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“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber: A Critical Analysis
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber was originally published in 1939 in The New Yorker magazine.
Introduction: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
Table of Contents
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber was originally published in 1939 in The New Yorker magazine. The short story explores the escapist fantasies of its eponymous protagonist, a meek man who finds solace in elaborate daydreams. Thurber masterfully contrasts Walter Mitty’s ordinary life with his extravagant inner world, where he assumes roles of heroism and significance. This juxtaposition offers a nuanced commentary on the human desire for escape and the complex relationship between reality and imagination.
Main Events in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
- Walter Mitty, a middle-aged man, is on a trip to run errands with his wife.
- While his wife is in a hair appointment, Walter daydreams about being a heroic military pilot.
- Walter is brought back to reality by his wife’s nagging, and they drive to a parking lot.
- Walter daydreams again, this time as a surgeon performing a dangerous operation.
- Walter is interrupted by his wife, who chastises him for driving too fast and orders him to buy overshoes.
- Walter’s daydreams continue, this time as a daring defendant in a courtroom drama.
- Back in reality, Walter forgets his wife’s orders and buys dog biscuits instead of overshoes.
- In his final daydream, Walter imagines himself as a heroic man facing a firing squad.
- Walter is brought back to reality by a parking attendant, who tells him he’s been driving in circles.
- Walter drops off his wife at the hair salon, gets lost in another daydream, and imagines himself dying bravely in a hail of bullets.
Literary Devices in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
| “The hands of the man at the wheel grasped the wheel tightly.” | Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words for emphasis. | |
| “Mrs. Mitty was determined, like a bulldog sinking its teeth into an old shoe.” | Compares two things to show a similarity, using “like” or “as.” | |
| “He couldn’t remember what it was she had wanted.” | Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words for a musical effect. | |
| Direct | “Mrs. Mitty, who possessed a determined chin and a pair of capable hands, pulled out a street map.” | The author directly tells the reader about a character’s traits. |
| “The pounding of the cylinders increased: ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa. It’s eight cylinders, the engine said. Eight fists pummeling at the walls of his chest.” | An exaggeration used for emphasis or humor. | |
| “The water rushed beneath his shoes; the cold slapped his ankles.” | Vivid descriptions that engage the reader’s senses. | |
| (Situational) | “Mrs. Mitty fumbled in her purse and came up with a box of rubber bands. One wasn’t quite strong enough.” | The situation contradicts expectations. Here, Walter dreams of heroic feats while his wife struggles with mundane tasks. |
| “He wasn’t feeling too happy.” | Understatement used for emphasis. | |
| (This is debatable, some argue it’s intentional misuse of similar-sounding words for humor) “Webley-Vickers 50.80” (referring to a gun) | Incorrect use of a word, often for comedic effect. | |
| Mock Jargon | “Tertiary phase of obstreosis of the ductal tract” (referring to a medical condition) | Exaggerated or nonsensical technical language for humor. |
| “The telephone rang with a shrill insistence.” | Words that imitate the sound they describe (shrill). | |
| “The timid hero” | Two contradictory terms used together for effect. | |
| “The old car chugged valiantly up the hill.” | Giving human qualities to non-human things. | |
| ” ‘Isn’t it about time?’ he said. ‘Isn’t it about time?’ “ | Repeating words or phrases for emphasis. | |
| “Was it madness? For an old man to walk into the middle of a machine gun nest?” | A question not meant to be answered but to make a point. | |
| “His heart hammered in his chest like a drum.” | Compares two things using “like” or “as” to show similarity. | |
| The recurring car in Walter’s daydreams | An object that represents something more than its literal meaning (freedom, escape). | |
| (see Litotes) | ||
| “Mrs. Mitty said, ‘Something’s going to happen.'” (This foreshadows Walter’s moment of bravery when confronting the “rogue” driver) | Hinting at future events in the story. |
Characterization in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
Major characters:.
- Walter Mitty:
- Indirect Characterization: Through his actions and daydreams, we see a meek, forgetful man lacking confidence.
- Direct Characterization: The narrator occasionally describes him as “middle-aged” and “not a young man any longer.”
