Time is Sporadic
Reading “Mrs. Dalloway” right after reading “The Mezzanine”, led me to automatically make comparisons between the two novels. A notable similarity that I noticed between both is that the novels are set over a very small length of time for how we normally think a novel should be. Both of these novels break the rules for how we think a timeline for a book should be. “The Mezzanine” covers the thoughts of Howie during his one hour lunch break on an escalator ride. Anyone could write a novel about their thoughts during one hour of their lives, but it would probably be excruciatingly boring. The focus of “The Mezzanine” was to make the unremarkable seem remarkable. While on the escalator ride, Howie discussed his thoughts of everyday scenarios, such as using the men’s restroom, eating lunch, and he even marvels at the concept of tying his shoelaces, milk cartons, and plastic straws. “Mrs. Dalloway” also occurs over a very short amount of time. This novel covers the length of one day, from ...