Characters
The Dark Sun who Will believes killed Shawn
Carlson Riggs
The Rules
A man who moved with precision, / patience, / purpose
Alliteration
Shawn was killed on his way home from buying his mother special soap for her eczema. What was Reynolds’ purpose in writing his death that way?
To humanize Shawn’s death and to highlight the cyclical violence in his neighborhood.
What do the Rules represent?
The cycle of violence in Will's neighborhood
This character makes Will say out loud what he is about to do.
Uncle Mark
Represents the darkness in Shawn (following the rules)
The Middle Drawer
"...that it stopped Mom from / scraping loose a river / of wounds."
When did Shawn teach Will rule #1?
Tony
This character shot and killed the wrong guy while seeking revenge for his brother
Mikey Holloman (Will and Shawn's father)
The darkness in people
The Nighttime
"Beef / gets passed down like name brand / T-shirts around here."
Simile
Which details suggest that Will Holloman will murder Riggs at the end of the novel?
Will had a plan for killing Riggs in the early morning.
What does Shawn do when he first enters the elevator and sees Will for the first time?
Does not say a word to him.
This character was killed by Shawn following Rule #3.
Frick
This part of the elevator that represents Will's fate
The "L" button/floor
"...uncomfortable being / crammed in this.../ this vertical coffin / another second.”
Metaphor
What purpose does the character of Dani serve?
She represents the tragic consequences of the cycle of violence.
“...to get lost in the new/ and strangely familiar feeling/ of fatherhood.”
Alliteration
Shawn
The feeling of being trapped by The Rules
The Elevator
"The middle drawer called to me."
Personification
How was Frick going to gain entrance into the Dark Suns?
Stealing from Buck
What (or who) makes Will question if Riggs is the right guy?
His father. When getting revenge for Uncle Mark, he shot the wrong guy.