- Daydreams: These reveal his desire for excitement and heroism, showcasing a stark contrast to his real life.
- Direct Characterization: Described as having a “determined chin” and “capable hands,” suggesting a forceful personality.
- Actions: She constantly nags and reminds Walter of errands and tasks, portraying a controlling and domineering nature.
Minor Characters:
- The Parking Lot Attendant: Briefly interacts with Walter, highlighting his forgetfulness and lack of assertiveness.
- The Technician: Appears in Walter’s daydream as “Lieutenant Berg.” Initially questions Walter’s (as the dream commander) authority, representing a challenge to his newfound confidence (in the dream).
- Dr. Renshaw: The Mittys’ family doctor. In Walter’s fantasy, Dr. Renshaw is a desperate surgeon needing Walter’s (as the dream doctor) expertise. This highlights Walter’s desire for importance and recognition.
- The Rogue Driver: A reckless driver on the road. This character serves as a catalyst for Walter to step outside his comfort zone and show a rare moment of real-life courage.
Characterization Techniques:
- Contrast: The main contrast lies between Walter’s timid reality and his heroic daydreams. Mrs. Mitty’s forceful personality further emphasizes Walter’s lack of assertiveness.
- Internal Monologue: Though not extensively used, Walter’s thoughts occasionally reveal his frustration and yearning for adventure.
Major Themes in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
1. Escapism and the Power of Fantasy:
- Walter’s constant daydreams provide an escape from his monotonous life. He fantasizes about being a courageous hero in various scenarios.
- Example: “Walter Mitty was deeply involved in an aerial duel between himself and a pirate junkyard.”
2. The Contrast Between Reality and Imagination:
- Example: Walter dreams of being a fearless seaplane pilot, yet struggles to navigate a parking lot in real life.
3. The Yearning for Adventure and Significance:
- Walter’s daydreams reveal a desire for excitement, adventure, and a sense of importance that’s missing in his daily routine.
- Example: He imagines himself as a doctor performing a critical surgery or a leader in a dangerous situation.
4. The Importance of Facing Reality and Stepping Outside One’s Comfort Zone:
- Despite his escapism, Walter shows a glimmer of courage when confronting the reckless driver. This suggests a potential for growth and facing reality.
- Example: He steps out of his car to confront the driver, a rare moment of assertiveness outside his fantasies.
Writing Style in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
James Thurber’s writing style in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is characterized by its use of humor, irony, and satire. Thurber employs short and simple sentences, often with a repetitive structure, to emphasize Walter Mitty’s mundane life and his desire for adventure. He also uses vivid and detailed descriptions to bring Walter’s daydreams to life, with a playful and imaginative tone. The story is told in a third-person limited point of view, allowing readers to enter Walter’s mind and experience his fantasies. Overall, Thurber’s writing style is light-hearted and witty, with a keen eye for the absurdities of everyday life.
Literary Theories and Interpretation of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
- Psychoanalytic Theory : One interpretation of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is that it reflects Walter Mitty’s subconscious desires and conflicts. According to this theory, Walter’s daydreams are a manifestation of his repressed desires for power, control, and adventure. His dissatisfaction with his mundane life and his nagging wife may also be interpreted as a reflection of his inner conflicts and anxieties.
- Feminist Theory : Another interpretation of the story is that it critiques traditional gender roles and the patriarchal society. Walter’s wife is portrayed as domineering and critical, constantly belittling him and undermining his masculinity. This reflects the societal pressures on men to conform to traditional notions of masculinity, which are seen as incompatible with vulnerability and emotional expression. Additionally, the women in Walter’s daydreams are mostly objectified and stereotyped, highlighting the limited roles that women are often given in male-dominated narratives.
- Marxist Theory : A Marxist interpretation of the story may view Walter’s daydreams as a form of resistance against capitalist oppression. Walter is a low-level employee who is powerless in his job and in his personal life. His daydreams may be seen as a way to escape his reality and imagine himself as a hero, which represents a form of class-consciousness and resistance against the capitalist system that oppresses him.
