Long Way Down

Reynolds uses casual, frank language in Will’s narration and dialogue to demonstrate Will’s youthfulness. For example, Will states, “the sadness is just so hard to explain” (6). Instead of describing his feelings using flowery or overly detailed language, Will plainly states his emotions or, in this case, his inability to express those emotions. This means of expression further characterizes Will as a genuine and upfront person.

Reynolds also uses many slang terms and phrases to suggest that Will has grown up in a neighborhood where most people speak in a colloquial way. For instance, in the first sentence of the book, Will states, “Don’t nobody believe nothing these days which is why I haven’t told nobody the story I’m about to tell you” (1). While these double negatives are not proper in terms of grammar and syntax, they reveal a lot of contextual information about Will’s upbringing. Additionally, Will uses terminology in a slightly untraditional way in some cases. In “Maybe He Didn’t Hear Me,” Will states that old people “always try to act like I’m not forreal” (98). Will uses a slightly altered version of “for real,” to expresses his belief that adults do not take him seriously. This demonstrates how Will imparts more meaning on certain words to make them better apply to his scenario and the way he feels.

Will also views words like puzzles, since he often instills multiple meanings into certain significant words. This reveals itself when Will discusses his fascination with anagrams, which carry on throughout the novel. Another example of this tendency appears when Will discusses the “nighttime.” For example, after learning about his father shooting Uncle Mark’s killer, Will states, “that something that my pop said had gotten into him must be what my mom meant by the nighttime” (214). On account of his mother’s warning, Will views the nighttime as if it is a living force or being that can impact people’s decisions at certain late hours, beyond just having to do with darkness or time.

In addition, Will makes many comparisons, which benefit from the verse form of the novel. In “I’ve Never Been,” Will compares his feeling of grief after seeing Shawn’s dead body to the experience of an earthquake (13). Reynolds creates a divide using the distance of spaces in each line on this page to emulate the effect of an earthquake on land. This demonstrates Will’s affinity for comparisons and metaphors because he likes to compare his feelings to greater phenomenon that more people may have faced in order to cope with those unfamiliar sensations.