The Elevator by William Sleator – Contextual Q&A

Question 1

It was an old building with an old elevator – a very small elevator, which could carry only three people. Martin, a thin twelve-year-old, felt nervous in it. Not claustrophobic, he assured himself, not really fearful. But he felt the walls pressing in.

(i) What kind of building did Martin move into and why does he feel nervous? [3]
(ii) What does Martin tell himself about his fear of the elevator? [3]
(iii) What does the phrase "the walls pressing in" suggest about Martin's psychological state? [3]
(iv) Why does the author describe the elevator as "very small"? [3]
(v) What does Martin's contradiction between denying and experiencing fear reveal about his character? [4]

Answers:

(i) Martin moves into an old apartment building with an old, small elevator. He feels nervous in the elevator because it is confined, poorly lit, and has dirty walls. The physical environment of the elevator triggers his anxiety about enclosed spaces.

(ii) Martin tells himself that he is not claustrophobic and not really fearful. He tries to rationalize and deny his fear, suggesting that he does not want to admit to himself the extent of his anxiety. This denial is a defense mechanism to protect his self-image.

(iii) The phrase "the walls pressing in" suggests a psychological manifestation of Martin's anxiety. Even though the walls are objectively stationary, Martin's fear makes them feel like they are closing in on him, demonstrating how his mental state creates a subjective experience of the space that differs from reality.

(iv) The author emphasizes that the elevator is "very small" to heighten the sense of confinement and claustrophobia. The small size intensifies Martin's anxiety and creates a physical representation of his psychological state of feeling trapped and overwhelmed. The small space becomes a symbol of Martin's inability to escape his fears.

(v) Martin's contradiction between denying his fear ("not claustrophobic, not really fearful") while simultaneously experiencing it ("he felt the walls pressing in") reveals his internal conflict and dishonesty with himself. He demonstrates a lack of self-awareness and an unwillingness to confront his genuine emotions. This contradiction also suggests adolescent vulnerability and the social pressure to appear brave and unafraid, particularly for a boy.

Question 2

He thought about her all day. Did she live in the building? He had never seen her before, and the building was not very big. Maybe she was visiting somebody? But 7:30 in the morning was too early for visiting. Martin felt nervous when he got back to the building after school. But why should he be afraid of an old lady? He felt ashamed of himself.

(i) What occupies Martin's thoughts after his first encounter with the fat lady? [3]
(ii) What does Martin's reasoning about the lady's presence suggest about his observational skills? [3]
(iii) Why does Martin feel ashamed of himself, and what does this reveal about social expectations? [3]
(iv) What is the significance of the time "7:30 in the morning"? [3]
(v) Analyze how Martin's internal conflict between fear and shame creates psychological tension in this passage. [4]

Answers:

(i) Martin's thoughts are completely occupied by the mysterious fat lady. He tries to understand who she is, whether she lives in the building, or if she is visiting someone. His preoccupation suggests that the encounter has deeply affected him and that he cannot dismiss or forget her.

(ii) Martin's reasoning shows that he is observant and logical in attempting to understand the lady's identity and purpose. However, his reasoning also reveals his limited world—he assumes she must either live in the building or be visiting, and he can figure out which by observing her. His logical approach masks his deeper emotional disturbance.

(iii) Martin feels ashamed because he is afraid of an old lady, which he perceives as weak and unmanly. The shame reveals internalized social expectations that boys, particularly as they approach adolescence, should not be afraid of harmless-seeming elderly women. His shame suggests he has absorbed cultural messages about masculinity that equate fear with cowardice and weakness.

(iv) The unusual time of 7:30 in the morning suggests something is out of the ordinary about the lady's presence in the building. A visitor would not typically arrive at that early hour, which deepens the mystery and unnaturalness of the lady's presence. The early morning timing also emphasizes that the lady's appearance disrupts Martin's routine and morning security.

(v) Martin's internal conflict between genuine fear and cultural shame creates intense psychological tension. He experiences real terror from the encounter, yet he simultaneously experiences shame about feeling that terror. This double bind—experiencing fear while being ashamed of the fear—creates a paralyzing emotional state. He cannot simply acknowledge his fear because doing so would confirm his shame about his weakness. This tension between what he feels and what he thinks he should feel creates a state of acute psychological distress.

Question 3

But the door was already closing. "Afraid to be in the elevator alone?" said his father. "Grow up, Martin." The door slammed shut. Martin hobbled to the buttons and pressed nine, but it didn't do any good. The elevator stopped at ten, where that fat lady was waiting for him.

