The elevaTor

SUMMARY
This is a story of a twelve-year old boy named Martin. Martin is a worrisome and fearful boy
who is bullied at school. He is scared of elevators and develops fear of a fat, old woman who
stares at him when they are together in the elevator.
The theme of the story is that one day we have to face our fears, so we must stop running
away from them. If we want to overcome our fear, we have to face it.
The story is set in a small old building with eighteen floors, where the lift plays a crucial role.
Even with just three passengers, the elevator gets overcrowded, setting a claustrophobic
tone that adds to the story’s suspense. The elevator’s poor condition adds to the uneasy
atmosphere, as its doors don’t stay open and slam shut with a loud clang, while its dim
lighting and dirty walls hint at ominous possibilities.
The protagonist, Martin, is terrified of elevators, and the sudden appearance of a large
woman scares him further. His desperate attempt to avoid her leads to a mishap on the
stairs, resulting in a fracture. The setting contributes significantly to the story’s atmosphere
of suspense and fear, building tension as it progresses.
Despite the rising action, the story does not provide a clear resolution, leaving readers to
speculate about the outcome. This open-ended conclusion adds to the unsettling nature of
the narrative, leaving readers with a sense of unease and unresolved tension.
MCQs

1. Who is the main character in “The Elevator”?

a) Mr. Miller
b) William
c) Martin
d) James
→ c) Martin
2. How old is Martin in the story?
a) 10
b) 12
c) 14
d) 16
→ c) 14
3. Where does most of the story take place?
a) School
b) Park
c) Elevator
d) Basement
→ c) Elevator
4. What kind of building does Martin live in?
a) Single-story house
b) 17-story apartment
c) Two-story bungalow
d) 10-story office
→ b) 17-story apartment
5. What is Martin most afraid of?
a) Heights
 b) School
c) Elevators and the fat lady
d) His father
→ c) Elevators and the fat lady
6. How is the elevator described in the story?
a) Fast and modern
b) Shiny and spacious
c) Narrow and old
d) Bright and large
→ c) Narrow and old
7. What problem does Martin face with the elevator?
a) It moves too fast
b) It shakes and stops suddenly
c) He gets stuck often
d) It talks
→ b) It shakes and stops suddenly
8. Who is the mysterious person Martin keeps seeing?
a) His neighbor
b) A policewoman
c) A large, silent woman
d) His teacher
→ c) A large, silent woman
9. How does Martin feel when the woman enters the elevator?
a) Relaxed
b) Amused
c) Terrified
d) Confused
→ c) Terrified
10. Why is Martin scared of the woman?
a) She looks like a ghost
b) She stares silently and stands too close
c) She follows him around
d) She yells at him
→ b) She stares silently and stands too close
11. What literary genre does “The Elevator” belong to?
a) Romance
b) Mystery
c) Horror / Psychological suspense
d) Historical fiction
→ c) Horror / Psychological suspense
12. How does Martin’s father treat him?
a) Lovingly
b) Supportively
c) Critically and coldly
d) Fearfully
→ c) Critically and coldly
13. What does Martin’s father tell him about using the stairs?
a) Don’t waste energy
b) Take the elevator like a man
c) Stairs are dangerous
 d) Elevators are fun
→ b) Take the elevator like a man
14. What does the elevator symbolize in the story?
a) Escape
b) Technology
c) Fear and vulnerability
d) Growth
→ c) Fear and vulnerability
15. What is Martin’s physical appearance?
a) Tall and athletic
b) Small, thin, and nervous
c) Short and strong
d) Average
→ b) Small, thin, and nervous
16. What is unusual about the woman’s behavior?
a) She smiles and sings
b) She never speaks and stares intensely
c) She dances in the elevator
d) She fixes the elevator
→ b) She never speaks and stares intensely
17. What type of conflict is shown in the story?
a) Man vs. Nature
b) Man vs. Man
c) Man vs. Technology
d) Man vs. Fear (self)
→ d) Man vs. Fear (self)
18. Why doesn’t Martin take the stairs?
a) He is too lazy
b) His father forbids him
c) He is too afraid of the stairs
d) The stairs are blocked
→ b) His father forbids him
19. What point of view is the story told in?
a) First person
b) Third person limited
c) Third person omniscient
d) Second person
→ b) Third person limited
20. How does the elevator contribute to the suspense?
a) It plays music
b) It breaks down
c) Its narrowness and jerky movements trap Martin
d) It skips floors
→ c) Its narrowness and jerky movements trap Martin
21. How does the story end?
a) Martin overcomes his fear
b) Martin escapes the woman
c) The woman enters the elevator again and says “Hello, Martin.”
d) Martin tells his father the truth
→ c) The woman enters the elevator again and says “Hello, Martin.”
22. What emotion does the ending evoke?
a) Joy
b) Relief
c) Tension and fear
d) Confusion
→ c) Tension and fear
23. Which theme is central to the story?
a) Courage and determination
b) Technology and innovation
c) Fear and anxiety
d) Friendship
→ c) Fear and anxiety
24. What can be said about the woman’s identity?
a) It’s clearly explained
b) She is a ghost
c) It is left mysterious
d) She is Martin’s teacher
→ c) It is left mysterious
25. What does the author use to build suspense?
a) Long descriptions
b) Flashbacks
c) Repetition and silence
d) Jokes
→ c) Repetition and silence
26. Why is Martin’s fear intensified in the elevator?
a) Because of its movement
b) Because he’s alone
c) Because of the woman's presence and the confined space
d) Because it’s too fast
→ c) Because of the woman's presence and the confined space
27. What is the tone of the story?
a) Humorous
b) Calm and peaceful
c) Suspenseful and eerie
d) Romantic
→ c) Suspenseful and eerie
28. What does Martin’s father represent in the story?
a) Empathy
b) Confidence
c) Societal expectations of toughness
d) Fear
→ c) Societal expectations of toughness
29. What message can be drawn from the story?
a) Technology is scary
b) Always use the stairs
c) One must face fear, but also be understood
d) Ghosts are real
→ c) One must face fear, but also be understood
30. What makes the woman so terrifying to Martin?
a) Her weight
 b) Her silence, presence, and unpredictability
c) Her clothes
d) Her voice
→ b) Her silence, presence, and unpredictability

