Review of "The Elevator" by William Sleator

“Hello Martin,” she said, and laughed, and pushed the Stop button. This is the last line of our story. At what precise part of the plot does this story end?

• Resolution

• Rising Action

• Climax

• Falling Action

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Many students have suggested that Martin suffered from extreme anxiety (constantly worrying, nervousness). Which lines would serve as the best textual evidence to prove this inference?

• Coming home from school the day after they moved in, Martin tried the stairs. But they were almost as bad, windowless, shadowy, with several dark landings where the light bulbs had burned out.

• But he was condemned to the elevator now. Was that why the fat lady had smiled? Had she known it would happen this way?

• Until the morning, the elevator stopped at the fourteenth floor, and the fat lady got on. She wore a threadbare green coat that ballooned around her; her ankles bulged above dirty sneakers.

• He felt her eyes on him as he stared at the numbers slowly blinking on and off—slower than usual it seemed to him. Maybe the elevator was having trouble because of how heavy she was. It was supposed to carry three adults, but it was old. What if it got stuck between floors? What if it fell?

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What manners does the lady violate according to the main character?

• The antagonist constantly looks at her watch when you are talking to her as if she wants you to hurry.

• She uses her hands instead of utensils when eating.

• Elevator etiquette: she does not face the elevator door and stares at Martin while on the elevator.

• The fat lady is never on time for work which greatly inconveniences her fellow employees.

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His father, who worked at home, wanted to know why he was so out of breath. “But why didn’t you take the elevator?” he asked, frowning at Martin when he explained he’d taken the stairs. Not only are you skinny and weak, his expression seemed to say, but you’re also a coward. After that, Martin forced himself to take the elevator.

What could a reader reasonably infer from a close reading of the text above?

• Martin’s father believes Martin is one of the bravest children he knows.

• Martin believes his father thinks he is afraid of too many things in life.

• Martin’s father wants Martin to take the elevator because they pay a monthly fee to use it.

• Martin’s father preferred (liked) his other son over Martin.

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The elevator was an undeniable fact of life.”

According to this line from the story, what does the elevator most likely symbolize (stand for) in Sleator’s story?

• Fears or problems that must be overcome in life

• The aging process

• Older machines which must be replaced

• Life in an apartment instead of a single family home

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CCSS.RL.6.1

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Which parts of the plot are missing from this story?

• Exposition and Rising Action

• Climax

• Rising Action

• Falling Action and Resolution

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What information do we learn in the story’s exposition?

• The identity of Martin’s father’s ex-wife.

• Martin’s father works from home.

• The description of Martin, the elevator, and the building.

• The identity of the antagonist.

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How might Martin describe his father in a private journal/diary?

• Rich, friendly, kind

• Weird, unique, intelligent

• Unsupportive, mean, cruel

• Loving, gentle, loyal

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When the elevator stopped on his floor, she barely moved out of the way. He had to inch past her, rubbing against her horrible scratchy coat, terrified the door would close before he made it through. She quickly turned and watched him as the door slammed shut. And he thought, Now she knows I live on seventeen.

Why might the author, William Sleator, have chosen to italicize the last lines of the above?

• Sleator wanted the readers to understand that Martin was really seventeen.

• Sleator wanted to emphasize Martin’s growing paranoia and nervousness about what the fat lady wanted with him.

• Sleator italicized the last line of every paragraph in the story; it was part of his craft and structure (or what he was known for in his writing).

• Sleator wanted the reader to figure out that the lady must have been Martin’s mother if she knew the floor he lived on in the old building.

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She did nothing. She only watched him, breathing audibly, until the elevator reached the first floor at last. Martin would have rushed past to her get out, but there was no room. He could only wait as she turned— reluctantly it seemed to him—and moved slowly out into the lobby. And they he ran. He didn’t care what she thought. He ran past her, outside into the fresh air, and then he ran almost all the way to school. He had never felt such relief in his life.

According to the excerpt above, from which point of view or perspective is this story told?

• First person

• Second person

• Third Person

• None of the Above

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