Essay Topic:

The conflict of constant struggle of the orphans against Count Olaf in the book “The Ersatz Elevator” by Lemony Snicket.

Essay Questions:

What is Count Olaf’s evil plan in “The Ersatz Elevator” written by Lemony Snicket? Who is the protagonist of the book? What is the main conflict of the book “The Ersatz Elevator” by Lemony Snicket?

Thesis Statement:

“The Ersatz Elevator” written by Lemony Snicket is the sixth of the series of events that happen in the lives of three Baudelaire orphans after the death of their parents during a fire.

“The Ersatz Elevator” by Lemony Snicket essay

 

Introduction: “The Ersatz Elevator” written by Lemony Snicket is the sixth of the series of events that happen in the lives of three Baudelaire orphans after the death of their parents during a fire. As in all the previous books, Mr. Poe, who is the person in charge of the Baudelaire’s fortune, takes the orphans Violet Klaus and baby Sunny to their next new guardian. As the life of the orphans is a constant fight for their lives and they have changed homes and guardians for so many times, the orphans just hope that Count Olaf, their worst enemy, will not find them anymore and will stop “hunting” for the fortune that their parent left them. The only reason the Baudelaire orphans keep changing home is because of the miseries Count Olaf makes them face each time trying to get rid of them.

The protagonist of the book is the eldest of the three Baudelaire orphans Violet, who is fourteen years old. Klaus is twelve and has read hundreds of book, which made him very smart. Baby Sunny is very smart; she speaks her very own language and has very strong teeth. Very wealthy people adopt the orphans and the Baudelaire orphans come back to the city where they used to live with their parents in a big mansion. The names of the adopters are Esme and Jerome Squalor. The orphans start living in a penthouse apartment on 667 Dark Avenue and the whole story is acted out there. There are 71 rooms in the penthouse. The only thing that Esme worries about is what is really fashionable the moment and what is not. She is very superficial and is always on work dealing with auctions. She makes her husband Jerome constantly buys what is “in” fashion and to throw away what is “out” of fashion. Jerome is rather kind but he does anything she says and does not really car about the children’s interests if they are not “in” fashion because otherwise Esme will not allow it. He is a man with no “own will” as he obeys Esme. Children and made to wear and to eat what is fashionable to. The antagonist of the book is the mentioned above Count Olaf that comes for the children in the image of an auctioneer Gunther, a friend of Mrs. Squalor. Esme Squalor herself helps Count Olaf. Nobody believes the children that it is Count Olaf. As Count Olaf has previously kidnapped the Quagmire triplets Isadora and Duncan, the orphans want to save them.

Conclusion: The conflict of the book lies in the constant struggle of the orphans against Count Olaf in numerous unfortunate events that seem to be never-ending. The climax of the book starts when Baudelaire’s are get to the end of the elevator shaft and find their friends- two Quagmire triplets in a cage. These boy and girl are supposed to become an auction lot on a future auction. The whole situation resolves when the Baudelaire orphans make Jerome and Mr. Poe to bid on the item they think the Quagmire's are in during the auction. There is no real resolution of the situation as Count Olaf with the Quagmires escapes the authorities. This happens primarily because nobody from the adults believed the orphans. The orphans have to keep their never-ending “journey” to find what V.F.D. really is. The Baudelaire children have once again to trust their own selves and are ready to face difficulties and overcome them through a “pure” heart filled with love and good intentions in mind.

 

Bibliography:

Lemony Snicket “The Ersatz Elevator”(A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6)/HarperCollins /2001.