Jim has taken off through the rear exit door. Everything falls silent,
though, as the sound of the shattering mirror maze is heard. Charles is
able to laugh and shatter the mirrors because he has finally accepted
himself for who he is. There is just enough dim light left in the mirror
maze to realize that Jim is gone. Will despairs, thinking finding Jim
is not possible, but Charles reassures him. They both hear the carousel,
and Will knows that despite everything they've been through, Jim would
still ride the carousel. They step out of the maze as the moon rises from
the hills. Charles says they only have to worry about three people: Jim,
Cooger, and Dark. If they can find Jim, deal with Cooger and Dark, the
freaks will disappear.
Bradbury reveals that the only way to truly stop regretting who you
are is to accept yourself. Charles is finally able to smash the idea that
he's too old by smashing the mirror maze, a noise that frightens Dark.
Will starts to despair, but Charles knows he must reassure him, as Dark
will feed off of their terrible emotions. The fact that a full moon rises,
offering Charles and Will light, furthers the theme that light will triumph
over dark, physically and metaphorically. Charles knows their first priorities
have to be Jim, Cooger, and Dark, because the freaks are little more than
pawns in the entire game.
Charles and Jim run both in darkness and in the light of the moon to
reach the carousel. They see sparks light up the sky, and Will knows they're
trying to move Cooger. As Charles and Will dart toward the electric chair,
they notice the freaks starting at them. Will wonders why they don't attack,
and Charles compares them to walking wounded. They're scared, as they've
seen what happened to the Dust Witch. The calliope music changes, and
Will is instantly afraid for Jim. They then notice a grotesque parade
in front of them, moving Cooger toward the carousel. The parade, though
vanishes and seconds later, they hear an awkward human sound. Will is
afraid they've captured Jim. Charles is afraid he and Will are about to
be captured. Dust blows in their faces, and Charles and Will quickly see
the empty electric chair. Charles deduces the dust in their faces must
have been Cooger. He tries to imagine the number of times they'd attempted
the very same transport within the last few days. Will realizes that something
must have made them drop him, then they see Jim standing at the carousel.
Will goes to pull him away, but Jim is already on board. Will calls out
to him, and Jim finally awakens on his turning carousel, frustrated. Will
tells Charles to shut it off, and Will makes his final lunge for Jim on
the turning ride. Will, though, gets stuck and both boys are on the ride.
Finally Will manages to pull him off, and they fall to the ground, hard.
Charles shuts off the carousel, and together, Will and Charles kneel by
Jim's motionless body.
The freaks refuse to stop Charles and Will because though they're loyal
to the carnival, they're also still protecting themselves. The attempted
move of Cooger turns sour, and it is obvious to Will that Jim will try
to ride the carousel. When he glances at the carousel, Jim almost appears
as a freak, which seems to foreshadow Jim's inevitable ride. The text
mentions that Jim was meant to ride the carousel, and to this point, Jim
has considered little else. In the face of all that has happened, Jim
has not changed who he is. Will's goodness forces him to fight for Jim,
but he only gets pulled in with him. Jim realizes at some point that what
he's doing is wrong, but he cannot stop. Finally, though, Will is able
to help Jim break free, but at the possible cost of Jim's life. Bradbury
appears to be saying that some events are inevitable. Stopping those events
often has terrible consequences.
Charles and Will try to ascertain Jim's condition, and a little boy
comes running up, calling for help, saying that Mr. Dark is after him.
Charles says Will should administer artificial respiration, while he tries
to help the young boy. He asks his name, and the boy says his name is
Jed, but they must hurry, as they are out of time. Charles suddenly realizes
something is strange. Charles grabs the boy, and his shirt sleeve tears,
revealing extensive tattoos. Charles picks him up, and holds him tightly,
and the boy screams murder. Charles explains that he's not going to murder
him, he's simply going to hold him closer than he can stand. The boy writhes,
suggesting Charles is evil, and Charles says good to the evil must seem
like evil. Charles holds him close, embracing him as a father might a
son, and the boy falls to the ground, dead.
Dark's trick is clearly aimed at separating Charles and Will. Charles,
however, discovers the trick in time, and makes a brief speech that often
deceit fails. Dark realizes that his plan has failed, and his small size
will not allow him to fight Charles. Charles, again displaying the importance
of love, kills Dark through a simple hug.
Charles stands for sometime looking at Dark's child body. Will pauses
his desperate artificial respiration into Jim's body to sense the freaks
breathing around him. The freaks begin to glance around them and stumble
forth as if the chains of enslavement are breaking free. Suddenly, the
freaks leave. The circus tents, one by one, collapse, and Will tries,
again in vain, to breathe life into Jim's cold body.
The collapse of the circus tents and the fact that the freaks leave
signal an end to the danger of the carnival. As Dark's miniature body
grows colder, the freaks begin to feel free. His enslavement is finally
over, and they slowly begin to realize who they are. Internally, Will
urges the freaks to run. He also hopes for Crosetti and Miss Foley to
return.
Some warmth seems to exist beneath Jim's lifeless body, but Will feels
the entire effort is hopeless. He begins to despair. With his despair
come tears of sadness. Charles begs him to be happy, and eventually slaps
the tears out of him. After some extensive coaxing, Charles gets Will
to get up, dance, and sing with happiness. Jim slowly awakens, and joins
the merriment. After Jim appears fully recovered, Will asks if the carnival
will ever return. Charles says they won't but other like them will, and
maybe not in a recognizable shape. It is even possible that they are already
here. They all glance at the carousel, consider their continuing want
for its power, and eventually all refuse it, knowing once they start,
they will be unable to stop. Charles smashes the machinery, and they all
run toward home.
This final chapter leaves few strings untied. Will, again, starts to despair. Charles, though, gets violently angry when he does. Charles knows that the despair is the only thing that can resurrect the carnival. As a result, he forces Will to be happy, though Will says there is nothing to be happy about. After Jim fully recovers, the boys hug each other and promise to be friends forever, restoring the situation to the natural balance readers sensed in the beginning. Charles smashes the machinery because, though Dark, Cooger, and the freaks are gone, temptation would be far too much for any individual. Regardless of everything they've been through, they all still hunger for its power, and they seem to realize that the evil may forever live in all of them. The end of the chapter has Charles running alongside the boys, proving that he's finally accepted himself.
Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on A Long Way Gone".
TheBestNotes.com.
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