-Whole text level: Revolves around the gun. The end displays how the middle drawer represents Shawn. When it describes the drawer as being the only out of place thing in Shawns room; this points to how the only out of place thing in Shawn's life was the gun, otherwise he was a very put together person. This section is an introduction to the gun; it opens the door to Will's journey. The drawer was supposed to keep will out; this highlights the fact that Shawn knows that he is not supposed to be doing this.

-YA Lit Themes: Discusses keeping secrets or things hidden from your family. Represents shame and also keeping things away from family to protect them. The passage can display the theme of feeling stuck.

-"and I'm cracking" is a metaphor of how Will is beginning to break down in his emotions and feelings of his father.

-Will is overwhelmed with all his emotions of seeing his father and embracing him for the first time in years.

-Will burying himself in his father's armpit to get "lost" in this new feeling of fatherhood symbolizes how foreign this concept is for him.

Whole Text Level:

-Some themes this passage represent includes the confusion that comes with grief, specifically a father figure.

-This passage shows how Will was taught to be unsympathetic and emotionless, but is slowly breaking the rules he's been following.

YA Lit Themes:

-The passage represents the impact parental figures have on adolescent identity (absence and confusion)

-The passage also represents the theme of personal values and beliefs by showing how Will is trying to process his emotions, while staying true or breaking the "rules".

• Similes

  • "like whatever makes elevators work"

  • "like a machine moaning"

  • These comparisons provide a final moment for the reader showing the weight of the situation and the depth of the decision Will has to make

• Symbolism

  • The symbolism between Shawn crying and the elevator moving shows the similar motivation of Will taking the elevator and Shawn crying. Both are motivated by the pain of loss and love for each other.

• Imagery

  • The sounds that are described on this page are representative of pain and suffering. This allows the reader to step into Will's shoes and get a glimpse into the anxiety that he was feeling.

Whole Text Level:

• This passage shows the genuine love and emotion between Shawn and Will. Throughout the whole book, Will emphasizes the rules, specifically no crying. When Will sees that Shawn is crying more than him and broke one of the rules, he's able to come to terms with his death and realize that the love between him and his brother triumphs any rules.

YA Lit Themes:

• This passage it a perfect example of the societal norms that are held in certain cultures and how its wrong to breaks these norms. A young person reading this book that's potentially in a similar situation can feel a sense of freedom in seeing that it is possible to break these norms.