Appreciating the Ordinary in The Mezzanine

At the most basic level, Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine is a novel about the thoughts of a man as he rides the escalator up to the Mezzanine floor of the building at the end of his lunch break. This in itself as a concept for a book is enough to discourage potential readers from actually taking the time to give the book a chance, as from the outside, it seems like a boring, plot-lacking novel. However, it is what is occurring inside the head of this man as he rides the escalator back to his office that makes this book worth the read. Baker takes this idea of the escalator ride and uses it as a vehicle from which to digress and go off on tangents about the idiosyncrasies of daily life, going as far as to constantly remark on the most mundane, banal aspects of everyday activities. Baker uses extreme detail and passion to describe even the most ordinary objects in the book, and I feel that this is the reason why we should learn to appreciate Baker's approach to writing about the ordinary in The Mezzanine.

Perhaps the most obvious characterization of Baker's style is his tendency to break down and thoroughly explain any lingering thoughts that come across his mind in such vivid detail. This thorough description causes the reader to really relate with and appreciate Baker's points. While it could be argued that there are several other authors out there whose extent of description is on par with Baker's, it is the fact that Baker focuses so much of his attention on the aspects of life normally taken for granted that makes his style truly unique and goes as far as to change how the reader thinks about the world. For example, we can observe in nearly every major passage and footnote about some commonplace object/practice how Baker provides a complete description of the appearance of the object or an explanation of how something works. Baker takes a seemingly uninteresting topic, such as the timing of shoelaces snapping, and makes it interesting by explaining the processes behind it in such scrupulous detail that one simply can't help but to be sucked into his flow of events. To notice and think about the nuances of everyday life so often, let alone write a book about them, is a feat in itself. The fact that Baker takes these concepts of ordinary things to the next level through his stellar description and attention to detail completely altered the way I look at the world. Now, I pay more attention to the things that I once simply took for granted and take the time to stop and think about the importance of what I'm observing.

In addition to his extensive attention to detail in the things he observes, Baker's incorporation of feelings and emotions into his evaluations of the mundane caused me to really appreciate and enjoy his descriptions even more. All throughout his accounts and descriptions, Baker will constantly use exclamation marks and even italics to really drive home his (Howie's) points. This is quite ironic if you think about it, considering that he is placing these exclamation points and italics in the middle of these multi-page footnotes about the progression of milk delivery (or any other seemingly boring practice). Baker even goes as far as to use the second person at times, as if to connect with the reader and emphasize even more the value he sees in things usually taken for granted. Nonetheless, the enthusiasm with which Baker expresses his points significantly adds to the admiration of the ordinary. For example, I didn't even know it was possible to express so much dissatisfaction with the evolution of straws. This is just one example of the many things I have now come to realize are significant and deserve extensive evaluation. The sheer fervor and passion with which he discusses his observations in junction with the substantial detail he uses to describe his thoughts provide for an interesting, refreshing new way to think about and even appreciate the peculiarities of day-to-day life.