Questions and answers

1. Who is the main character of the story?
Answer:
The main character is Martin, a 14-year-old boy who is small, thin, and deeply anxious. He is
portrayed as shy and fearful, especially of the elevator and the strange woman who appears
in it.
2. What is Martin afraid of?
Answer:
Martin is afraid of riding the elevator, especially when the large, silent woman joins him.
His fear is both physical (claustrophobia) and psychological (the woman's silent presence).
3. Describe the elevator in the story.
Answer:
The elevator is described as old, narrow, creaky, and jerky. It adds to the story’s tense and
claustrophobic atmosphere, making it a symbol of Martin’s fear and vulnerability.
4. Where does the story take place?
Answer:
The story is set mostly in a 17-story apartment building, especially inside the elevator,
which becomes the central space of tension and fear.
5. How is the woman in the elevator described?
Answer:
The woman is described as enormously fat, wearing a green coat, silent, and staring
directly at Martin. She seems to appear out of nowhere and stands uncomfortably close to
him.
6. How does Martin’s father treat him?
Answer:
Martin’s father is harsh and unsympathetic, criticizing him for being afraid and pushing him
to “be a man” by taking the elevator. He dismisses Martin’s genuine fear.
7. What literary genre does this story belong to?
Answer:
“The Elevator” is a psychological horror or suspense story. It explores internal fears through
a tense, confined setting and a mysterious character.
8. Why does Martin not want to use the elevator?
Answer:
He feels trapped and terrified, especially when the strange woman joins him. Despite this,
he is forced by his father to take it every day.
9. What does the elevator symbolize in the story?
Answer:
The elevator symbolizes Martin’s fear, isolation, and helplessness. It’s a physical space that
reflects his inner emotional state—confinement and powerlessness.
10. What is the climax of the story?
Answer:
The climax occurs when the woman re-enters the elevator, stands next to Martin, and says,
“Hello, Martin,” revealing that she knows his name. It’s a shocking and chilling moment.
11. What is the point of view of the story?
Answer:
The story is told in third-person limited, focusing on Martin’s internal thoughts, fears, and
emotions, which increases the suspense.
12. What emotions does the story evoke?
Answer:
It evokes fear, anxiety, discomfort, suspense, and dread, particularly due to the setting, the
woman’s silence, and Martin’s internal panic.
13. What is the main theme of the story?
Answer:
The story explores the theme of fear, particularly unacknowledged or dismissed fear, and
how isolation and pressure to appear strong can intensify internal struggles.
14. What does the woman in the elevator represent?
Answer:
She may represent Martin’s fear itself, or possibly a real threat. Her silence and repeated
appearances make her a symbol of dread and the unknown.
15. Why is the ending considered unsettling?
Answer:
Because it ends on a chilling note—the woman speaks for the first time and reveals she
knows Martin’s name. This raises questions and leaves the reader in suspense.
16. What can be said about Martin’s mental state?
Answer:
Martin is portrayed as deeply anxious, insecure, and paranoid. He lacks support from his
father and is left to deal with his fear alone.
17. How is suspense built in the story?
Answer:
Through repetition, silence, close physical space, slow pacing, and limited perspective,
creating a sense of unease and tension.
18. What kind of conflict is shown in the story?
Answer:
The main conflict is Man vs. Self (internal fear), and Man vs. Unknown (the woman).
Martin’s psychological struggle is at the heart of the story.
19. What is ironic about Martin’s situation?
Answer:
Though Martin is trying to appear strong to please his father, he is deeply afraid and feels
more alone each time he uses the elevator.
20. What is the message or moral of the story?
Answer:
The story teaches that fears must be acknowledged and respected. Suppressing or
dismissing them can lead to emotional distress or danger. The ending is intentionally
ambiguous and terrifying, designed to leave the reader uneasy and reflect Martin’s own
unresolved fear. It turns an ordinary situation into a haunting psychological experience.
Title Analysis
The title "The Elevator" by William Sleator is both literal and symbolic, playing a crucial role
in establishing the story’s mood and central themes. On the surface, it refers to the actual
elevator in Martin’s apartment building—a narrow, claustrophobic, and creaky contraption
that immediately evokes a sense of unease. However, on a deeper level, the elevator
represents Martin’s psychological state: his vulnerability, fear, and the inescapable anxiety he
feels. The confined space mirrors his lack of control and growing paranoia, especially with
the repeated, ominous presence of the mysterious overweight woman. The elevator
becomes a setting where his inner fears are amplified and intensified. Its downward
movement also metaphorically suggests a descent into dread or danger. By focusing the
entire tension of the narrative within the elevator, Sleator turns a mundane, everyday object
into a vessel for horror and psychological suspense, making the title deeply reflective of the
story’s core.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

