Grief
Grief—deep sorrow caused by someone's death—is a major theme in Long Way Down. The theme arises early in the novel when Will states that his brother Shawn was killed two days earlier. In order to deal with his grief, Will resorts to "The Rules," a set of dictates that discourage crying and encourage revenge as a means of coping with the loss of a loved one. Reynolds builds on this central theme with the introduction of several ghosts of people who have died from gun homicide. Among the ghosts are Will's father and Shawn, both of whom sought to follow The Rules when feeling grief over Uncle Mark and Buck, respectively. Ultimately, the novel depicts a young man grappling with grief in an instance where the socially sanctioned form of mourning for males is to focus on their anger while denying any feelings that would expose them as weak or vulnerable.
Revenge
Another major theme in the novel is revenge and its disastrous consequences. Revenge—the action of inflicting hurt as retribution for a wrong suffered—enters the narrative when Will lays out The Rules. Rule No.3 states simply: "Get revenge." With his brother's gun, Will sets out to kill the man he believes shot Shawn. With this act of vengeance, Will assumes he will even the score and be better able to accept Shawn's death. However, when Will enters the elevator and meets with the ghosts of people he once knew, his commitment to revenge is shaken. The stories of his father and brother—both of whom were killed in retaliation for avenging deaths—lead Will to the private realization that he cannot say for certain that killing Riggs will solve his problems. If anything, to avenge Shawn's death will guarantee Will is the next victim of Rule No. 3. The novel ends with Will considering whether he wants to cross that boundary and join the elevator ghosts in the afterlife.
Masculinity
Throughout the book, masculinity arises as a key theme. At fifteen, Will is on the threshold between childhood and adulthood. As such, his idea of what a man should be is informed by the examples set by Shawn and Buck, who in turn learned from Mikey and Uncle Mark. Will believes the men in his life all followed The Rules, and he reaches for these guidelines when coping with the loss of Shawn. However, The Rules are restrictive, stating that a man must not cry and therefore show fear or weakness. While Will tries to follow The Rules, the ghosts put up repeated challenges to his masculine posturing until Will breaks. Will's true vulnerability is exposed when he pees himself in fear, when he cries over his uncertainty about killing Riggs, and when he seems to want nothing more than to hug the people he has lost. Ultimately, the novel shows how The Rules encourage Will to imitate preconceived notions of masculinity that are emotionally harmful and lead to acts that harm both the individuals trying to live up to expectations and the society that must live with the consequences of their actions.
Mentorship
Mentorship—guidance provided by a trusted or experienced person—is another important theme in Long Way Down. Reynolds subtly builds on the theme whenever Will speaks admiringly of Shawn or mentions how he wears Shawn's cologne and oversized hand-me-down clothing. Will also understands how mentorship was important to Shawn himself, who learned how to be a man in the world from Buck, who himself stepped in to be a mentor when Shawn's and Will's father was killed. When hoping to flirt with Dani, Will admits to this chain of influence, saying that Dani brushing his hand is "the perfect open for me to flirt or at least try to do my best impression of Shawn, which was his best impression of Buck." Reynolds also emphasizes the importance of mentorship with Will's strong desire to commit to The Rules, the only remaining guidance he has from Shawn, who in turn inherited them from Buck and Mikey and Mark. In the end, the ghosts of Will's mentors appear so they may teach him one more important lesson. While they don't explicitly discourage him from getting revenge, their questions provoke Will to rethink his commitment to The Rules. As important as their mentorship has been, he is destined to suffer the same fate if he carries out his plan.
Gun Violence
The broader issue at the heart of Long Way Down is the omnipresent gun violence Will and his community must deal with. When recounting Shawn's shooting, Will casually details how he initially reacted to the sounds of gunshots as though it was any other shooting. At fifteen, he has already lived through innumerable shootings, and so he and Tony know the drill when they hear shots, ducking until the sound stops and then standing up to count bodies. It is when Will sees his brother lying dead that the shooting becomes something out of the ordinary. However, he responds to his grief in his community's expected way, which is to get revenge. With Will's decision to shoot Riggs for presumably shooting Shawn, Reynolds shows how gun violence is perpetuated in communities like Will's. Rather than Shawn's death being the end of something, it is simply the next domino to fall in a sequence set in motion decades earlier. By the end of the novel, Will faces the question of whether he is going to be the one to stop the cycle of violence that claimed Shawn.
Uncertainty
Uncertainty is a dominant theme in Long Way Down. Mixed into Will's determination to abide by The Rules and avenge his brother's death is a strong sense of moral obligation to make sure Shawn's killer suffers consequences. At only fifteen, Will assumes this responsibility as though it is a rite of passage into manhood. However, the surety Will begins the elevator ride with is steadily worn down by the ghosts who challenge him to reconsider his decision. While Will hopes to live by the same rules that led to the murders of so many loved ones, he comes to realize that if he is to live by The Rules, he will invariably die by The Rules. In the climactic scene with Shawn, Will wants the mute ghost of his brother to tell him if he is duty-bound to kill Riggs. Shawn, however, refuses to answer, letting Will writhe in the agony of not knowing what to do. The novel ends on this open question, leaving the reader to grapple with the same uncertainty that will haunt Will for the rest of his life, regardless of whether his life is long or short.
Fear
Fear is another important theme in Long Way Down. As a young man living in a community rent apart by gang violence, Will feels obliged to put up a tough, brave front in the face of danger. In his narration, Will attempts to put forward this fearless persona, bringing attention to the fact that most readers might assume someone would be terrified to realize they are stuck in an elevator with a ghost. Will, however, speaks with a casual indifference to things that would normally frighten people, such as a nearby shooting that provokes the routine reaction of ducking for cover and then counting bodies. Despite the front he puts up, Will's fear gradually surfaces, and it becomes apparent that he is more affected by disturbing things than it would be 'manly,' in his view, to admit. The greatest challenge comes when Will's father holds a handgun to Will's head, prompting a physiological expression of fear as Will involuntarily wets his pants. Ultimately, Will ends the novel in a far more vulnerable place than he began, fearful of what will happen if he tries to carry out what he believes is his duty.
