Being scared of the dark sounds pointless, but it is a fear I face. I am slowly overcoming this phobia by still going through the darkness of the unknown. Martin, from “The Elevator”, has his fears that he cannot overcome. In “The Elevator”, by William Sleator, he shows that Martin cannot overcome certain things throughout the story from start to finish. William Sleator shows us Martin’s lack of ability to get over his fears by building suspense though Martin’s thoughts and actions which are all efforts to avoid his fears. Martin is claustrophobic of the elevator and really paranoid of the fat lady.
Martin is claustrophobic of the elevator being afraid it would fall. As an example, “Of course he was always uncomfortable in elevators, afraid that they would fall, but there was something especially unpleasant this one.”(Line 4) Martin is claustrophobic on how the elevator could only fit about three people. Being afraid as it might fall when his is by himself makes him unstable. The feeling that was unpleasant and uncomfortable made everything ominous from the start. Adding on, “Maybe it was simply…show more content… She wore a tattered green coat that ballooned around her; her ankles bulged about dirty sneakers. For an example, “She stood with her back to the door,wheezing, staring directly at Martin.”(Line 49) Martin was claustrophobic when the fat lady walked into the elevator facing Martin. Staring him down directly at him and only him. The fat lady made Martin paranoid because everytime he was in the elevator the fat lady appears. Another example of his paranoid is, “Hello, Martin,” she said,and laughed,and pushed the Stop button.”(Line 175) The fat lady said his name, made a menacing laugh as she pressed the Stop button. This is why he feels paranoiac because the fact she knew who he was and what floor he would stop at. I would not be surprised if she knew other facts about Martin and his dad. After the elevator stopped, that day was his