Of course he was always uncomfortable in elevators, afraid that they would fall, but this one
was especially unpleasant. Perhaps this was because of the poor lighting and the dirty walls.

(i) What kind of apartment was it in which Martin and his father had shifted recently?
Ans. It was an old building.
(ii) What made the boy uncomfortable in the elevator?
Ans. Perhaps the poor lighting and the dirty walls made him uncomfortable.
(iii) What kind of boy was Martin?
Ans. Martin was a thin, weak and worrisome boy.
(iv) How was the door of the elevator?
Ans. The door opened for a short while and slammed shut with a loud clanging noise.
(v) Was it wrong with the boy or the elevator that made things worse?
Ans. The boy was fearful but the elevator made it worse.

‘You’re not only skinny and weak and bad at sports,’ his face seemed to say, ‘but you are also
a coward’. After that, Martin always took the elevator. He would have to get used to it, he
told himself, just as he got used to being bullied at school.

(i) Earlier, for what did father get upset with Martin?
Ans. He was upset because Martin was skinny, weak and bad at sports.
(ii) What kind of boy was Martin?
Ans. Martin was thin, weak and a worrisome boy.
(iii) What was expected of Martin to reconcile with?
Ans. He was expected to get used to travelling by the elevator.
(iv) Why did Martin take to the elevator although he was scared of it?
Ans. Martin decided that he would have to get used to the elevator so he used it although
he was scared of it.
(v) Was Martin a coward?
Ans. Yes, he lacked courage.
She was wearing an old green coat that ballooned around her. As she muddled into the
elevator, Martin was sure he felt it sink under her weight. She was so big that her coat
brushed against him, and he had to squeeze himself into a corner.

(i) What kind of lady was ‘she’?

Ans. She was a fat old woman. She had blue tiny sharp eyes. She had a piggish face.
(ii) What is Martin’s tone here in describing the lady’s stature?
Ans. Martin’s tone suggests that he is fearful and shocked by her size.
(iii) What was Martin’s state of mind when he confronted the lady?
Ans. Martin was scared that he would get squeezed by her.
(iv) On which floor did the lady step into the elevator? On which floor did she actually live?
Ans. She got into the elevator on the fourteenth floor. The floor on which she lived was a
mystery because each time she got in and left at different floors.
(v) How did the lady look at the boy in the elevator?
Ans. She stared at him hard as if she were boring deep into him.

She did nothing. She only watched him breathing loudly, until the elevator reached the first
floor at last. Martin wanted to run past her to get out, but there was no room. He could only
wait as she turned and moved slowly into the lobby. Then he ran. He didn’t care what she
thought. She ran nearly all the way to school.

(i) What was the lady’s behaviour while in the elevator with the boy?
Ans. She did nothing except breathe loudly and stare at him.
(ii) Why couldn’t Martin run past the lady?
Ans. He could not run past her because she had occupied the entire area. There was no
space for him to cross her.
(iii) What did the boy think of the lady in the elevator?
Ans. Martin thought that the woman would perhaps squeeze him under her massive
structure.
(iv) Where did the lady live?
Ans. The woman’s residence is not known.
(v) What time of the day was it then? How do you know?
Ans. It was 7.30 in the morning because Martin was going to school and later in the story, he
wonders that going out at such an early hour was not normal for a visitor.

