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The 15-year-old protagonist and narrator of the novel—the story is told through poems in Will’s voice. Will is sensitive, perceptive, and loves language,—but he also desperately wants to grow up and be a man like his dad, Pop; his Uncle Mark; and his big brother, Shawn, all of whom died because they followed the neighborhood “Rules” of revenge killing. The Rules state that when a person’s loved one is killed, the person must find the killer and avenge the love one’s death. As Shawn was killed in a gang-related the night before the novel begins, Will is intent on following the Rules and killing Carlson Riggs, the man he believes killed Shawn. Will believes that doing this is the only way he’ll be able to express his love and loyalty, as well as deal with his overwhelming grief. Despite Will’s posturing, he’s nevertheless disturbed by the gun he takes from Shawn’s drawer and the thought of what he’s going to do with it. On Will’s elevator ride down to the lobby of his apartment building, ghosts of family members and friends who were killed by gun violence join him. Collectively, they force Will to question the morality of his plan. Though Will tries to maintain his resolve and act as overtly masculine as possible, everything the ghosts do makes Will feel like a child. The ghost of Buck, Shawn’s mentor, forces Will to reckon with the fact that he knows nothing about guns, while the ghost of Uncle Mark makes Will say out loud that he’s going to kill someone—something that Will can barely squeak out. Most importantly, however, is what Pop tells Will: that when he tried to avenge Uncle Mark’s murder, he got the wrong guy. Further, when the ghost of Frick (the man Shawn killed) gets on the elevator and doesn’t know of Riggs, Will has to contend with the possibility that he, too, is going to make a mistake by shooting the wrong person. This concern is echoed by the ghost of Will’s childhood friend, Dani, who was accidentally killed in a shooting at eight years old. Though Will clings tightly to the Rules and insists they can’t be broken, he begins to reevaluate this when Shawn gets on the elevator and begins to cry, and Will realizes that he doesn’t love Shawn less for breaking the “no crying” rule. While the novel ends ambiguously before Will exits the elevator, this revelation leaves open the possibility that Will chooses to not follow through with killing Riggs.
William (Will) Holloman Quotes in Long Way Down
The Long Way Down quotes below are all either spoken by William (Will) Holloman or refer to William (Will) Holloman. 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:
).
Prologue Quotes
BEEF
gets passed down like name-brand
T-shirts around here. Always too big.
Never ironed out.
gets inherited like a trunk of fool’s
gold or a treasure map leading
to nowhere.
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ANOTHER THING ABOUT THE RULES
They weren’t meant to be broken.
They were meant for the broken
to follow.
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NO. 1.1: SURVIVAL TACTICS (made plain)
Get
down
with
some
body
or
get
beat
down
by
some
body.
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I WRAPPED MY FINGERS
around the grip, placing
them over Shawn’s
prints like little
brother holding big
brother’s hand again,
walking me to the store,
teaching me how to
do a Penny Drop.
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Seven Quotes
[...] I thought about this when the man with
the gold chains got on and checked to see if the
L button was already glowing. I wondered if he knew
that in me and Shawn’s world, I’d already chosen to be
a loser.
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Six Quotes
Then
the bus-stop
lean back
to get a glimpse
of the world.
But the metal barrel
dug into my back,
making me wince,
making me obvious
and wack.
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SHE BRUSHED HER HAND AGAINST MINE
to get my attention,
which on any other
occasion would’ve
been 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.
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WHEN THEY SAID
you were gone,
I cried all night,
I confessed.
And the next morning,
over hard-boiled eggs
and sugar cereal,
Shawn taught me
Rule Number One—
no crying.
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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.
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So I explained them to
her so she wouldn’t think
less of me for following
them
[...]
So that she knew I had
purpose
and that this was about
family
and had I known
The Rules when we
were kids I would’ve
done the same thing
for her.
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Five Quotes
Fly.
Like Shawn.
Foreshadowing the flash.
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BUT TO EXPLAIN MYSELF
I said,
The Rules are
the rules.
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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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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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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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Four Quotes
I was only three.
And I don’t remember that.
I’ve always wanted to,
but I don’t.
I so don’t.
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A BROKEN HEART
killed my dad.
That’s what my mother
always said.
And as a kid
I always figured
his heart
was forreal broken
like an arm
or a toy
or the middle drawer.
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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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BUT YOU DID WHAT YOU HAD TO DO,
I said,
after listening to
my father admit
what I had already
known,
The Rules
are the rules.
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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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Three Quotes
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.
But instead
I just said,
Riggs.
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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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AND EVEN THOUGH
his face was wet
with tears he wasn’t
supposed to cry
when he was alive,
I couldn’t see him
as anything less
than my brother,
my favorite,
my only.