(i) Why does Martin want to go with his father, and what is his father's response? [3]
(ii) What is the significance of the father's words "Grow up, Martin"? [3]
(iii) Why does the elevator stop at ten instead of nine where Martin pressed the button? [3]
(iv) What does the phrase "hobbled to the buttons" reveal about Martin's physical and psychological state? [3]
(v) How does this passage represent the convergence of Martin's fears becoming reality and the failure of paternal protection? [4]

Answers:

Question 4

He watched the door slide open, revealing a green coat, a piggish face and blue eyes which were already staring at him as if she knew he would be there. She got on, and the door slammed shut. He pressed the button to go up. She was standing very close to him, and her enormous body had actually made the elevator sink a little under her weight.

(i) What details of the fat lady's appearance are emphasized in this description? [3]
(ii) What does the lady's stare suggest about her knowledge and intentions? [3]
(iii) How does the lady's physical presence affect the elevator and Martin? [3]
(iv) Why does the author emphasize that "the door slammed shut"? [3]
(v) Analyze how this passage creates a sense of supernatural menace and psychological horror through descriptive language. [4]

Answers:

(i) The description emphasizes the lady's grotesque physical features: her "green coat," "piggish face," and "blue eyes." The deliberately unflattering descriptions of her as having a "piggish face" create a dehumanizing portrayal that underscores Martin's perception of her as something monstrous or otherworldly rather than simply an ordinary elderly woman.

(ii) The lady's stare "as if she knew he would be there" suggests that she possesses uncanny knowledge of Martin's movements and presence. Her stare is not a casual glance but an intentional, knowing observation. This suggests that her encounters with Martin may not be coincidental but purposeful, creating an atmosphere of supernatural menace and suggesting she is more than an ordinary person.

(iii) The lady's physical presence creates multiple effects: her enormous body makes the elevator "sink a little under her weight," suggesting she is so heavy that she actually affects the physical space. She is "standing very close" to Martin, invading his space and trapping him. Her presence becomes almost suffocating, literally overwhelming the small elevator space and Martin's ability to move or escape.

(iv) The "slammed shut" door is emphasized because it signals entrapment and the loss of escape. Unlike a gentle closing, the slam suggests violence and finality. The door closing traps Martin inside the small space with this mysterious, threatening woman. The violent action of the door creates a sense of fate closing in on Martin.

(v) The passage creates supernatural menace through several techniques: the lady's uncanny knowledge of Martin's presence, her grotesque physical description, the elevator sinking under her weight (suggesting she is heavier than normal), the violent slamming of the door, and the intimate proximity that traps Martin. The language moves beyond simple physical description into the realm of psychological horror by suggesting that the lady may possess supernatural awareness or may even be a manifestation of Martin's fear itself. The passage blurs the line between realistic narrative and horror, creating an atmosphere where Martin's irrational fear takes on the qualities of objective reality.

Question 5

His footsteps echoed behind him on the cement as though there was another person climbing with him. By the time he reached his home on the seventeenth floor, he was gasping for breath. His footsteps echoed again as he stood, trembling, outside his door.

(i) What does Martin do to avoid the elevator and what is the result? [3]
(ii) What is the significance of the echoing footsteps that seem like another person? [3]
(iii) Why is Martin gasping for breath when he reaches the seventeenth floor? [3]
(iv) What does Martin's trembling outside his door suggest about his emotional state? [3]
(v) How does Sleator use physical exertion and sensory details to reflect Martin's psychological terror? [4]

Answers:

(i) Martin tries to avoid the elevator by running down the dark stairs. This escape attempt indicates the severity of his fear—he is willing to physically exert himself, running up seventeen flights of stairs despite being a thin, weak twelve-year-old boy. The result of this desperate effort is that he is gasping for breath and trembling by the time he reaches his home, showing the physical toll of his panic.

(ii) The echoing footsteps that sound "as though there was another person climbing with him" suggest that Martin feels pursued. The echo might be literal—the acoustics of the stairwell creating an echo—but Martin interprets it as another presence. This reflects his psychological state: even alone in the stairwell, he feels hunted and chased, as if the fat lady is pursuing him. The imagined presence reflects his pervasive anxiety and sense of threat.

(iii) Martin is gasping for breath both from the physical exertion of running up seventeen flights of stairs and from the psychological panic of his fear. His body is responding to both the physical demand and the emotional terror. The breathlessness also reflects his sense of suffocation—he cannot escape his fear even by physically removing himself from the elevator.