- New Criticism : A New Criticism interpretation of the story may focus on its literary techniques and devices. The story’s use of repetition, vivid imagery, and irony are all important aspects of its literary style. The story’s themes of escapism, masculinity, and power may also be analyzed in the context of the literary techniques used to convey them.
- Reader-Response Theory : A reader-response interpretation of the story may focus on how readers respond to Walter’s character and his daydreams. Some readers may sympathize with Walter and his desire for adventure, while others may find his fantasies childish and unrealistic. This theory emphasizes the role of the reader in constructing meaning from the text.
Questions and Their Thesis Statements about “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
- What is the role of Walter Mitty’s daydreams in the story, and what do they reveal about his character and desires?
- Thesis Statement: Through his daydreams, Walter Mitty is able to escape the mundanity of his everyday life and imagine himself as a heroic figure, revealing his deep desires for adventure, power, and control.
- How does the story critique traditional notions of masculinity, and what alternative forms of masculinity are presented?
- Thesis Statement: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” critiques traditional masculinity by portraying Walter as a passive and submissive figure, and presenting alternative forms of masculinity through his daydreams, which emphasize power, control, and emotional expression.
- In what ways does the story use humor and satire to critique societal expectations and norms? Thesis Statement: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” uses humor and satire to critique societal expectations and norms, particularly those surrounding masculinity, heroism, and the media’s portrayal of heroic figures.
- How does Walter Mitty’s relationship with his wife reflect societal expectations of gender roles, and what is the significance of this in the story?
- Thesis Statement: The dynamic between Walter Mitty and his wife reflects traditional gender roles and the societal pressures on men to conform to traditional notions of masculinity, and highlights the ways in which these expectations can be damaging to both men and women.
- How does the story use repetition and imagery to convey its themes of escapism and dissatisfaction with reality?
- Thesis Statement: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” uses repetition and vivid imagery to emphasize Walter’s dissatisfaction with his ordinary life and his desire for adventure and escape, highlighting the ways in which his daydreams serve as a coping mechanism.
Short Questions and Answers about “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
- What is the significance of the title “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”?
- The title of the story highlights the contrast between Walter Mitty’s real life and his imagined life. Walter’s daydreams are his secret life, in which he imagines himself as a heroic figure, living exciting adventures and accomplishing daring feats. This title also emphasizes the theme of escapism in the story, as Walter’s daydreams allow him to escape the mundanity of his everyday life and imagine a more exciting and fulfilling existence.
- What is the role of Walter’s wife in the story?
- Walter’s wife plays a significant role in the story as a foil to Walter’s daydreams. She is portrayed as critical, nagging, and overbearing, constantly belittling Walter and reminding him of his shortcomings. Her presence highlights the contrast between Walter’s imagined life and his real life, and emphasizes the societal pressures on men to conform to traditional gender roles and notions of masculinity.
- What is the significance of the story’s ending?
- The story’s ending is significant in that it reinforces the theme of escapism, as Walter’s final daydream involves him imagining himself bravely facing a firing squad. This ending can be interpreted as a way of highlighting the importance of finding a balance between reality and fantasy, and of embracing one’s true identity rather than living in a perpetual state of escapism.
- What is the significance of Walter’s daydreams involving heroic figures such as a pilot, a surgeon, and a soldier?
- Walter’s daydreams involving heroic figures can be seen as a reflection of his desires for power, control, and adventure. These daydreams allow him to escape his mundane life and imagine himself as a hero, capable of great feats and respected by others. Additionally, these daydreams may reflect the societal values of the time period in which the story was written, which placed a great emphasis on heroism and bravery in the face of danger.
Literary Works Similar to “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
Similar themes:.
- Escapism and the Power of Fantasy:
- “ Bartleby, the Scrivener ” by Herman Melville: A Wall Street clerk named Bartleby escapes his monotonous job by simply refusing to perform tasks.
- “ The Lady or the Tiger ? ” by Frank R. Stockton: A story with an ambiguous ending that leaves the reader pondering the nature of reality and fantasy.
- Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes: A delusional nobleman mistakes windmills for giants and embarks on fantastical adventures.