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William (Will) Holloman Character Timeline in Long Way Down
The timeline below shows where the character William (Will) Holloman appears in Long Way Down. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
...true and really happened to him. The narrator then introduces himself: his full name is William Holloman, but everyone just calls him Will. He instructs the reader to call him Will,...
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Will doesn’t know the reader’s last name, or if they have brothers, sisters, parents, or other...
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Although it feels difficult, strange, and sad to say that Shawn is dead, Will isn’t particularly surprised by his brother’s death. This lack of surprise is possibly even stranger...
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During this conversation, Will, Tony, and everyone else in the area hear gunshots. They run and tuck themselves down,...
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According to Will, usually only moms, girlfriends, or daughters scream when someone is killed. At the scene of...
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...that he didn’t see anything—even Marcus knows better than to act like he knows something. Will clarifies that gunshots make people deaf and blind, especially when the shots kill someone. It’s...
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When bad things happen, Will and his family can usually look up and see the moon. In the past, it’s...
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A random thought pops into Will’s head: under the glow of streetlights, blood soaking into clothes looks like chocolate syrup. Will...
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In Will’s neighborhood, beef gets passed around like name-brand T-shirts. Like the T-shirts, the beef is always...
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Back in his eight-floor apartment, Will locks himself in his room and covers his head with a pillow so he doesn’t...
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...someone you love gets killed, you must find the killer and kill them in return. Will says that the Rules didn’t come from Shawn, Shawn’s friends, Will and Shawn’s dad or...
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Will and Shawn shared a bedroom. Each side is the same, with a bed and a...
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...tooth in an otherwise perfect mouth. Shawn kept his gun in the middle drawer, and Will suspects Shawn messed it up on purpose to keep Will and their mother out. Will...
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Will’s mother used to say that she knew Shawn was young and needed to get out,...
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When Will turned 13, Shawn spritzed Will with cologne and said Will’s first girlfriend would like it....
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All of a sudden, the room seems lopsided to Will. He’s curious about Shawn’s middle drawer, which seems to call to Will. Will thinks that...
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In Will’s neighborhood, Carlson Riggs is known for being loud, but gentle. Some say he talks so...
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...Dark Suns wait for people to cross into their territory, which starts nine blocks from Will’s building—the corner store that carries their mother’s special soap is right inside their territory. Riggs...
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Will has never held or touched a gun. When he picks up Shawn’s pistol from the...
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Will puts his fingers over Shawn’s prints on the gun and feels like he’s holding Shawn’s...
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The sun beams through the kitchen window, illuminating Will’s mother, who is asleep at the table. Her arms are swollen like she’s been scratching...
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Seven
Will notes that in elevators, everyone must follow the “elevator rules:” they get in, check that...
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Will is uncomfortable knowing that the man is looking at him. He recalls seeing men desperately...
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Will’s stomach leaps. He says Buck’s name and stumbles backwards. Will thinks this can’t be true...
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Will says he knows that the reader thinks he was scared of death, but he crosses...
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Will stands in silence until Buck stage whispers that Will’s “tail” is showing. Will puts his...
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Will says he’s glad he got the gun—he needs it now that Shawn is dead. Will...
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The elevator vibrates as though it’s off track, like the middle drawer. Scared, Will asks what’s taking so long and pounds on the door. Smiling, Buck says the elevator...
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Buck teasingly asks Will if he has a job to do and if he’s going to follow the Rules,...
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Will reaches for the gun, but Buck won’t let go. Will tries to yank the gun...
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Six
Will has just an instant to put the gun back in his waistband, turn around, and...
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...turns to Buck and sarcastically says that she didn’t know smoking was legal in elevators. Will is disturbed that the girl might be able to see Buck and wonders if she...
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The girl touches Will’s hand. Under normal circumstances, Will knows he’d take this opportunity to flirt or act like...
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The girl puts a hand on Will’s shoulder so he can smell her perfume and says she does know Will. Will is...
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The girl opens her purse, pulls out her wallet, and shows Will a photo the way white people in movies do to show off their kids. The...
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Will’s eyes go wide and he asks, “Dani?” He realizes this girl is Dani, in the...
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Sometimes, Will feels like God is showing off pictures of his children from his wallet—since the world...
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Will awkwardly tells Dani that it’s good to see her, which he means wholeheartedly. He thinks...
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Dani died before she learned the Rules. Will explains them to her now so that she won’t think he’s out to get someone...
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Will turns to Buck, hoping he’ll say something that will help. Instead, Buck merely pulls out...
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Five
...like a box of smoke. Buck and Dani puff and puff on their cigarettes, but Will expects the smoke to rush out when the doors open. It doesn’t. He thinks that...
