The Mezzanine
Authors: Nicholson Baker, Nicholson Baker
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Overview
My novel, The Mezzanine, follows the seemingly insignificant events of a man’s lunch break, which stretches from a broken shoelace to a ride up an escalator, and finally to a short meditation on a passage by Marcus Aurelius.
The book, written for a literary audience interested in the inner workings of a seemingly ordinary mind, explores the hidden grandeur in everyday routines and overlooked details, like the engineering marvel of paper towel dispensers or the subtle nuances of shoelace wear. I’m interested in how memory shapes our perception of the present, demonstrating how even mundane objects can evoke a cascade of memories and insights, each connected to the others along an associative chain. I dissect the minutiae of daily routines, like tying a shoelace or riding an escalator, revealing the complex layers of thought and experience embedded in these seemingly automatic actions.
I also weave together reflections on product design, consumerism, office culture, the fleeting and unpredictable nature of thought, and the influence of seemingly insignificant details on our everyday lives. I explore the joy of small discoveries, revealing the hidden beauty and complexity of everyday objects and experiences, a fascination that bridges the gap between my childhood wonder and adult perception. The book’s unique approach to narrative and observation resonates with mindfulness practices, encouraging readers to engage more fully with the present moment and appreciate the richness of their own inner lives.
In a period dominated by fast-paced technological advancements and information overload, The Mezzanine invites readers to slow down and appreciate the overlooked details of their own existence, fostering a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. It’s an invitation to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, an antidote to the numbing effects of routine and technological saturation.
Book Outline
1. Chapter One
Shoelaces break. I buy milk at Papa Gino’s and am offered a straw, which I decline due to my past issues with the ‘floating straw’. I also take a small bag for my milk. Back at the office, I consider my habit of using one hand on the handrail and my other to hold my items, and realize that I got the bag specifically to make carrying my purchases easier.
Key concept: This is a really amazing interdependent pyramid scheme
2. Chapter Two
My left shoelace breaks just before lunch, making me reflect on the action of tying shoelaces. I consider the wear my shoelaces have accumulated over the nearly two years I’ve had these shoes, and wonder if it’s possible that they wore down equally.
Key concept: The curve of incredulousness and resignation I rode out at that moment was a kind caused in life by a certain class of events, disruptions of physical routines
3. Chapter Three
I reflect on the many advances I’ve made in life – shoe-tying, brushing my tongue, discovering the joys of sweeping – and tie my broken shoelace.
Key concept: As it happened, the first three major advances in my life—and I will list all the advances here—have to do with shoe-tying, but I don’t think that this fact is very unusual.
4. Chapter Four
I’m dissatisfied with my shoelace theory because it doesn’t account for the wear caused by walking, only the wear caused by tying. I sign out for lunch, interrupting Tina’s work and discovering from her that Ray, our custodian, has hurt his back. I head for the escalator.
Key concept: I could have played a superstitious game I often played during escalator rides, the object of which was to ride all the way to the top before anyone else stepped onto the escalator behind me or above me.
5. Chapter Five
I recall my love of childhood transport systems, like escalators, and how my mother taught me to use them. I consider the incremental nature of perception.
Key concept: I admit that part of my pleasure in riding the escalator came from the links with childhood memory that the experience sustained
6. Chapter Six
I buy milk and a cookie. Because I rarely drink milk now, I consider the impact the milk carton had on my generation. I reflect on the transition from home milk delivery to buying cartons in the supermarket. I lament the loss of milk as a beverage.
Key concept: You have to spot-check your likes and dislikes every so often in this way to see whether your reactions have altered, I think.
7. Chapter Seven
My other shoelace breaks. I realize that both of my shoelaces broke within 2 days of each other. I repair the shoelace, marveling at the near simultaneity of their breaking.
Key concept: On that morning of my adulthood, I had on my bureau an unopened brown paper parcel containing three clean shirts.
8. Chapter Eight
Getting ready for work and noticing the three shirts fresh from the dry cleaner. Reflecting on shoelaces, the ritual of getting dressed, and realizing the fact of my adulthood. I decide to put on deodorant after getting dressed – a key advance in my development.