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: A man wakes up one morning transformed into a giant insect, highlighting the absurdity of everyday life.
Similar Elements:
- Reginald Perrin by David Nobbs: A middle-aged man fakes a nervous breakdown to escape his corporate job, similar to Walter’s daydreams as a form of escape.
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: A dark satire on war that uses humor to explore themes of bureaucracy and the absurdity of war.
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson: A darkly humorous story with unreliable narration and dreamlike elements.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A magical realist novel that blends fantasy and reality in a multigenerational family saga.
Suggested Readings: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
- Rose, Michael. The Genius of James Thurber. Folio Society, 1997. This biography delves into Thurber’s life and influences, potentially offering insights into the creation of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”
- Maier, Thomas . James Thurber. Twayne Publishers, 1967. This literary criticism text analyzes Thurber’s works, potentially including a chapter dedicated to “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”
- Asselineau, Roger . “The Daydreams of Walter Mitty and the Grotesque.” The James Thurber Papers (Ohio State University Libraries), no. 13 (1989): 1-12. This scholarly article explores the use of the grotesque in the protagonist’s daydreams, offering a deeper analysis of the story’s elements.
- Meyers, Jeffrey . “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and the Search for Heroic Identity.” Studies in American Humor 1.1 (1977): 79-92. This article delves into the theme of masculinity and the search for heroism in the story, providing a critical perspective on Walter Mitty’s character.
- The James Thurber Society: https://jamesthurber.org/the-thurber-house This website dedicated to Thurber’s life and works may contain essays or articles specifically analyzing “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”
- Short Story Collections: While the specific URL cannot be guaranteed due to potential content changes, reputable online resources like Bartleby.com ( https://ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in/engp05/chapter/short-stories-of-james-thurber/ ) often offer free access to classic short stories, including “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”
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Literary Theory and Criticism
Home › Literature › Analysis of James Thurber’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Analysis of James Thurber’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on June 12, 2021
As a 20th-century comic writer, James Thurber had few peers. Not only is “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” considered his best story, but the term Walter Mitty also has entered the language as a metaphor for an ordinary man who escapes into a fantasy world of impossible heroics. In this respect Mitty is both universal and American, particularly as critics see his antecedents stretching back to Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” and Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer . Mitty is the modern fictional reincarnation of the henpecked husband.
James Thurber/Library of America
The story opens in medias res, that is, in the middle of one of Mitty’s fantasies: He is a naval commander supervising a hydroplane during a raging storm. Mitty is the quintessential officer, worshipped by his crew for his bravery and ability. The reader understands at the same time as Mitty himself does that the scenario takes place only in Mitty’s imagination: He is actually driving a car, and his wife is ordering him to slow down. The rest of the fantasies in the story are similarly triggered by actual events. Mrs. Mitty’s ordering him to wear his gloves leads Mitty to imagine donning surgical gloves as, in the role of an internationally famous surgeon, he prepares to operate on a millionaire banker. In fact, he cannot even park his car properly and must turn it over to a contemptuous youthful parking attendant.
Thurber deftly juxtaposes the ordinariness of Mitty’s life—he is running errands for Mrs. Mitty while she keeps her hairdresser’s appointment—to larger issues of life and death. As a newsboy yells out the headlines of a murder trial, Mitty begins to imagine himself in court, the perfect defendant, only to associate the word cur with the puppy biscuit his wife has asked him to buy. Then, in one of the funniest scenes in the story, Mitty, looking at a copy of Liberty magazine, sees himself as a World War II pilot heroically bombing a German ammunitions plant. Interrupted for the last time by Mrs. Mitty—he has forgotten the puppy biscuit—Mitty imagines himself in front of a firing squad, stoically refusing the blindfold. Although both male and female critics have observed that, in Thurber’s view, American women have won the war between the sexes, it is the uncommon reader who can read this timeless classic of American humor without laughing.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Bernstein, Burton. Thurber: A Biography. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1975. Holmes, Charles S., ed. Thurber: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1974. Long, Robert Emmet. Thurber. New York: Ungar, 1988. Thurber, James. Vintage Thurber: A Collection of the Best Writings and Drawings. 2 vols. London: Hamilton, 1963.
