In this microanalysis, I explore the coffee motif in Ben Lerner's novel 10:04 (2014). Is this simple beverage a non-essential commodity, or does it mean something more to the busy and fast-paced New Yorker? To read my longer article on 10:04, please click here.
Ben Lerner in his novel 10:04, makes a point to meticulously detail everyday events and objects. Throughout the novel, Lerner weaves in a provocative coffee motif, from instant to cafe style in order to comment on the commercially driven society that sees it as a necessity. “...the routine of shopping just enough to make me viscerally aware of both the miracle and insanity of the mundane economy. Finally I found something on the list, something vital: instant coffee.” At first, “instant coffee” seems to be a punchline to a sarcastic joke but then the narrator goes on to detail the production of the coffee itself in one long and descriptive sentence. The sentence leaves the reader overwhelmed and emphasises how processed even the simplest things are. He continues to say “It was as if the social relations that produced the object at hand began to glow within it…the majesty and murderous stupidity of that organisation of time and space and fuel and labor…” The simile highlights that it is rather easy to see what is behind the scenes of every item if you take the time to think about it and how this is illuminating. The juxtaposition between “majesty” and “murderous stupidity” is sharp but entirely understandable. Anything with a process as long as this is in some way fantastic but it doesn’t change the fact that the item itself is a mere commodity; a want, not a need.
The coffee motif reappears as the narrator is within the city, surrounded by vehicles. His thought of the “ground speed” aeroplane is reoriented by his “...repeating of the phrase until ground began to sound like the past participle of grind- as if velocity could be powdered, pulverised. It made me think of instant coffee.” The coffee image is inserted rather abruptly and softens the previous connotations of “pulverised”. Additionally, just like instant coffee, travel from place to place via aeroplane is only possible through a very involved set of processes, so much that it is practically processed.
Coffee also becomes an issue when the author meets with the librarian at the coffee shop. “His problem was that the coffee required two hands, or at least he had taken it with two hands, one on cup and one on saucer, so not to spill the coffee or upset the foam; he couldn’t return her wave. He felt himself scowling at this situation, realising too late she’d think he was scowling at her. His solution was to look at the cup with exaggerated intensity, in the hope that she would understand his dilemma. He walked slowly, eyes fixed on the dissolving flower, to the seat beside the window, having ruined everything.” It is interesting to consider what exactly the narrator is referring to as “everything”. Could it be his impression in the eyes of the librarian or is it simply the flower image in the coffee being ruined. However, it may not be fair to call his anxiety and “dilemma” about the coffee simple. Earlier, Lerner questions the necessity of this commodity but in this fast pace world, small pleasures like a perfect cup of coffee can make someone’s day. Those who slow down and focus on the beauty in little things may be the happiest people in New York City.
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