, a way to channel her grief into a miracle.

“gun shots make everybody / deaf and blind” 

Will reflects on the neighborhood’s impulse to avoid police interaction, even after a violent crime. He describes how even those who wept over Shawn’s body didn’t see or hear anything; they lie to avoid becoming a suspect or another victim.

“I’ll tell you one thing, / the moon is lucky it’s not down here / where nothing / is ever / new”

The day Shawn dies, there is no moon—it’s a new moon, so the sky is empty. This metaphor is similar to Will’s tooth metaphor, and here he reflects on the cycle of violence and how Shawn’s death is one of many he has experienced.

“Because crying / is against / The Rules” 

Will wants to cry after Shawn dies, but he also feels the impulse to hold it in, to follow The Rules. He wants to handle this situation like a man, even though he feels like he can’t cope. Here, he holds his tears in.

“They weren’t meant to be broken / they were meant for the broken / to follow” 

This quote refers to The Rules. Will says The Rules are not meant for people to break but for helping broken people cope. They are a coping mechanism for a damaged community that no one wants to follow but everyone feels they must.

“Heavier than / I expected / Like holding / a newborn” 

After Will finds Shawn’s gun, he holds it for the first time. He compares the gun here to a newborn baby; it’s heavier than he expects. This metaphor depicts gun’s power to take life away.

“RIP BUCK YOU’LL BE MISSED 4EVA” 

This quote comes from Buck’s shirt, a commemorative T-shirt that was made after his death. Buck wears it to remind Will who he is. Ironically, though the shirt says he will be missed “4EVA,” Will doesn’t remember who Buck is.

“I came to check on my gun” 

Buck says this to Will when they first meet, and Will asks why Buck is visiting him. Will carries Buck’s gun, which Buck gave to Shawn. This further emphasizes the legacy of violence in Will’s life.

“[It’s] a long way down” 

The novel’s title comes from this passage, which reflects the emotional turmoil Will experiences in the elevator, as he makes a choice that will change his life. Though the elevator only descents seven floors, which takes one minute of real time, the warping of time in the novel reflects the difficulty of Will’s situation.

“You don’t got it in you / he repeated / over and over again” 

Buck is talking to Will, telling him he doesn’t have the ability to kill another man. Will is hurt by this and becomes defensive; he feels an impetus to follow The Rules.

“But / I do / Know / You / Will” 

Dani says this to Will when he doesn’t recognize her; she died when she was eight and has grown older since then. The shock of this recognition troubles Will, reminding him of the pains of his childhood and the memory of that distant loss.

“I stood in the shower / the next morning / after Shawn taught me / the first rule, / no crying / feeling like / I wanted to scratch / my skin off scratch / my eyes out punch / through something, / a wall, / a face, / anything, / so something else / could have / a hole.” 

Will reflects on the first time he watched someone die; Dani was the victim, and he was only eight. Shawn taught him how to manage his grief that day, using The Rules. Here, Will demonstrates how an inability to cry forces him toward violence—this time, toward himself.

“What if you / miss?” 

This is Dani’s final question to Will. She is concerned that if he shoots Riggs, he might create an unintentional victim. Dani speaks on behalf of all victims here, both intentional and unintentional. She was an unexpected casualty, and Will is reminded of the guilt he might have to live with if he pulls the trigger.

“Six foot four / Six foot five / (Six feet deep)” 

Will makes this play on words to describe his Uncle Mark, a hulking man who died when Will was too young to remember. Uncle Mark is a big man, but he wasn’t strong enough to fight a bullet. This wordplay also showcases how death has become a normal presence in Will’s life.

“Look like your damn daddy” 

Mark says this to Will when they first meet on the elevator. His comparison of Will to his father, Mikey, is symbolic foreshadowing: Mikey also avenged his brother’s death, and he died in the process.

“The Rules are / the rules” 

Will speaks here, making an argument for his plan of action, which is to follow The Rules because The Rules are all Will knows. No one has taught him another way to cope.

“It’s never the end / Uncle Mark said, / all chuckle, chuckle” 

Uncle Mark comments on the cycle of violence with this dark joke. He is trying to help Will see that the story will continue after he pulls the trigger. Mark can foresee Will dead or imprisoned, but Will refuses to imagine the consequences of his actions.

“I don’t know, / I don’t know, / I don’t know / what to do” 

Will talks to his father here. After they meet in the elevator, Will is finally able to show his confusion and weakness. His repeated question indicates his distress and desperation, and the depth of his grief. He feels he must do something, but he has no one to guide him.

“I couldn’t just come home / and be a daddy and a husband / when I couldn’t be a brother / no more” 

Here Mikey Holloman tells Will what happened when he avenged his brother’s death. He describes the depth of his grief, and how Mark’s death threw his entire identity into question.

“Looked at me with hollow eyes / dancing somewhere between / guilt and grief” 

Will describes the look that Mikey and Mark give him as they recount the story of Mikey’s death. They admit that Mikey shot the wrong guy, and they are still haunted by this unnecessary death.

“This is the man who murdered me” 

Buck nonchalantly introduces Will to his killer, Frick. Frick was part of a gang, and robbing Buck was part of his initiation. Though this interaction is casual, Will is horrified by the randomness of Buck’s death and the unnecessary nature of his murder.

“A dumb thing to say / would’ve been to / tell Buck how important / that soap was / that it stopped Mom from / scraping loose a river / of wounds” 

Will thinks this as Buck talks about the soap Shawn died buying for his mother. Will explains the metaphor of his mother’s skin condition: Her eczema symbolizes the pain she carries in her body after raising boys in a place where they are almost guaranteed to die.

“I thought you said / no crying / Shawn” 

Will speaks to Shawn’s ghost, though Shawn doesn’t respond. Shawn weeps in front of Will, breaking The Rules and showing Will that there are other, healthier and less violent, ways to grieve.