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
James thurber, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.
Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on James Thurber's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
Walter Mitty: Introduction
Walter mitty: plot summary, walter mitty: detailed summary & analysis, walter mitty: themes, walter mitty: quotes, walter mitty: characters, walter mitty: symbols, walter mitty: theme wheel, brief biography of james thurber.
Historical Context of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Other books related to the secret life of walter mitty.
- Full Title: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
- When Written: 1939
- Where Written: Connecticut
- When Published: March 18, 1939, in The New Yorker ; collected in My World—and Welcome To It (1942)
- Literary Period: Modernism
- Genre: Short Story/Humor
- Setting: Waterbury, Connecticut, around the winter of 1938-1939
- Climax: Walter Mitty stands before the firing squad in his fantasy
- Antagonist: Mrs. Mitty
- Point of View: Close third person
Extra Credit for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Eighth-Grade Prophecy. As an eighth-grader, Thurber was chosen to write the “class prophecy” for his graduating junior high school class. His prediction reads like one of Walter Mitty’s fantasies: the students go on an adventure in a “Seairoplane” and nearly crash before James Thurber saves the day._
Writing Methods. When he first arrived in New York in 1926, Thurber spent many hours painstakingly perfecting and polishing stories and humor pieces to submit to The New Yorker and other magazines, but his submissions were always rejected. He sold his first piece to the New Yorker after his wife, Althea Adams Thurber, advised him to set an alarm clock for forty-five minutes and submit whatever he had when it rang.
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by Thurber Essay
- To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
- As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
- As a template for you assignment
This is a short story on “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” from My World and Welcome to It.” The story gives an account of Mr. Mitty’s dreams and his encounters. It also shows his relationship with his wife. In this narration, the writer has used several themes such as power and authority and the position of women in society so as to show how this piece of writing can be used in relation to real life experiences. The author has used different styles so as to make the story appealing to the audience. He has incorporated the use of symbolism, dialogue and humor to bring out its relevance to his audience. One notes that the author was careful on how he used the setting of a dream so that he could address different issues that affect society. James T uses a somber and relaxed tone. In some instances, he also uses an ironic tone.
The theme of power and authority has been widely used in this story. In all the dreams, Mitty sees himself as having power. In the first dream, he is the commander of navy militants. He has power over all other people in the navy. We are shown how he uses an authoritative voice when giving instructions. He is tough on his group and sometimes he is even rude to them. For example, Lieutenant Berg was giving an idea of what to do so that they can stop spoiling the hurricane and the commander replies saying that he had not asked for his ideas. Mitty also uses his authority as a commander to instruct his crew to an extent they term him as a man who fears nothing, not even hell, “The Old Man is not afraid of hell!” In relation to this theme of power and authority, the theme of, the position of a woman in society is brought up. Mitty’s wife has no much to contribute in society. Mitty drives her and when she complains about the
The speed he is driving at, Mitty assumes he did not hear what she said and he continues driving. He even looks at her strangely with shock and astonishment after she screams at him.
In the second scream, Mitty dreams being a famous surgeon who is a friend to President Roosevelt. He sees himself as having power and authority over influential men, doctors, surgeons and businessmen. He has the power and authority to give instructions on what should be done in the operating room. They refer to him as sir and address him with a lot of respect. Mitty sees himself as the best surgeon in society and one to who everyone turns to when everything comes to its worst. For example, he gives a solution when a machine in the operating room breaks down and an intern says that no one can repair it. Mitty himself does a few technical observations and it functions again. Secondly when a patient starts fading away, Mitty takes over after Renshaw becomes nervous. All this shows how the theme of power and authority has been brought out. Mitty helps a rich man.
Controversy comes in when in the third dream Mitty is an accused witness in a courtroom trial. However Mitty has been accused of owning a gun meaning he still is fighting for power. Even when he is shown the gun, he does not hold back but openly agrees to own it. “Have you ever seen this before?”. Mitty examines the gun and then answers “This is my Webley-Vickers 50.80.” This indicates that he has a lawyer who has the powers to help him be free.
