Read the following extract from William Sleater’s short story, ‘The Elevator’ and answer the questions that
follow:
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. He pressed the button and stepped into the elevator, hoping that it would not stop, but it stopped
on the third floor. Martin watched the door slide open …
(i) Who entered the elevator when the door slid open? Describe this person.
(ii) Why was Martin afraid of using this elevator?
(iii) What led to Martin’s fall down the stairs?
What did it result in?
(iv) How does the story end?
Bring out the element of horror in the ending.
(v) What was Martin’s father’s opinion of him?
What does this reveal to us about his father’s character?
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(i) When the elevator door slid open on the third
floor, it revealed the same fat lady Martin had
encountered earlier that morning. She was an
imposing figure, clad in an old, green coat that
seemed to engulf her. Her face, with its large fleshy
cheeks and absence of a discernible chin, gave her
a somewhat piggish appearance. Her small, sharp
blue eyes, however, were the most striking feature,
fixated on Martin with an unsettling intensity that
made him deeply uncomfortable.
(ii) Martin’s fear of the elevator was multifaceted. The
elevator itself was old and poorly maintained, with
dim lighting, dirty walls and a tendency to shudder
disconcertingly with every stop. Its claustrophobic
dimensions amplified his unease, especially when
other passengers were present. The constantly
malfunctioning door, which slammed shut with
a jarring clang, further exacerbated his anxiety.
Beyond these physical attributes, Martin harboured
a deep-seated fear of being trapped alone inside
the elevator, a fear that was only heightened by the
building’s eerie atmosphere.
(iii) Martin’s fall down the stairs was a direct
consequence of his escalating fear of the fat lady.
Upon seeing her waiting for him on the third floor,
his anxiety reached a breaking point, compelling
him to flee in a blind panic. The dimly lit stairwell
and his haste led to his unfortunate tumble. This
fall resulted in a broken leg, necessitating the use of
crutches and rendering him incapable of using the
stairs, a consequence that would later prove to be a
critical turning point in his predicament.
(iv) The story concludes with a chilling climax that
leaves Martin trapped and helpless. After his father
departs the elevator on the ninth floor, seemingly
oblivious to Martin’s pleas to accompany him, the
elevator stops on the tenth floor where the fat
lady awaits. She quickly steps inside, closing the
door behind her, effectively sealing Martin’s fate.
The element of horror is amplified by her sinister
greeting, “Hello, Martin,” followed by a chilling
laugh as she presses the Stop button, bringing
the elevator to an abrupt halt. This ending leaves
the reader with a sense of dread and unease,
highlighting Martin’s vulnerability and the fat
lady’s malevolent intentions.
(v) Martin’s father views him as a “coward” and a
“fool”, constantly criticising his timidity and lack
of bravery. He seems more concerned with Martin
conforming to traditional notions of masculinity
than with understanding his fears. This reveals
him to be a rather unsympathetic and emotionally
unintelligent character, more focused on outward
appearances than his son’s genuine anxieties. He
appears dismissive and even scornful of Martin’s
concerns, prioritising his own perception of how a
man should behave over his son’s well-being. This
ultimately contributes to Martin’s vulnerability and
isolation, as he is left to face his fears alone.