Key concept: Hence the fact that I often said no to a bag for a quart of milk at the mom-and-pop store during that period was a way of demonstrating to anyone who might have been following my movements that at least at that moment, exiting that store, I had nothing to hide
9. Chapter Nine
I put on deodorant after getting dressed, a key discovery.
Key concept: Hence the fact that I often said no to a bag for a quart of milk at the mom-and-pop store during that period was a way of demonstrating to anyone who might have been following my movements that at least at that moment, exiting that store, I had nothing to hide
10. Chapter Ten
I consider whether a lunch hour starts when entering or exiting the men’s room – then I enter and encounter Les Guster and Don Vanci. Les Guster is brushing his teeth. I find myself reluctant to urinate with Vanci nearby.
Key concept: Tunes sometimes lived all day in the men’s room
11. Chapter Eleven
I use a clever thought experiment to make myself urinate, and both Vanci and I finish at the same time. Les Guster exits. I consider the amazing technologies of the men’s room.
Key concept: It was an honor to use them
12. Chapter Twelve
While riding the escalator, I continue to ponder shoelace breakage, noting the different speed of the handrail and steps and the patterns of office workers in the lobby below. I wonder about the circular metal disks found every few feet on the handrail supports. I reflect on my switch from climbing escalators to gliding up them.
Key concept: Headway was easier to establish going down, because the rapid thump of my steps would scare them over to one side.
13. Chapter Thirteen
Avoiding an awkward encounter with Bob Leary, I head outside to buy shoelaces. Impulsively, I get popcorn.
Key concept: On impulse, I let a complete dollar fall into the popcorn vendress’s hand and lifted a twist-tied bagful garnered from the cart’s glass poppery
14. Chapter Fourteen
Walking back to my office, I get a cookie. I decide to eat my lunch on a bench outside the building, and realize I need milk for my cookie. I buy some and then notice a man polishing the escalator’s handrail.
Key concept: It was a neo-Victorian bench, made of thin slats of wood bolted to curves of ornate iron and painted green
15. Chapter Fifteen
Riding the escalator, I enjoy the light on my hand and the feeling of upward movement. Back at the mezzanine, I see a cigarette butt moving against the comb plate like a jar rotating on a conveyor belt, and I wave to the man polishing the handrail below.
Key concept: Its movement was a faster version of the rotation of mayonnaise or peanut butter or olive jars
Essential Questions
1. What is the significance of the protagonist’s preoccupation with shoelace wear?
The protagonist’s preoccupation with the shoelace wear reveals a broader fascination with the incremental nature of change and the subtle forces that shape our everyday lives. By analyzing the mundane, I highlight the hidden complexity of seemingly simple objects and actions. The simultaneous breakage of both shoelaces within a short period prompts a deeper inquiry into the nature of cause and effect, routine, and the surprising synchronicities of everyday life. The shoelace inquiry extends to a meditation on the broader theme of wear and tear, memory, perception, and how these forces shape our understanding of the world around us. Ultimately, the question serves as a catalyst for an exploration of the profound within the mundane.
2. How does the protagonist’s associative thinking shape the narrative structure and thematic concerns of the book?
Throughout the narrative, everyday objects and routines become springboards for associative thought processes, linking childhood memories with adult perceptions, personal experiences with broader cultural and technological trends. This digressive style mirrors the chaotic nature of consciousness itself, offering a glimpse into the protagonist’s thought process. By exploring these associative chains, I suggest that meaning and significance can be found in the most unexpected places, and that even mundane objects and routines hold a hidden depth of experience. The connections also highlight the interplay between personal and cultural memory, and how our past shapes our experience of the present.
3. How does the narrator’s distinctive voice contribute to the overall effect of the novel?
The narrative voice in The Mezzanine is characterized by its hyper-awareness of detail, its analytical approach to mundane experiences, and a tendency towards introspection. The digressive and associative style underscores the narrator’s tendency to find connections and meaning in everyday objects and routines, mirroring the chaotic yet strangely ordered nature of consciousness itself. The distinctive voice gives the narrative a unique blend of humor and philosophical depth, allowing me to explore profound questions within the context of seemingly trivial experiences. The introspective quality invites the reader to participate in the narrator’s mental meanderings, encouraging a more mindful and engaged reading experience.