Mitty dreams that he is a captain in a war plane facing heavy enemy artillery. The theme of power and authority is brought out in the essence of Mitty being the captain. Captains in any war plane have power and they lead troops during war and attacks. He feels courageous ho handle the bomber and the Archie on his own yet they are said to be dangerous. The power Mitty had, allowed him to undertake activities which an ordinary solder could not without permission. This dream shows that one can be in power yet be humble and listen to his juniors
Narration and dialogue have been used as the writing style in this story. There is a dialogue between Mitty and his wife. When Mitty is driving and he over speeds, they dialogue with his wife discussing what speed is the best. There is a dialogue in the courtroom when the District attorney is asking Mitty if the weapon belonged to him. The story flows due to narration as one is able to know the order of circumstances.
In conclusion, it is important for an author to keep his/her audience in suspense. Through this the story will flow and one will want to know what happened next. In this story, the audience has the suspense of discovering what is the next dream and why he is day dreaming. Symbolism has also been widely used in the passage. Each dream is a symbol. It symbolizes what people desire to be in society.
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IvyPanda . 2022. "“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by Thurber." January 9, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-secret-life-of-walter-mitty-by-thurber/.
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My response to this short story is that it is a combination of fantasy and real life fiction. Walter Mitty, a middle-aged man, who breaks away from his normal life by daydreaming and having these fantasies about himself doing tremendous and amazing things to other people and his wife. To let the reader know that this story of Walter Mitty, both starts and concludes inside Walter Mitty’s fantasies. Walter Mitty, of course, is always pretending that he is somebody else rather than being himself. His fantasies all see him as being a triumphant person and a valiant individual, who is called upon to save the day, but, that’s only in his dream. He sees himself as a hero of some sorts, such as a doctor and a pilot commander from the navy and also a victim of the firing squad. But in the real world he would rather spend his livelihood wandering or daydreaming of the things that he isn’t, instead of being himself; rather make real changes is his life. The meaning of Walter Mitty’s final daydream or fantasy in the short story is that it can be pointed out or seen as a factual hero. In this part of the story, Walter mention the firing squad. He fantasizes and dreams of being shot or killed by the firing squad. He comes up to the firing squad so courageously; he is, at his final stage, upright and motionless. This can be understood as an indication that Walter Mitty’s fate is just to accept the fact that he has a boring and dull life. Walter Mitty, in his gentle modest way, has chosen his own trail and declines to submit to the desires of his unyielding wife and or the society around him. The tone of this Walter Mitty story is that it is a comedy, in such a way for the reason that Walter Mitty is a grown middle-aged man who lives a very tedious life but yet so much he dreams of this life of being a person of high standards, rather than being himself, so in there is just a vast dissimilarity between his fantasies and his everyday life. There’s also a vast amount of irony installed in the story. In every fantasy, in every dream, that he has or have, is irony. His perspective towards the fantasy is that he believes that these fantasies can come true while in the real world he allows his own wife to control or boss him around. The theme of this short story is to show the readers that we must stop wandering off to never land, daydreaming and live our lives the way we want. To stop fantasizing about the things we aren’t and get out there and make something out of life, and to not be anxious to live our lives with an adventurous and bold spirit. Nonetheless, it also shows the readers, that our dreams can conquer our actual reality, and what’s really going on in the real world. An example would be, Walter Mitty’s fantasies, it turned out to be so real for him and then he comprehends that these dreams or fantasies that he is having, they are not false, and it’s just in his mind and that he is just living a normal life. This story is a great example of a third person limited omniscient point of view. The difference between Walter Mitty’s Fantasies, his daydreams, with his boring everyday life, is that it expresses what the story is all about. Asides from all that is written above on this essay, after reading through this story I found that there are some moral values installed in this short story. Moral values such as we must behave ourselves in society and matters of principles and more generally what is believed to be considered usual or typical. In this case, Walter Mitty, for example, he in no way changes on the outside because he hardly ever moves away from his apparent behavior of inaction, the direct opposite of his action-packed fantasy world. As such the social moral is that Walter should give in the same kind of equivalent energy he uses to daydream into changing his shared world and his marriage with his wife. The story also remarks on the lifelessness of the middle class. We recognize Mrs. Mitty’s dissatisfaction but we too have to understand Walter Mitty’s need to get away from the dullness of the recurring, responsible life of an adult. In conclusion, Walter Mitty does have dreams. Dreams of being a hero that saves the day. But he’s not dreaming them while in bed, like everyone else is when they go to sleep. Instead, he’s fantasizing these occurrences while he’s awake while driving while shopping, talking to his wife. He sees himself as a hero that can save and protect everybody, but doesn’t actually do anything about it. He is just your average Joe that is taking his wife to the hair salon and gets her hair done. In addition to while getting her hair done, he runs some of his own errands that he has. However, in everyday life, all that we witness, experience, feels, hears generates these scenes in his head in which he, Walter Mitty is the hero of the story and he’s living and breathing right in it. While everyone looks at him like he’s weird and strange, and for him he doesn’t see what is wrong with this.
