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Will’s Mother
Uncle Mark was Will and Shawn’s uncle and Pop’s brother, who died sometime when Will was a toddler. As Pop’s older brother, Uncle Mark was the one to pass on “the Rules” of the neighborhood to Pop. Mark was an extraordinarily tall man who was always impeccably dressed in suits, dress shoes, and jewelry, with a cigarette tucked behind his ear. There are lots of photos of Uncle Mark around Will’s house, and Will has heard several stories about his uncle—so in some ways, it feels like he knows Uncle Mark when Mark’s ghost shows up in the elevator on Will’s way down to his apartment building’s lobby. In life, Uncle Mark was an aspiring filmmaker. He filmed everything on a camera he received for his birthday, but his dream was to make a movie based on Pop and Will’s mother’s dramatic and romantic early relationship. Though Mark started to film, he lost his camera before he could finish. To make the money for a new camera, he began selling drugs. This led to Mark being shot to death a few months later. Will shares that Uncle Mark wasn’t one to get a job or steal (stealing would require running, which might make him sweat or muss his clothes), so dealing drugs seemed like his best option. As a ghost, Uncle Mark plays the role of both a roughhousing peer and a somewhat scary authority figure. He menacingly makes Will tell the truth about his plan to avenge Shawn’s own shooting death, and then forces Will to walk through the “scene” of killing Carlson Riggs (who Will believes killed Shawn). Doing so exposes the cracks in Will’s resolve. Later, the ghost of Uncle Mark helps the ghost of Pop explain what went wrong when Pop tried to follow the Rules and avenge Uncle Mark’s death.
Uncle Mark Quotes in Long Way Down
The Long Way Down quotes below are all either spoken by Uncle Mark or refer to Uncle Mark. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Five Quotes
Fly.
Like Shawn.
Foreshadowing the flash.
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Explanation and Analysis:
As Will describes Uncle Mark’s impeccable manner of dress, he suggests that Mark’s death and appearance—which both resemble Shawn’s—foreshadowed Shawn’s death. This is another way for Will to see that the violence in his community is a cycle or a chain that gets passed from person to person—the same story seems to play out over multiple generations. In the case of Shawn and Uncle Mark, Will implies that both of them were involved in selling drugs and both stood out because of their striking appearances, turning them into targets for other nefarious individuals. As Will makes these connections, he also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officii
BUT TO EXPLAIN MYSELF
I said,
The Rules are
the rules.
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While explaining why he has to kill Carlson Riggs to Uncle Mark, Will reminds his uncle that “the Rules are / the rules,” implying that everyone in their community knows the Rules cannot be broken. Will’s total acceptance of the Rules is a convenient way for him to get out thinking critically about what the Rules really mean, what the consequences of following them are, and what other options might be out there for him. If the Rules are as inarguable as Will says, of course it makes sense to follow them. But given that Will is in an elevator Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omn
He knew them
like I knew them.
Passed to him.
Passed them to his little brother.
Passed to my older brother.
Passed to me.
The Rules
have always ruled.
past present future forever.
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Will tells the reader that Uncle Mark knows the Rules as well as Will does, and lays out the path the Rules took from Uncle Mark to Will. In doing so, Will convinces himself that it’s impossible to argue with the Rules—this is how his world works, and as far as he’s concerned, always has. This is, of course, not true—the Rules had to have come from somewhere, and were created by people (probably grieving people) to deal with their emotional pain. Ignoring the underlying reality of the Rules, however, allows Will to think of them as something constant and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut
it was like the word
came out and at the same time
time went in.
Went down
into me and
chewed on everything
inside as if
I had somehow
swallowed
my own teeth
and they were
sharper than
I’d ever known.
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Uncle Mark talks Will through the “scene” of what shooting Carlson Riggs will look like, and finally gets Will to say outright that he’s going to shoot Riggs. The experience of saying this causes Will physical pain, suggesting that he’s not actually prepared to follow through with his plan. This is an important exercise for Will to think about going forward, as it shows Will that it’s not just Riggs who’s going to suffer when Will shoots him. Will will suffer too: he’ll have to cope with the guilt of killing someone, and will likely either end up in prison Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim ne
The end?
he murmured,
looking at Buck,
motioning for a light.
It’s never the end,
Uncle Mark said,
all chuckle, chuckle.
He leaned toward Buck.
Never.
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When Uncle Mark asks Will what’s going to happen after Will shoots Carlson Riggs, Will insists that shooting Riggs is the end of the story, something that Uncle Mark insists isn’t true. Uncle Mark makes an important point here: though they may be able to end this hypothetical “scene” anywhere they want, in real life, Will is going to have to go on and live with the consequences of whatever he chooses—life won’t automatically return to normal the moment he shoots Riggs. In all likelihood, Will’s life will become even more painful and difficult, given that someone else will probably Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaq
Four Quotes
WHAT YOU THINK YOU SHOULD DO?
he asked.
Follow the Rules,
I said
just like I told
everybody else.
Just like you did.
