Howie's Childish Wish for Maturity
Throughout Nicholson Baker’s The Mezzanine, Howie explores different topics that catch his fascination throughout his life, and lunch break. A topic he returns to frequently is how he wishes to be seen as more grown up/mature. This first crops up when he buys milk and cookies as a snack during his lunch break. He sees eating and enjoying his milk and cookies as something very childish, and something he should have outgrown by now. He also spends part of his lunch break calculating how many years of “child” thoughts he’s had throughout his life, and subsequently, how many “adult” thoughts he will have to have in order to outweigh them.
Although Howie’s thoughts return to his maturity, and how grown up he presents himself outwardly, as readers we can see into the inner workings of his mind. Inside, he is filled with curiosity on how things work, routinely finding things “interesting” (his favorite word). This fascination, to me, is extraordinarily childish. I think that as a child, Howie’s favorite game would have been to repeatedly ask “why?” over and over, and take great joy and interest in the answers given. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had included an anecdote about this classic childhood game in a footnote– it seems perfectly in character. Throughout the novel, Howie keeps returning to the milk and cookies he eats in front of the building where he works. This classically child-like snack seems to snag his attention especially, intermixed with his musings about his first job, and how grown up he wishes to feel. In fact, his focus on presenting himself as a fully functioning adult adds to the childishness of Howie. No one wants to be seen as grown up more than a little kid.
His focus on maturity and self-presentation adds a layer of realism to Howie’s internal dialogue. He desperately wants to seem like he fits in, fits the mold of an adult man working a business job with no child-like tendencies left in him. Howie’s genuine interest in the workings of the world gives him a youthful wonder, and genuine optimism that would likely be rare within the minds of anyone else. While this makes him the perfect character for Baker’s exploration of the mind, it also provides a humorous and more interesting read.
Hi, Karenna! I agree that Howie's favorite game is the "why" game! I was also really interested in how childish Howie sounded throughout the book. I do think he is more adult than child because of his profound self-awareness and maturity towards certain subjects. I also think that children need constant engagement, but Howie is content with the mundane. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right on target when you propose that Howie would have been one of those kids who is always asking "why?" (and "how?") about everything--and in many ways I think this makes him rather appealing as a narrator. He has this infinite curiosity about the world, and he is capable of making things "interesting" that we initially think we're not interested in. Remember the anecdote he mentions late in the novel, when he's talking about Band-Aids, and he shares his memory of stabbing a classmate in the neck with a pencil(!!) when he refused to allow Howie to dismantle his 64-pack of crayons so he could see how they made the "stadium seating" tiers of crayons work. The sudden violence is shocking, but the curiosity about how Crayola made that crayon box seems right on brand for our guy.
ReplyDeleteHello Karenna!! I agree that Howie is super childlike in his mannerisms throughout the book. Another thing that reminds me of kids is his millions of side tangents! I feel like kids enjoy following wherever a conversation leads them. I find myself still enjoying long random conversations at times too, but now I feel more self conscious of how strange the things my brain connects become.
ReplyDeleteKarenna — Great encapsulation of Howie's childishness! I think it's interesting how he always questions his own maturity throughout the novel. There's this sense that he (despite being an adult office worker, which demands a mature presentation) his childishness seems to sneak into his internal dialogue all the time. His enthusiasm with arguably mundane things also speaks to his childishness. Like when he says "world" in reference to both the world (society) and the company World who produces hand driers. He is such a childish character, and almost has trouble reckoning with it. Amazing work!
ReplyDeleteHi Karenna! Howie’s obsession with appearing mature actually makes him seem more childish, great point. His constant curiosity and need to ask “why?” definitely give him a sense of youthful wonder, even as he tries to convince himself that he has outgrown those qualities. I also think this contrast makes Howie feel much more relatable and realistic. Great post!
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