1. What is the significance of the protagonist’s preoccupation with shoelace wear?
The protagonist’s preoccupation with the shoelace wear reveals a broader fascination with the incremental nature of change and the subtle forces that shape our everyday lives. By analyzing the mundane, I highlight the hidden complexity of seemingly simple objects and actions. The simultaneous breakage of both shoelaces within a short period prompts a deeper inquiry into the nature of cause and effect, routine, and the surprising synchronicities of everyday life. The shoelace inquiry extends to a meditation on the broader theme of wear and tear, memory, perception, and how these forces shape our understanding of the world around us. Ultimately, the question serves as a catalyst for an exploration of the profound within the mundane.
2. How does the protagonist’s associative thinking shape the narrative structure and thematic concerns of the book?
Throughout the narrative, everyday objects and routines become springboards for associative thought processes, linking childhood memories with adult perceptions, personal experiences with broader cultural and technological trends. This digressive style mirrors the chaotic nature of consciousness itself, offering a glimpse into the protagonist’s thought process. By exploring these associative chains, I suggest that meaning and significance can be found in the most unexpected places, and that even mundane objects and routines hold a hidden depth of experience. The connections also highlight the interplay between personal and cultural memory, and how our past shapes our experience of the present.
3. How does the narrator’s distinctive voice contribute to the overall effect of the novel?
The narrative voice in The Mezzanine is characterized by its hyper-awareness of detail, its analytical approach to mundane experiences, and a tendency towards introspection. The digressive and associative style underscores the narrator’s tendency to find connections and meaning in everyday objects and routines, mirroring the chaotic yet strangely ordered nature of consciousness itself. The distinctive voice gives the narrative a unique blend of humor and philosophical depth, allowing me to explore profound questions within the context of seemingly trivial experiences. The introspective quality invites the reader to participate in the narrator’s mental meanderings, encouraging a more mindful and engaged reading experience.
Key Takeaways
1. The incremental nature of experience and learning
My exploration of shoelace wear, the act of getting dressed, or riding an escalator highlights the incremental nature of experience and skill acquisition. I show how seemingly simple actions are built upon a series of small, often unconscious adjustments and refinements over time. This emphasizes the importance of recognizing the layered complexity of human behavior and the gradual process of learning and adaptation. In The Mezzanine, even the most trivial actions are revealed to have a history and a developmental trajectory.
Practical Application:
In product design, for example, understanding the incremental nature of learning and habit formation could inform the development of intuitive user interfaces that accommodate the user’s existing routines and progressively introduce new features.
2. The importance of subjective experience in shaping thought
I emphasize the highly personalized nature of thought and memory. The narrator’s associative leaps, triggered by seemingly random stimuli, reveal the unique connections and patterns that shape his inner world. This underscores the importance of subjective experience and the difficulty of generalizing about human cognition. The emphasis on the narrator’s individual associative pathways highlights the idiosyncratic nature of memory and perception, demonstrating how our personal histories shape the way we experience the world around us.
Practical Application:
In AI, this could be applied to the development of personalized learning algorithms that adapt to individual learning styles and pace, offering customized educational experiences. This means recognizing the unique associative pathways of each learner, and designing systems that cater to these individual differences. Designing for a universal ‘user’ won’t work – AI product engineers must design for many diverse ‘users’.
3. The significance of habit and routine in shaping behavior
By focusing on the routines of daily life, The Mezzanine reveals the significant influence of habitual actions on our thinking and behavior. The narrator’s meticulous description of seemingly mundane acts, like tying a shoelace or riding an escalator, illustrates how these actions are embedded in larger patterns of behavior and shaped by both individual and cultural conventions. The emphasis on habit and routine challenges the traditional notion of free will and rational decision-making, suggesting that much of our behavior is driven by unconscious patterns and ingrained practices. My approach highlights the importance of understanding these underlying patterns in order to design products and technologies that better serve human needs and preferences.