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When Pop asks Will what Will thinks he should do, Will stands firm by his belief that he—like all the male role models in his life—must follow the Rules of the neighborhood. Most importantly, Will suggests that by following through with the Rules, he’d be following in Pop’s footsteps, something his tone implies is positive and that Pop should be proud of. For Will, the rules are a way to connect to his deceased family members, whom he misses terribly and wishes he’d gotten to get to know. The most appropriate way to connect to them, however, isn’t poring over Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut
I didn’t know
he wasn’t the right guy,
Pop said,
a tremble in
his throat.
I was sure that was Mark’s killer.
Had
to
be.
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With difficulty, Pop admits to Will that he shot and killed the wrong guy when he tried to avenge Uncle Mark’s death. The language Pop uses to describe his thought process, and how sure he was that he had the right guy, is significant—it is, almost word for word, exactly the reasoning Will gives for believing Carlson Riggs killed Shawn. The fact that Pop got it wrong, then, casts doubts on whether Will has the right guy, or if he’s simply going to repeat Pop’s mistake by following the Rules. While it’s usually impossible to know the secrets of the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus volup
Two Quotes
I TOLD HIM
about the
drawer,
the gun,
that I did
like he told me,
like Buck told him,
like our grandfather told
our uncle, like our uncle
told our dad.
I followed The Rules.
At least the first two.
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When Shawn finally joins everyone in the elevator, Will shares everything with him and insists that he’s doing exactly what Shawn told him to do. This is also the final time that Will draws out the chain of violence that the Rules have created, reaching back to their grandfather. Again, Will’s insistence on putting his own actions into this context reinforces to himself that he’s upholding the family tradition and doing what men in his family are supposed to do. Following the Rules means avenging Shawn’s death, and blindly accepting the Rules means Will doesn’t have to think as hard Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessi
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Uncle Mark Character Timeline in Long Way Down
The timeline below shows where the character Uncle Mark appears in Long Way Down. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
...says that the Rules didn’t come from Shawn, Shawn’s friends, Will and Shawn’s dad or uncle, or any of the guys outside. They didn’t come from Will, either. Will also explains...
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Five
...Uncle Mark calls Will forward. As Uncle Mark towers above Will, Will remembers that his uncle is supposed to be dead. Uncle Mark puts his hands on Will’s shoulders and says...
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According to Will’s mother, Uncle Mark videotaped everything, from dance battles to gang fights, with a camera that Mark’s mom bought...
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...this person he knows. Will asks Uncle Mark why he’s here as he looks his uncle up and down. At this, Uncle Mark looks sad, and Will figures that Uncle Mark...
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A better question, suggests Uncle Mark , is why Will is here. Will thinks that one should always be skeptical of...
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Will agrees to tell the truth and says that “they” killed Shawn last night. Uncle Mark interjects and asks if Will woke up today ready to fix things because he suddenly...
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Uncle Mark purses his lips, opens his eyes, and very seriously says that they’re going to “set...
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Uncle Mark encourages Will to finish. Will thinks that up until now, things were going well—the last...
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At some point, Uncle Mark lost his camera and couldn’t afford another one. He could’ve asked his mom, but Will...
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That hustler shot and killed Uncle Mark in order to take the corner from him. Everyone on the street ducked and hid,...
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Uncle Mark reaches into his pocket and pulls out two cigarettes. Will is annoyed and hopes the...
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Four
...time, or the parts of one’s soul that bleed. After letting Will go, Pop shakes Uncle Mark ’s hand and hugs him. The only sounds are those of hands touching and of...
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...the middle drawer. Shawn, however, said that Pop died for killing the man who killed Uncle Mark . A man approached Pop at a payphone, asked him if he knew a man...
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...about Shawn, his mother, and the Rules, but he holds back because Buck, Dani, and Uncle Mark have warm, odd looks on their faces.
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...should do. Will says he should follow the Rules, just like Pop did. Pop and Uncle Mark exchange a look as Uncle Mark asks if Will has ever heard Pop’s story. Will...
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Pop says that after Uncle Mark died, his heart was shattered. Will and Shawn were little, and Pop didn’t feel like...
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...had to do—he already knows this story, and the Rules are law in their neighborhood. Uncle Mark and Pop look at Will. There’s some combination of guilt and grief in their eyes,...
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...asks if Pop didn’t kill Gee. Pop says he killed Gee, but Gee didn’t kill Uncle Mark —he was involved with Mark’s killer, but was just a kid trying to make money....
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...wet and feels weak and childish. Pop leans against the wall and stares up until Uncle Mark approaches him and offers him the extra cigarette. Pop stares at Will as he puts...
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Three
...that nobody can fault him for trying to earn his stripes. He catches Pop and Uncle Mark ’s eyes, and they both nod and agree. Frick continues his story and says that...
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Two
...uncomfortable spending one more second in this elevator. It’s starting to feel like a coffin. Uncle Mark chuckles that Will would never survive in prison as the doors finally start to close....
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...is thrilled to see Shawn. He slaps hands with Buck, spins Dani around, and embraces Uncle Mark . Beaming, Shawn approaches Pop. They hug and then shake hands like men. Then, all...
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...him to do, which is what Buck taught Shawn to do, what their grandfather taught Uncle Mark to do, and what Uncle Mark taught Pop to do. Will says that so far,...
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