54 pages • 1 hour read
Kekla MagoonHow It Went Down
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Knives
Though weapons in general are symbolic of power in the narrative, knives come to the forefront as weapons that define the power of the gangs themselves. Both the Stingers and the Kings carry weapons that define their allegiance to their gang. The Stingers, in fact, get their name from the yellow knives they carry around, while the Kings have red knives. Tariq owns a red knife, and it is more fire to the fuel surrounding whether or not he joined the Kings. Tina finds the knife and seeks to protect Tariq by hiding the knife from the police and later burying it with the help of Tyrell. It’s revealed that the knife belonged to Junior, a Kings member now in jail who asked Tariq to hold the knife so that he wouldn’t get in trouble with it (he gets life in jail anyway). Knives are also used to threaten and intimidate, and Tyrell almost makes the choice at the end of the narrative to cut Jack Franklin’s face with a knife in retribution for Franklin killing Tariq. As such, knives are symbolic of power and an extension of fear.
Hoodies
Tariq was wearing a hoodie when he was killed, and the hoodie quickly symbolizes Tariq and the inner-city. While much of the media portrays Tariq as a gang member, or someone dressed like one, the neighborhood of Underhill seizes on the opportunity and plans a demonstration where everyone wears a hoodie in remembrance of Tariq. There are some, like Will, whose parents go so far as to throw all his hoodies away so that he will not look like the image of Tariq. Will is finally able to get through to his stepfather, Steve, however, and Steve buys them each a hoodie and attends the demonstration with Will. As such, hoodies work as a reclamation of identity.
The Snickers Bar
The Snickers bar is at the center of the controversy surrounding Tariq, as he was carrying one when he died. Though he supposedly dropped all his other groceries, he kept hold of the Snickers bar because it was for his sister, Tina. Many speculate that the supposed gun some people believe they saw was really just a Snickers bar, meaning that Tariq’s death stemmed from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Franklin, his killer, swears that there was a gun, as do others. As Tina notes in the narrative, with Tariq’s death, she will no longer be able to eat Snickers.
“You Just Be You”
This simple phrase comes from both Junior and Tina, and it’s addressed to Tyrell. Tyrell goes through much of the narrative trying to escape the clutches of the Kings. The Kings think they’re doing right by Tariq in trying to get Tyrell to join so that they can protect him. Tariq used to always protect Tyrell from the gangs, but now Tyrell has to go it alone. He seeks advice from Junior, a gang member serving life in prison and someone who used to be very close to Tyrell (Junior, Sammy, Tariq, and Tyrell were best friends when younger), who tries to tell Tyrell to just be himself, but is cut off when the phone line goes dead after Tyrell’s visitation time is up. Tyrell later finds the strength he needs to stand up to Brick, the leader of the 8-5 Kings, and say no to joining or hurting Jack Franklin. He accompanies Tina to the graveyard and buries the knife she found in Tariq’s room. At the graveyard, and at Tariq’s grave, she tells him, “you just be you,” and he finally realizes that this is what Tariq was doing in life and that this is what Tariq would want Tyrell to do as well.
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By Kekla Magoon
