Asking Questions with Howie
Howie from The
Mezzanine offers the reader an interesting and unique look into the life of
an adult. On the surface, Howie lives everyday like he’s on autopilot but when we’re
offered a way into his mind you discover the complexity of the everyday. The
more I read about Howie’s ramblings and little anxieties the more interested I
became about the idea of coming of age and what that meant for Howie
specifically.
Adults,
and the act of “coming of age” have always been presented to me in ways that
make them seem organized and with a clear process. One moment you are still an
immature teenager and the next you are a put together adult. One particular moment
in the book that made me question this was when Howie asked the question, “Why
should we need lots of nostalgia to license any pleasure taken in the
discoveries that we carry over from childhood, when it is now so clearly an
adult pleasure?” (Baker 39). This passage made me wonder, when does the
transition period between teenager and adult end? Why do we have to justify “childish”
thoughts with excuses of nostalgia? What landmark represents a successful transformation?
Howie is a living contradiction to the image of a “put together” adult who has figured
out life without worries. On the surface he’s a perfect example of a “model”
adult, but by living in his mind, we are able to notice all the small details
that don’t fit. For example, how he worries about bumping into a coworker and
socializing, so he pretends to have forgotten something.
I think this book was a valuable read because, while it wasn’t able to answer these questions, it was thought provoking and introduced a new way of observing normal, everyday events. While I know that adults don’t live perfect lives and coming of age can be messy, I didn’t think about any of these issues very deeply until I met Howie. Howie’s complex character challenges many social norms surrounding adulting and encourages you to ask questions about your everyday life. Thanks for reading!
Howie helped me realize that people grow up a lot slower than the laws that say you can drive when you're 16, vote at 18, drink at 21. In the book he said he felt like an adult after figuring out how to put deodorant without taking off his clothes which sounded a little childish to me. Marking that as your entering to adulthood, but I suppose that just means that my idea of a fully fledged adult isn't too accurate.
ReplyDeleteHowie definitely defines being an adult/ growing up very differently then most people would, but they are no more correct then he is. knowing how to do your taxes really does not make you more of an adult then putting deodorant on while dressed. I think the ways that Howie chose to define growing up really shows that Baker thinks the line between kid and adult has a massive grey area.
ReplyDeleteI really like what you said about people using nostalgia as an excuse for enjoying something childish. It doesn't really make sense to say "I used to enjoy this as a kid" when you clearly still enjoy it. Are people embarrassed to admit they have a childish side? Everyone has been a child, so its not really something to hide.
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