Motif of Stories
In the novel This is Where it Ends, the narrators interject the main story of the school shooting with other stories. These stories include the stories about Tyler, Mrs. Morales, Mrs. Browne and Tracy. These stories build the characters and also provide background information about the situation and the events that led to the school shooting.
Opportunity High School as a Symbol of Loss
After the school shooting at Opportunity High School, the school is seen as a symbol of loss. This is because many students and teachers lost their lives and therefore the school was associated with the loss of life and grief that resulted in the shooting.
Tyler as a Symbol of terror
Tyler was a bully when he was at school. He had bullied Sylv and every time she saw him, she got terrified. Tyler also opened fire and killed thirty nine students and teachers and wounded twenty five of them. This made the other students terrified of him. When he shot himself, everyone breathed a sigh of relief for they knew that the danger had ended.
Allegory to Describe Sylv
Autumn described Sylv as 'the brightest spotlight on the darkest stage. She was colorful.’ The allegory shows that Sylv was often the brightest and happiest person even in a situation that was uncertain and terrifying.
Allegory of Seeds
An allegory of seeds is used to describe the path that many people from Opportunity take in life. The allegory states that some seeds wander away. This means that some people move out of the town and set up elsewhere. The other seeds take root and grow in the rich soil of Opportunity. This means that some choose to stay and establish themselves at Opportunity.
