The Mezzanine and Unspoken rules in Society
Throughout The Mezzanine Nicholson Baker makes amazing discoveries about everyday life in modern society through the lens of Howie( our main character). Baker does a great job of taking a fictional character and presenting the reader with realistic everyday situations that offer fascinating insights about the unspoken ‘rules’ of modern society. A couple of these ‘rules’ so to speak are, always wait to be excused and always introduce yourself. On page 33. Howie is getting ready to leave the office to go on his lunch break when Tina(a secretary) stops him. Tina and Howie begin to engage in lighthearted small talk when they are interrupted by a phone call. While Tina is on the phone Howie waits for Tina to finish so they can continue their conversation; but as the phone call prolongs the likelihood of their conversation picking up where it left off gets smaller and smaller. So Howie is now stuck in the odd predicament of either leaving and being perceived as rude or staying and bei...
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