The Ersatz Elevator

The characters and situations of The Ersatz Elevator represent the benefits and drawbacks of growing as individuals through conflict. While arguing can lead to strife, expressing differences of opinion can also provide new ideas and solutions. Through Jerome’s static character, Dark Street’s In and Out culture, and the relationship between the Baudelaire children and the adults in their lives, the novel explores how conflicts can have positive and negative impacts.

Jerome’s lack of character growth demonstrates how conflict can have negative impacts, especially when it is left completely unaddressed. Throughout the book, Jerome repeatedly tells anyone who even remotely expresses a different opinion than him that he doesn’t want to disagree. At first, this comes across as his way of smoothing conflict, but as the story progresses, this avoidance becomes problematic. Jerome refuses to listen to the children about Olaf or go against anything Esmé says, even to the detriment of the Baudelaires. This comes to a head in Chapter 5 as the Baudelaires insist that Olaf has infiltrated the penthouse and is a threat. Despite their concerns, Jerome refuses to do anything about it because he would have to argue with Esmé, something he fears doing. In response, Violet offers that “sometimes it’s useful and necessary to argue” (80), and Jerome’s refusal to accept this is a turning point in his relationship with the children. Up until his refusal, it was plausible Jerome could be a good guardian because he expressed concern for the children and had their best interests at heart. However, this moment shows Jerome is unfit to be a caretaker because he is more concerned with his own comfort than with the Baudelaires’ well-being. Throughout the rest of the book, Jerome’s relationship with the children degrades until he addresses the conflict between himself and the children. Even then, his offer is one of cowardice as he offers them a choice to move forward bravely without him or to go with him, avoiding the fallout from Olaf’s escape. The children are unwilling to hide when Olaf is still at large and the Quagmire triplets need them, and as a result, Jerome ends the book alone because of his inability to grow through the conflicts he experiences.

The In and Out changes of Dark Street represent how conflict with society can inspire growth in beneficial ways. When the Baudelaires first arrive on Dark Street, they are taken aback by the darkness of the place and by how the people are willing to live inconvenienced for the sake of appearing in touch with the latest trends. From the start, the children feel uncomfortable in this environment, contributing to the conflict they experience while living at the penthouse and their eventual parting from the street. They’re unwilling to subscribe to the street’s swift following of the newest and latest trends, putting them at odds with Esmé, who is much more concerned with appearing ahead of trends than she is with caring for the children she’s adopted. Altogether, this creates an undercurrent of conflict for the children, and while this is troublesome, it also opens up chances for them to grow, both as individuals and as a team. Left to fend for themselves, the children investigate Olaf and find his secret hideout. The roots of the conflict for the children are revealed when they tell Esmé about their discovery. Worried for their friends and concerned with their own safety, the Baudelaires have what’s In far from their minds. They feel they can overcome this conflict and opposition by bringing to light their findings and showing Esmé what really matters. However, the trending culture, in which Olaf is a key player, influences Esmé too heavily. As a result, when they tell Esmé about Olaf’s tunnels, she traps them and forces them to take risks to free themselves and mount a rescue mission for the Quagmire triplets. Though the rescue is ultimately unsuccessful, this does not change how the disagreements present in Dark Street’s environment allowed the Baudelaires to grow, showing how disagreements can have a positive impact.

While the Baudelaires grow as a result of the arguments they experience, both on interpersonal and societal levels, many of the adults in their lives remain the same because they are not open to the changes the conflicts can bring. Mr. Poe continues to be a bumbling fool despite several conflicts with the children about the threat Olaf presents. Poe’s inability to grow and change reflects the way society downplays the concerns of children, assuming they cannot be as discerning, or even more so, than adults. The Baudelaires fear Olaf finding them and stealing their fortune, but Poe dismisses these fears as unfounded because he believes he has found a safe home where Olaf can’t possibly reach them. Poe is so confident in this that he is absent until the In Auction at the end of the book, where he still refuses to listen to the children until the auctioneer is revealed to be Olaf in disguise. Even then, Poe doesn’t credit the children with knowing the truth. Poe is trapped by his inability to see his conflicts with the children as hints of the truth, blinded by his confidence in his role as an adult. He uses his status as an adult to convince himself he knows better, and this lack of conflict within himself means he will grow past this dynamic or evolve as a character. Whether internal, external, or societal, conflicts offer a framework within which we can grow. By causing discomfort and uncertainty, they force us to step beyond our comfort zone to bring our world back to where we want it, and in doing so, we are forced to change.