(iv) Martin's trembling outside his door suggests complete emotional breakdown. He has reached safety—he is outside his home—yet he cannot stop shaking. This indicates that his fear has penetrated so deeply that physical safety does not provide psychological relief. His trembling reveals the internalization of his terror and his continued sense of vulnerability.

(v) Sleator uses physical exertion and sensory details to create a visceral representation of psychological terror. The echo of footsteps, the gasping for breath, the trembling body, and the physical climb of seventeen flights all translate Martin's internal anxiety into concrete physical sensations. By describing his body's reactions in detail, Sleator demonstrates that Martin's terror is not merely psychological but manifests as real physical symptoms. The sensory details make the reader experience Martin's panic as a bodily reality, not just an emotion.

Question 6

Martin started running down the stairs. The stairs were dark and he fell. Now Martin had broken his leg and needed to use crutches to walk on. He thought the woman smiled because she knew this would happen. After he got back from the hospital with his father, he felt a bit safer because his father was with him.

(i) What is the consequence of Martin's attempt to avoid the elevator? [3]
(ii) What does Martin believe about the fat lady's smile and why does he think this way? [3]
(iii) How does Martin's injury create an ironic situation regarding the elevator? [3]
(iv) Why does Martin feel safer with his father initially, and what does this reveal about his need for protection? [3]
(v) Analyze how this passage demonstrates the paradox of Martin's fear and the cruel consequences it produces. [4]

Answers:

Question 7

She moved in quickly, and he was too slow to get past her in time to get out. The door closed and the elevator began to move. "Hello, Martin," she said, and laughed, and pushed the Stop button.

(i) Why is Martin unable to escape the elevator when the fat lady enters? [3]
(ii) What is the significance of the lady calling him by his name for the first time? [3]
(iii) What does the lady's laugh convey about her character and intentions? [3] 
(iv) What does pressing the Stop button symbolize in the context of the story? [3]
(v) How does this final moment of the story represent the complete manifestation of Martin's fears and his ultimate powerlessness? [4]

Answers:

(i) Martin is too slow to escape because he is on crutches due to his broken leg. His physical disability prevents him from moving quickly enough to exit the elevator before the door closes. The crutches, which are a result of his previous attempt to escape the elevator, now trap him more completely.

(ii) The lady calling Martin by his name for the first time is significant because it reveals that she knows his identity, confirming Martin's fear that her knowledge of him is intentional and not coincidental. Her use of his name creates an intimate quality to her threat, suggesting she has been deliberately targeting him all along. The name is a violation of privacy and personal identity.

(iii) The lady's laugh is menacing and cruel. It suggests mockery of Martin's helplessness and fear. The laugh also carries an undertone of triumph—she has successfully trapped Martin, and she is enjoying his terror. The laugh reveals her as not simply mysterious but actively malicious, taking pleasure in Martin's distress.

(iv) Pressing the Stop button symbolizes the complete loss of control and escape. In pressing this button, the lady traps Martin physically—the elevator cannot move, and he cannot exit. The Stop button represents the culmination of his worst fear: being completely trapped in the small, confined space with the threatening woman. The stopped elevator becomes a metaphor for Martin's life, which he has come to feel is an inescapable prison.

(v) This final moment represents the complete manifestation of all of Martin's fears into reality. His fear of the elevator, his fear of the woman, his fear of being trapped, and his sense of powerlessness all come to fruition simultaneously. He is physically helpless (on crutches), emotionally vulnerable (alone in the elevator), and without protection (his father has abandoned him). The woman's greeting, laugh, and action confirm that she is not a figment of his imagination but a real threat that he has been unable to escape or overcome. The story ends with Martin completely powerless, trapped physically and psychologically, his worst nightmare realized.

Question 8

Martin, a thin twelve-year-old, felt nervous in it. Not claustrophobic, he assured himself, not really fearful. But he felt the walls pressing in. The door slammed. It shuddered when it moved. He could hear it groan and strain as it climbed toward the seventeenth floor.

(i) What does the contrast between Martin's reassurance and his actual feelings reveal about his self-awareness? [3]
(ii) How do the sensory details of the elevator create an atmosphere of danger and threat? [3]
(iii) Why does the author emphasize the sound of the elevator groaning and straining? [3]
(iv) What do the elevator's violent movements suggest about its reliability and safety? [3]
(v) Synthesize this passage as an introduction to the story's themes: how does Sleator establish the foundations of Martin's psychological landscape and the reader's sense of foreboding? [4]

Answers: