The Elevator by William Sleator is a short story that revolves around Martin, a twelve-year-old child as he faces his fears, that is, the elevator. Martin already hated elevators but the new apartment that his father had moved in was even smaller than the previous ones. As Martin struggles to cope with the situation an old lady begins to use the elevator with Martin which only increases his fears. In the end, he gets stuck inside it with the old woman as she pushes the stop button on the elevator. The story is quite plain in its style as it shows how Martin, an anxious boy, dealing with moving into a new neighborhood along with adjusting to modern technology that could lift people from floor to floor tries to be brave. However, when we reach the end of the story it becomes a little difficult to place the story in a general category. In this way, the story transforms from a simple short story into an intriguing one.
The Elevator | Summary
The story starts by describing an old building with an elevator. The elevator of this building was quite small and could only hold three people at maximum. Martin had never been a fan of elevators and this one was especially old. It had little lighting and dirty walls and the door always shut with a lot of noise. Martin felt suffocated even if there were only two people in it.
He had tried the stairs but they were no good because the light was broken and no window was to be found. Once he had climbed it to the seventeenth floor and was gasping terribly. His father asked him the reason for it, questioning why he had not used the elevator instead. When Martin looked at his father’s face it seemed to be saying that he was a coward not even able to play sports properly. Martin was scared to see his father’s expression and decided to always use the elevator from that day. He convinced himself he would get used to it, just like the bullying at school.
However he never really got used to it, he was always afraid the elevator would stop and he would be trapped in it for hours. He did not even like it when the other passengers were there either. One day as Martin was going down the elevator for school, the elevator stopped at floor fourteen. A fat lady with an oversized hat got on the elevator. Instead of turning back around to face the elevator doors, she just kept looking at Martin. Martin was getting really scared by her and looked at the lady, and yes the woman was still staring at him. Martin could not understand why she kept looking at him and when the elevator stopped at the first floor he wanted to bolt out of there as soon as possible. As there was no space inside he had to wait for her to come into the lobby, and then he ran away from there as fast as he could. He thought about the incident all day but could not make any sense of it. When he returned to the building after school he was very nervous. He tried to be brave by convincing himself that there was nothing to be afraid of an old lady. He got on the elevator and when the elevator stopped at the third he was surprised to see the old lady getting on it. Martin couldn’t believe his eyes but he said meekly that he was going up. The woman nodded and pressed the eighteenth floor. Martin was curious about this as she had previously stepped on the elevator from the third floor. When the elevator stopped at Martin’s floor, he quickly squeezed past the woman thinking regrettably that now she knew where he lived.
Later in the evening, Martin asked his father if he had seen a strange lady in the elevator. His father replied to him vaguely. When Martin insisted about the women being there his father accused him of being afraid. Martin could see his father’s disdain clearly and waited until he got to his room to cry. The next day when the elevator doors opened Martin was shocked to see the old lady already in the elevator. Seeing her Martin was so spooked that he decided to use the stairs. As he started climbing down the stairs, he was so nervous that he fell and broke his leg. Martin’s father drove him to the hospital and from his silence Martin could tell that he was very angry.
On the way back from the hospital Martin used was not scared because his father was with him in the elevator. Suddenly Martins’ father announced that he had to meet Mrs. Ullman and stepped off the elevator at floor number nine. Martin pleaded with his father to come along but his father only mocked him as the doors slammed shut. As the elevator went up it stopped at floor ten where the old lady was waiting for Martin. He tried to run past her but could not due to his injury and watched in horror as the woman got in and pressed the stop button on the elevator.
The Elevator | Analysis
The story is written from a limited third-person point of view as it describes the event regarding Martin and the elevator. Martin is a meek boy who gets bullied at school and is afraid of many things which include the elevator. As the story progresses one does not find any particular instance where the story presents any fantastical elements. However, the story does possess surreal elements as well as horror ones which make the story different from an ordinary story about an elevator.
The end of the story is particularly interesting as it converts a normal situation into a Kafkaesque one. The number of floors from which the old lady gets on and off is also very peculiar. The elevator somehow becomes an object of terror for the boy who was already weary of cramped spaces. And further into the story, we come to realize that all of this perhaps was a warning for Martin to steer clear of the elevator who does not do so because of his fear of his father. In a way, Martin is trapped between two places, either he uses the elevator every day to prove his father wrong or he chooses to use the stairs to show both his father and the women that he is afraid. The woman is also a very suspicious person with a piggy face and blue eyes she is always staring at Martin as if she wants something from him. And for the insecure Martin, her sly smile is enough to scare him into using the stairs. However, even when Martin chooses to run away from his lack of bravery he is still not able to escape it as the woman traps him in the elevator eventually. Here the situation turns a bit horrific as the woman traps Martin in the elevator without giving any explanation. Furthermore, Sleator has used an open ending for this story. Perhaps this is his way of showing that the story would continue onward as the reader imagines what would happen next when the woman pushes the Stop button in the elevator.
The Elevator | Themes
The main theme revolving around the story is that we should face our fears valiantly. But in this instance, it is not clear whether Martin succeeds in doing that or not. Martin has always hated elevators so, when he moved into a new building with his dad he was even more afraid of the small elevator present there. As his house was located on the seventeenth floor, Martin had no choice but to use the elevator. Moreover, Martin was afraid of his father who scorned him when he use the stairs instead. He was disappointed by Martins’ weak physique and timid personality and was always mocking him by asking him if he was scared. Martin had no answer to these questions and just did as his father always told him to do. He convinced himself that he would eventually get used to it, just like the bullying he faced in his school. But it was not so easy and when the fat lady started riding the elevator with him he got even more scared. But still, Martin used the elevator as he desperately wanted to show his father that he could use the elevator. That in itself can be considered a form of courage that Martin had the strength to carry out.
The Elevator | Title of the Story
The title of the story “The Elevator” is perfect as it revolves around the elevator that ultimately leads to him encountering the old, fat woman. The elevator is also a place to show his courage to his father, but Martin is not entirely successful in doing so.
The Elevator | Character Sketch
The main character of this story is Martin who moved into a new home that uses an elevator to reach his apartment. Martin is a docile, weak boy who gets bullied in school. He is also not comfortable with small enclosed spaces and due to this hates elevators. He rather prefers to use the stairs but he is afraid of his father’s mocking and so is forced to use the elevator. At first, he can use the elevator but when the old woman starts coming as well he becomes deathly afraid, so much so that he is ready to use the stairs. In the end, Martin never really succeeds in overcoming his fear of elevators as he is trapped by the women in the elevator.
The Elevator | Literary devices
The short story has used foreshadowing to show the event where Martin will eventually be captured by the fat woman. In the beginning when Martins breaks his legs on the stairs there is the rising action as his father takes him to the hospital. Then we reach the climax of the story as Martins’ father leaves him alone in the elevator on their return as he gets off on the ninth floor. As the elevator stops on the tenth floor the fat lady is waiting for him and from then on we get to the falling action where the lady cages Martin in the elevator. The story also brilliantly used the technique of plot twist when Martin’s father stops on the ninth floor and the fat lady gets on the elevator. It completely shatters the sense of security felt by Martin and turns it into horror instead.
The story can be read as an example of how to add surreal elements in a short story. The story also does not provide a complete resolution and ends on a cliffhanger. Perhaps this is to indicate that the story could go on.