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Two big hands reach through the smoke, grab Will’s shirt, and hold him by the neck as the doors close. Will can barely breathe...
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Will yelps and puts one hand on the gun. The newcomer asks Will what he’s reaching...
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According to Will’s mother, Uncle Mark videotaped everything, from dance battles to gang fights, with a camera that...
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In the elevator, Uncle Mark pulls Will into a hug, but Will can’t figure out how to hug a ghost. He thinks...
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A better question, suggests Uncle Mark, is why Will is here. Will thinks that one should always be skeptical of someone who answers a...
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Will agrees to tell the truth and says that “they” killed Shawn last night. Uncle Mark...
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...and very seriously says that they’re going to “set the scene” and talk through how Will’s plan is going to go down. In Uncle Mark’s “scene,” Will stands over Shawn’s bloody...
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Uncle Mark encourages Will to finish. Will thinks that up until now, things were going well—the last part is...
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...Mark lost his camera and couldn’t afford another one. He could’ve asked his mom, but Will says that would’ve been pointless. He could’ve stolen one, but that would mean he’d have...
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...street ducked and hid, and then pretended like the yellow tape was a “neighborhood flag.” Will thinks that Uncle Mark should’ve bought his camera and shot his movie after his first...
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Uncle Mark reaches into his pocket and pulls out two cigarettes. Will is annoyed and hopes the second cigarette isn’t meant for him—he doesn’t smoke, and he...
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Four
...are three people smoking in the elevator, the smoke doesn’t block the door this time. Will knows this doesn’t make sense, and he asks the reader to stick with him. As...
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Will doesn’t remember Pop. Shawn would try to get Will to remember Pop dressing up like...
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Will used to ask Shawn how he knew everything about Pop’s death. Shawn always said he...
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Pop tells Will that he already knows. Will can hear the sadness and love in Pop’s voice. 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 a father or a husband when...
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...his gun. Back at home, Pop says he took a hot shower. He couldn’t kiss Will’s mother, or Will and Shawn. Pop sat in the bathtub and felt like the porcelain...
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Confused, Will asks if Pop didn’t kill Gee. Pop says he killed Gee, but Gee didn’t kill...
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Will thinks of how he used to see kids on playgrounds stand on their dads’ feet....
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Will shrieks and asks what Pop is doing. A single tear falls down Pop’s cheek (which,...
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Will allows that he should’ve been wondering whether Pop could actually shoot him, since the version...
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Will screams, pushing Pop away. He’s wet and feels weak and childish. Pop leans against the...
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Three
...a mop of dirty brown hair gets into the elevator. He doesn’t acknowledge anyone, so Will figures he’s real and not a ghost like the others. Will is embarrassed about having...
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Before Frick can say anything, Will asks how Buck knows Frick and why Frick is in the elevator. Buck scoffs and...
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...for “young-buck,” a joke name Buck’s stepfather gave him because he couldn’t grow facial hair. Will explains that Buck was two-sided: he had a stepdad and a real dad. His stepdad,...
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...mainly stole money, but sometimes sneakers and jewelry, which he loved to show off. Now, Will is shocked to learn that Frick killed Buck. Buck throws a hand on Frick’s shoulder...
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...he had to go down to the store to buy special soap for his mother. Will thinks it’d be dumb to tell Buck about how important that soap is to their...
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...from a kid in the suburbs. The terrified kid had handed it over right away. Will asks what this has to do with Frick. Buck tells Will to hold on and...
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...says that for his initiation, his Dark Deed was, funny enough, just to rob Buck. Will doesn’t think this is funny at all. Frick says that everyone knew Buck always had...
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...somewhere. Buck laughs and says he’s certain it’s Shawn’s middle fingerprint. When everyone’s done laughing, Will asks how Shawn knew Frick killed Buck. Buck explains that there was only one other...
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Buck asks Will how he knows that Riggs got Shawn. Will says it makes sense—Riggs avenged Frick’s death....
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Two
No one is there when the elevator door opens, so Will punches the L button over and over. Will mumbles “come on” under his breath. He’s...
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...men. Then, all the ghosts line up against the wall as Shawn turns to face Will. Will recounts how, as a kid, he’d follow Shawn around making a strange noise. Shawn...
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Will steps forward and hugs Shawn, but Shawn stands there awkwardly instead of hugging him back....
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Will confesses that he’s scared and needs to know if he’s doing the right thing. He...
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Even though Shawn isn’t supposed to cry and never did when he was alive, Will realizes that Shawn is still his favorite and only brother. A grinding, moaning sound, like...
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Will looks around. All he can see through the smoke is the orange glow from the...
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