44 pages • 1 hour read
Stephen KingElevation: A Novel
Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Themes
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BetaSymbols & Motifs
Gravity
As a force that gives objects weight, gravity symbolizes the burdens of human life and our tether to earthly, material concerns—things that Buddhist philosophy, on which King draws for his novel’s moral scope, considers foundational to human suffering. In his early attempts to understand what’s happening to him, Scott observes that gravity’s power over him has lessened. He’s also less bothered by things that would be expected to cause anger (Deirdre’s rudeness) or fear (Bull Neck’s threats). As a result, Scott is braver, kinder, and more motivated to make the world better and his life more meaningful.
Remembering something she read in college, Deirdre thinks of gravity as “the anchor that pulls us down into our graves” (139). This metaphor prompts a consideration of the long-term effects of life’s burdens—physical, emotional, and spiritual. For example, experiencing prejudice and discrimination has led Deirdre to become defensive and even hostile, which in turn makes it harder to build positive relationships that support health and longevity. Gravity’s diminished power over Scott thus symbolizes the diminished power of life’s burdens over him, developing Weightlessness as Liberation From Human Suffering.
Weight Loss
Weight is a measurement of the force gravity exerts on an object. If gravity symbolizes the burdens in life that figuratively weigh people down, then Scott’s weight loss symbolizes his liberation from those burdens. Being weighed down means suffering. Some of the sources of human suffering explored in Elevation include prejudice and discrimination, physical pain and aging, and the inevitability of death. The long-term effects of these burdens often hold people back from meeting their full potential and creating meaning in their lives. Through his weight loss, Scott has the rare opportunity to be elevated above the effects of these burdens: to face his impending death in a state of mind unencumbered by things like anger, fear, and pain. In tandem with the symbolism of gravity, the text positions Weightlessness as Liberation From Human Suffering.
Lightning
During the final phase of the Turkey Trot, a powerful rainstorm wields significant influence over Scott and Deirdre’s experiences and the outcome of the race. Lightning strikes at the moment when Scott touches Deirdre to help her up, a moment that sparks her epiphany about how she’s misjudged Scott. Before, Deirdre was so defensive, expecting the worst in everyone around her, that his friendly overtures were not enough. It takes the supernatural phenomenon of becoming weightless at Scott’s touch to open Deirdre’s heart and mind. Since Deirdre’s anger toward Scott was a manifestation of her anger and fear toward society in general, the flash of lightning also symbolizes Deirdre’s epiphany about her assumptions with regard to prejudice and discrimination in society. Her epiphany allows her to become friends with Scott, demonstrating the book’s message about Overcoming Rifts Caused by Prejudice.
Rain
Rain symbolizes life’s hardships differently than gravity. Scott’s response to the rain portrays his heightened ability to see beauty where others don’t, to sense the world in a new way, and to recognize “the usually hidden glory of ordinary things” (129). The rain reduces visibility to almost zero and Scott loses all sense of where he is; yet, rather than succumb to the obstacle, he thinks the rain feels “more than delicious; closer to divine” (95). Being overwhelmed becomes an experience of the sublime rather than a demoralizing defeat. His new perspective, which he experiences as an elevation, makes Scott wonder if it’s how dying feels. He continues to respond to the idea of his death the same way he responds to the rain, with acceptance and appreciation, thus developing the novel’s thematic look at The Inevitability and Transcendence of Death.
Scott’s Belly
Scott’s belly is mentioned frequently in the narrative. Before he began losing weight, its size was an indicator of his aging and overweight body: Friends, neighbors, and strangers alike judge Scott by his appearance. Some of their assumptions are reasonable, like Doctor Bob’s estimate of his weight after paying “particular attention to the curve of the belly over the belt” (6). Nevertheless, Bob is proven wrong. Seeing Scott’s belly, people infer that he’s out of shape and less capable of physical activity: Myra worries that exercise will give Scott a heart attack, while Mike expects that Scott will have to run at the back of the Turkey Trot crowd. Their underestimation of his fitness capabilities mirrors many other stereotyping assumptions. Some references to Scott’s belly demonstrate attitudes of disgust toward his body. Deirdre in particular, a stellar athlete, judges Scott harshly for his body. Their eventual friendship makes her realize that judging Scott by his appearance made her oblivious her to his many admirable qualities. By providing this lesson, the motif of Scott’s belly develops the novel’s theme on Overcoming Rifts Caused by Prejudice.
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