She nodded, and stepped in. The door slammed. He watched her pudgy hand move towards
the buttons. She pressed not fourteen, but eighteen, the top floor.

(i) What was the boy’s question to which she nodded?

Ans. The boy had asked that the lift was going up.
(ii) How did the woman look like?
Ans. She had a piggish appearance.
(iii) What is surprising in the lady’s pressing eighteen?
Ans. It is surprising because in the morning she had got in at the fourteenth floor.
(iv) What floor do you think did the lady live on?
Ans. I am not sure if she lived in the building.
(v) What makes the boy feel nervous in the elevator?
Ans. The boy feels that the elevator may fall down. The door opens for a short duration and
slams shut with a loud clanging sound.

“I’m not afraid”.

“You’re afraid”, said his father. “What are you going to grow up and act like a man ? Are you
going to be timid all your life ?”

(i) Why does the boy retort “I’m not afraid”?

Ans. He feels guilty for being afraid of an old woman.
(ii) What was the boy’s father trying to emphasise?
Ans. He wanted to say that Martin had to grow up and act with courage.
(iii) How did Martin react to his father’s rebuke?
Ans. Martin went to his room and cried. He slept very little. He decided to go by the
elevator and get used to it.
(iv) What does the extract tell about the relationship between the son and the father?
Ans. They are not very close to each other. The father remains annoyed, scolds the child.
(v) Later, what happens when the boy tries to avoid the lady?
Ans. The boy injures his leg when he tries to run away from the woman and takes the stairs
instead of the elevator.

His father was silent on the way to hospital, disappointed and angry with him for being a
coward and a fool. Martin had broken his leg, and needed to walk on crutches.

(i) Why was the boy taken to hospital?

Ans. He had fallen from the stairs and injured his leg.
(ii) How did the father feel about the boy’s health?
Ans. He was disappointed and angry with the boy for being timid.
(iii) What disability had the boy suffered and how?
Ans. The boy had fractured his leg when he fell off the stairs.
(iv) How could this disability give some relief to Martin?
Ans. He felt relieved that he would remain on bed rest for a few days. He would not take the
elevator and thus, was safe from the woman.
(v) What advice was given to Martin by his doctor?
Ans. The doctor had advised him to take as much rest for a few days.

But the door was already closing. “Afraid to be in the elevator alone?” said his father. “ Grow
up, Martin”. The door slammed shut.

(i) Why did the father not like Martin to visit the neighbour along with him?
Ans. The father wanted Martin to go up the lift by himself and to face his fears.
(ii) What was the father’s piece of advice to Martin?
Ans. The father advised Martin to grow up.
(iii) On which floor did the neighbour live? What was her name?
Ans. Mrs. Ulman lived on the nineth floor.
(iv) Where did the elevator stop and why?
Ans. The elevator stopped on the tenth floor. The fat woman got in.
(v) What surprise awaited Martin in the elevator? How did the lady treat him there?
Ans. The woman was waiting for him at the tenth floor. She greeted him, laughed and
stopped the elevator.

Martin hobbled to the buttons and pressed nine, but it didn’t do any good. The elevator
stopped at ten, where the fat lady was waiting for him. She moved in quickly, and he was too
slow to get past her in time to get out.

(i) Find a synonym of ‘limped’ from the extract.

Ans. Hobbled

(ii) Why did Martin press number nine?

Ans. He wanted to go with his dad so, he pressed nine so that the door would re-open and
he could exit the elevator.

(iii) Was Martin successful in going at the ninth floor?

Ans. No, the door slammed shut and the lift moved up.

(iv) Why was the fat woman waiting for Martin?

Ans. She was not waiting for Martin. He just thought it to be so.

(v) Why was the boy slow?

Ans. He was walking with crutches which made it difficult and thus, he walked slowly.

Martin started running down the stairs. The stairs were dark and he fell. His father was silent
on the way to hospital, disappointed and angry with him for being a coward and a fool.
Martin had broken his leg and needed to walk on crutches. He could not use the stairs now.
(i) Why did Martin run down the stairs?
Ans. He was afraid of the woman in the elevator and so he ran down the stairs to escape her.
(ii) Why were the stairs dark?
Ans. The stairs were not well lit. There were no windows too.
(iii) Was Martin happy on being injured?
Ans. Yes, he was happy that he was safe because the doctor had advised him to rest.
(iv) Why was the father angry?
Ans. He was angry with Martin because he had got himself injured. Martin was afraid of an
old woman due to which he ran down the stairs and got hurt.
(v) Had the woman planned Martin’s accident?
Ans. No, she had not planned it.