Genre
Contemporary fiction
Setting and Context
America in the modern day
Narrator and Point of View
Howie's internal monologue narrates the novel.
Tone and Mood
The tone is intriguing; the mood is uplifting.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Howie is the protagonist; the office is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Howie leaves the office for his lunch break, that the novel explores in detail.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Howi purchases a brand new pair of laces for his shoes.
Foreshadowing
The reading of his book is foreshadowed by the fact that Howie is bored.
Understatement
The role of menial tasks is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the average lunch break of a young male office worker in America.
Imagery
The imagery of the sizzling hotdogs is present in the novel.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Howie's own lunchbreak and the unproductiveness of many workers in his office.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The milk is a metonym for the childhood nostalgia that Howie seeks.
Personification
N/A
