House of Stairs

Content Warning: The narrative includes depictions of bullying, physical violence, and psychological abuse.

The stairs that the title of House of Stairs refers to are a significant symbol in the novel. Outside of the epilogue, the whole narrative takes place in this enclosed, bare environment, which is only defined by its unfamiliarity and lack of logic. Peter first describes it as follows: “Without railings they rose and fell at alarming angles, forking, occasionally spiraling, rising briefly together only to veer apart again, crossing above and below one another, connected at rare intervals by thin bridges spanning deep gulfs” (2). He also notes that the stairs don’t make sense structurally; they shouldn’t be able to stand, and yet, they do. This setting creates a sense of unease that enhances narrative tension and intrigue. Through the prose, William Sleator replicates the protagonists’ confusion as they repeatedly attempt to make sense of their environment.

In the epilogue, Dr. Lawrence finally explains the crucial purpose of the stairs in relation to conditioning: “It was essential for the food to be the only thing that wasn’t unpleasant. If everything else is terrifying, alien, and uncomfortable, how much more intensely gratifying, and necessary, the one pleasurable element will be” (164-65). In the context of The Social Impact of Authoritarianism, the stairs can, therefore, be viewed as a symbol of the insidious, psychological effects of an authoritarian regime. The characters are forced to take part in a deeply alienating system that discourages human connection in favor of individualism and self-interest. As a result, they are only motivated by fear and violence, which their environment promotes. Once the machine asks the teenagers to hurt one another, for instance, Oliver, Blossom, and Abigail start to use the stairs to hide and ambush each other. This action symbolizes their assimilation into the very system that oppresses them and illustrates the self-replicating nature of unchallenged authoritarianism, just like the stairs that only lead the characters into circles.