Alyssa's English Blog

 Today in class, we discussed whether or not Peter is content in his life. It is my overall belief that he is not, in fact, content with his current situation. He feels regret. His head fills with 'what if's of the past. He quickly becomes faced with the realization that he is trapped in this fourth dimension of time and there is nothing he can do to halt it. Peter copes with this by using women and romance as an outlet/distraction from his problems. Peter has managed to get it into his head that he is in love with this woman from India, Daisy. Is he though? As mentioned in class, he scarcely even thinks of her while we are present in his mind. He doesn't love her for her, but he still thinks that getting married will solve his problems. He has this strange belief that Daisy will somehow save him from his insecurities and fragilities, and yet he can't even be bothered to think of her over Clarissa. Even within the reading, he decides to follow this random, strange woman...

 In one of our breakout room reading discussions, the topic of public bathroom etiquette was, inevitably, brought up. Someone mentioned that the book falsely made the social atmosphere in bathrooms overly tense, and I wished to expand on that statement. As someone with social anxiety, I find any public setting intimidating. I am hyper-aware of almost everything going on around me: any movements I make, the body language of the people around me, and any sounds or visual stimulants within the reach of my senses. This is not to say, however, that public restrooms are necessarily tense. To the average person, I assume they are capable of going about their business (no pun intended) without paying much heed to those around them, so long as there's nothing out of the ordinary. Experiences such as rest stops are often erased from our heads, easily forgotten among the other mundane tasks we perform as we set about our day.  In The Mezzanine, however, our main character, Howie, draws o...