The Ersatz Elevator

Examine the effect of trends on the plot and characters of The Ersatz Elevator. How do the different In and Out items move the story forward? Compare and contrast how the Baudelaires, Jerome, and Esmé respond to the rapidly switching trends. What do their responses say about how trends can help or harm individuals and society?

Rank Jerome, Mr. Poe, Olaf, and Esmé in terms of most to least villainous, and explain how each is a villain to the Baudelaires. Why did you choose this order? What actions from each character made them more or less villainous than the others? Did you find this task simple or difficult? Why, and what does this say about the care with which Snicket constructed his characters?

How does Esmé’s involvement with Olaf serve to change her character, if at all? In what ways is her involvement foreshadowed before she pushes the Baudelaires into the elevator? Use quotations from the text to support your answer.

What does Esmé’s character say about the rich of the rich in real-world societies? Are money and status ever marks of actual rank, or are they only a facade people can hide behind and use when they have nothing else to offer? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

What does Snicket’s portrayal of adults say about how people change as they get older? About how society affects who we become and why we turn out the way we do? Why do you think Snicket had the children be the only characters with any amount of sense? What lessons do Violet, Klaus, and Sunny offer to young readers of the series?

What were other solutions to helping the Quagmires break free from the cage they were trapped in? Devise an escape route using the information about the elevator shaft and the Squalors’ penthouse to inform your plan. Use passages from the text to support your reasoning for your escape route.

Who is responsible for the unfortunate events that befall the Baudelaires in The Ersatz Elevator? Are all the events brought upon by outside influences, or do the siblings bring some of their misfortune upon themselves? Both? If all the misfortune comes from external sources, how are the Baudelaires victims? If the Baudelaires bring misfortune upon themselves, how do their actions lead to their unfortunate circumstances? If both, explore how external and internal forces contribute to what the children experience.

Snicket never reveals who makes decisions about what is In or Out. Do you think this is intentional? Why or why not? What does withholding this information say about how trends rise and fall, as well as the impact trends have on those who choose to partake in them? Does the source of trends matter? Why or why not? Support your answer with evidence from the text.