Practical Application:
In technology development, this highlights the importance of user-centered design, paying attention to the often-unconscious habits and practices that shape the way people interact with products. Instead of imposing new behaviors, designers should consider how technology can seamlessly integrate with existing routines and patterns of use.
1. The incremental nature of experience and learning
My exploration of shoelace wear, the act of getting dressed, or riding an escalator highlights the incremental nature of experience and skill acquisition. I show how seemingly simple actions are built upon a series of small, often unconscious adjustments and refinements over time. This emphasizes the importance of recognizing the layered complexity of human behavior and the gradual process of learning and adaptation. In The Mezzanine, even the most trivial actions are revealed to have a history and a developmental trajectory.
Practical Application:
In product design, for example, understanding the incremental nature of learning and habit formation could inform the development of intuitive user interfaces that accommodate the user’s existing routines and progressively introduce new features.
2. The importance of subjective experience in shaping thought
I emphasize the highly personalized nature of thought and memory. The narrator’s associative leaps, triggered by seemingly random stimuli, reveal the unique connections and patterns that shape his inner world. This underscores the importance of subjective experience and the difficulty of generalizing about human cognition. The emphasis on the narrator’s individual associative pathways highlights the idiosyncratic nature of memory and perception, demonstrating how our personal histories shape the way we experience the world around us.
Practical Application:
In AI, this could be applied to the development of personalized learning algorithms that adapt to individual learning styles and pace, offering customized educational experiences. This means recognizing the unique associative pathways of each learner, and designing systems that cater to these individual differences. Designing for a universal ‘user’ won’t work – AI product engineers must design for many diverse ‘users’.
3. The significance of habit and routine in shaping behavior
By focusing on the routines of daily life, The Mezzanine reveals the significant influence of habitual actions on our thinking and behavior. The narrator’s meticulous description of seemingly mundane acts, like tying a shoelace or riding an escalator, illustrates how these actions are embedded in larger patterns of behavior and shaped by both individual and cultural conventions. The emphasis on habit and routine challenges the traditional notion of free will and rational decision-making, suggesting that much of our behavior is driven by unconscious patterns and ingrained practices. My approach highlights the importance of understanding these underlying patterns in order to design products and technologies that better serve human needs and preferences.
Practical Application:
In technology development, this highlights the importance of user-centered design, paying attention to the often-unconscious habits and practices that shape the way people interact with products. Instead of imposing new behaviors, designers should consider how technology can seamlessly integrate with existing routines and patterns of use.
Suggested Deep Dive
Chapter: Chapter Six
This chapter offers a concise and insightful exploration of the narrator’s preoccupation with mundane objects and their historical evolution, epitomizing the book’s thematic focus on finding the extraordinary within the ordinary.
Memorable Quotes
Chapter One. 7
When I drew close to the up escalator, I involuntarily transferred my paperback and CVS bag to my left hand, so that I could take the handrail with my right, according to habit.
Chapter Two. 15
Shoes are the first adult machines we are given to master.
Chapter Seven. 49
The comprehensiveness of this, the all-embracing definition of what a clean office building really was, was thrilling!
Chapter Thirteen. 88
Observe, in short, how transient and trivial is all mortal life; yesterday a drop of semen, tomorrow a handful of spice and ashes.
Chapter Fifteen. 107
Staplers have followed, lagging by about ten years, the broad stylistic changes we have witnessed in train locomotives and phonograph tonearms, both of which they resemble.
Chapter One. 7
When I drew close to the up escalator, I involuntarily transferred my paperback and CVS bag to my left hand, so that I could take the handrail with my right, according to habit.
Chapter Two. 15
Shoes are the first adult machines we are given to master.
Chapter Seven. 49
The comprehensiveness of this, the all-embracing definition of what a clean office building really was, was thrilling!
Chapter Thirteen. 88
Observe, in short, how transient and trivial is all mortal life; yesterday a drop of semen, tomorrow a handful of spice and ashes.
Chapter Fifteen. 107
Staplers have followed, lagging by about ten years, the broad stylistic changes we have witnessed in train locomotives and phonograph tonearms, both of which they resemble.
