Coming of Age Elements in "The Mezzanine"
"Coming-of-age literature explores the transition from childhood to adulthood, often featuring young protagonists who face significant life challenges that prompt personal growth. This type of narrative, sometimes referred to as "Bildungsroman," typically follows adolescents or younger characters as they navigate experiences that force them to confront the complexities of adult life, often through trauma or major life changes." - EBSCO Research Nicholson Baker's "The Mezzanine" allows the reader to spend a thoroughly described lunch hour during Howie's corporate work lunch break. Throughout the book, we see Howie, the main character and narrator, tell the reader multiple anecdotes and parts of his life, often along with an occasional tangent on a random topic. Among these anecdotes of his life, two of them particularly stuck out to me because of their similarity to the average coming-of-age story (which I took a semester-long class of last...