# Elevator explained — Not Without Laughter

> Chapter companion for Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes.

## What happens

Sandy begins working as an elevator boy in a Chicago hotel, enduring the oppressive summer heat and the monotony of his job. He struggles with the desire to return to school versus the pressure to support his mother, Annjee, who is consumed by worry over Jimboy's absence during World War I. Reflecting on his grandmother Aunt Hager's ambitions for him, Sandy resolves to quit the elevator and go back to school, inspired by figures like Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Search for Identity and Ambition

Sandy grapples with his desire for education and self-determination versus the pressure to work and support his family, reflecting on his grandmother's dreams for him.

### Poverty and Survival

Sandy's job as an elevator boy and his mother's low income highlight the economic struggles of Black families in Chicago, forcing difficult choices about work and school.

### Community and Laughter as Resilience

Sandy reflects on the idea that Black people are 'dancers' and 'jazzers' because they must forget their suffering, linking cultural expression to survival.

## Character check-ins

### Sandy

Works as an elevator boy, feels trapped by the monotony, and resolves to return to school despite his mother's opposition.

### Annjee

Worries constantly about Jimboy, reads war news, and discourages Sandy from returning to school, wanting him to work instead.

### Jimboy

Absent, fighting in World War I; his lack of letters causes Annjee distress and serves as a cautionary example for Sandy.

### Aunt Hager Williams

Remembered by Sandy for her dreams of his greatness, contrasting with Annjee's lack of ambition for him.

### Harriett

Sandy compares himself to her, wanting to avoid being a servant to white people forever.

### Tempy

Referenced as having a house Sandy admires, but he rejects her husband's dullness and shame about being colored.

## Key lines

> I’ve got to get out of this. It’s an awful job.

Sandy feels trapped by his monotonous elevator job and is determined to escape it.

_Expresses Sandy's growing dissatisfaction and resolve to change his circumstances._

> I’m going to study!

Sandy decides to prioritize his education over work, despite the obstacles.

_Highlights Sandy's commitment to his own ambition and Aunt Hager's dreams._

> Black dancers—captured in a white world.

Sandy thinks of Black people as dancers whose joy and creativity are a response to oppression.

_Reflects Sandy's philosophical insight into the relationship between suffering and cultural expression._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters/xxix-elevator
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/not_without_laughter_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/not_without_laughter_se/chapters