Comparative Analysis
The Mezzanine shares similarities with works of other writers who explore the mundane and internal, like Georges Perec with his meticulous inventory of everyday objects in An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris and the constrained linguistic experiments of Oulipo. However, my focus is less on external constraint and more on the natural constraints of memory and perception, and the associative chains that link thoughts together. Unlike Proust’s search for lost time through involuntary memory, my exploration stays grounded in the present, finding extraordinary depths in ordinary experiences. While both Perec and I share a fascination with lists and details, my use of lists is less about exhaustive cataloging and more about mapping the inner landscape of consciousness. This emphasis on inner experience also distinguishes The Mezzanine from the works of minimalists like Raymond Carver, whose focus is on external actions and dialogue. My approach is maximalist in its attention to internal detail, finding vastness within the confines of a single lunch break.
Reflection
The Mezzanine*, though seemingly limited in scope, offers a unique perspective on the nature of thought, memory, and the hidden depths of everyday experience. While the narrator’s obsessive focus on minutiae may seem trivial to some, it serves as a powerful tool for exploring the intricate connections between our internal worlds and the material culture that surrounds us. The book’s digressive style, while challenging for some readers, mirrors the associative nature of thought itself, offering a glimpse into the often-unconscious processes that shape our perceptions and experiences.
From a skeptical perspective, one could argue that the narrator’s hyper-awareness of detail borders on the absurd, and that the book’s lack of a traditional plot may leave some readers unsatisfied. However, The Mezzanine is not meant to be a traditional narrative, but rather an exploration of consciousness itself. The novel’s strength lies in its ability to illuminate the profound within the mundane, revealing the hidden beauty and complexity of everyday life. In a world increasingly dominated by technology and information overload, The Mezzanine offers a welcome invitation to slow down, pay attention, and find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Flashcards
Why is the narrator relieved by his mother’s theory about brain cells?
The narrator’s theory that intelligence is enhanced by reducing brain cells, suggesting that neuronal death clears space for experience and wisdom.
What is the narrator’s fifth major life advance?
His attempt to apply deodorant while fully dressed.
What is the source of the narrator’s thoughts about product design and its evolution?
The discovery of new shoelaces, prompting thoughts on the design of consumer products, like straws and tape dispensers.
What triggers the narrator’s nostalgic reflections on bags?
Reflecting on his love for bags and his childhood practice of refolding them.
What prompts the narrator’s reflections on milk and consumerism?
A contemplation of the transition from home milk delivery to supermarket purchases and its cultural implications.
What is the origin of the narrator’s interest in escalators and their mechanics?
The narrator’s fascination with local transport systems, which prompts his reflections on escalators and childhood.
According to the narrator’s mother, why should sneakers always be tied before riding escalators?
To prevent escalator accidents.
What is the narrator’s ‘schoolboy’ way of drinking milk?
The act of drinking a quart of milk directly from the carton, thus dispensing with the need for a glass.
Why is the narrator relieved by his mother’s theory about brain cells?
The narrator’s theory that intelligence is enhanced by reducing brain cells, suggesting that neuronal death clears space for experience and wisdom.
What is the narrator’s fifth major life advance?
His attempt to apply deodorant while fully dressed.
What is the source of the narrator’s thoughts about product design and its evolution?
The discovery of new shoelaces, prompting thoughts on the design of consumer products, like straws and tape dispensers.
What triggers the narrator’s nostalgic reflections on bags?
Reflecting on his love for bags and his childhood practice of refolding them.
What prompts the narrator’s reflections on milk and consumerism?
A contemplation of the transition from home milk delivery to supermarket purchases and its cultural implications.
What is the origin of the narrator’s interest in escalators and their mechanics?
The narrator’s fascination with local transport systems, which prompts his reflections on escalators and childhood.
According to the narrator’s mother, why should sneakers always be tied before riding escalators?
To prevent escalator accidents.
What is the narrator’s ‘schoolboy’ way of drinking milk?
The act of drinking a quart of milk directly from the carton, thus dispensing with the need for a glass.