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
33 pages • 1 hour read
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Discussion Questions
Toward the end of the story, Mitty imagines the revolving doors of the hotel making a “derisive whistling sound” (Paragraph 15). Since the story describes the world solely through his eyes, might his imagination have colored other aspects of the “real world”? How reliable is his point of view?
Mitty’s daydreams feature very few women, and (unlike the men) none of them are named. Why is this, and does it relate to Thurber’s overall treatment of gender? Why are we never told Mrs. Mitty’s first name?
In his third fantasy, Mitty stands accused of a murder committed on June 14—Bastille Day. Why do you think Thurber chose this date? Who is the young woman who leaps into Mitty’s arms? Solve this murder mystery in a way you think Mitty might have chosen, and explain your rationale. Incorporate the original story’s themes.
Related Titles
By James Thurber
My Life and Hard Times
The Catbird Seat
The Night the Bed Fell
The Night the Ghost Got In
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film)
By ben stiller, the secret life of walter mitty (2013 film) essay questions.
Why is it important for Walter to stop daydreaming so much?
While Walter's daydreaming provides him with some solace from the banalities of the world and the boring work obligations he must fulfill, it also takes him out of the present moment. Loved ones and new acquaintances alike notice that sometimes Walter pulls back and stops focusing on the conversation at hand. Walter's "secret life" causes him to recede, which ends up hurting him in the long run. Over the course of the film, he learns to be more present to his life and integrate his imaginative adventures with events in real life.
What ironic revelation occurs when Walter finds Sean?
When Walter finds Sean in the Himalayas, Sean tells him that the negative that is meant for the cover of Life magazine was in the wallet that he sent Walter the whole time. He tells Walter that he thought it would be "cute" to put the negative in the wallet. Ironically enough, Walter has had the wallet (and by extension, the negative) the entire time, but he recently threw it in the trash at his mother's apartment.
How does Walter's father's death figure in thematically in the story?
Walter's father was one of his main champions, and encouraged him to be a high-spirited and courageous individual. When he died, Walter was only 17, and not only did Walter lose his main champion, but he also had to start working in order to bring in some money for his family. It was the death of his father that led Walter to recede into a humdrum life and only find his sense of adventure in daydreams.
How does the motto of Life magazine connect to Walter's story?
The motto of the magazine is all about taking risks, remaining present to the world around you and its possibilities, and finding purpose in one's life through action. This is exactly the lesson that Walter learns over the course of the film; he learns how to become more adventurous, present, honest, and to find purpose. He truly lives the motto of his company.
What does the snow leopard symbolize?
Broadly, the snow leopard that Sean O'Connell photographs symbolizes a beautiful and discreet thing that does not ask for attention or make itself known in an ostentatious way. In relation to the story, the snow leopard represents our protagonist, Walter: a discreet but noble individual who does not make a big fuss, but is notable nonetheless.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film) Questions and Answers
The Question and Answer section for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film) is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
How does Ben Stiller’s 2013 film enhance James Thurber’s 1939 short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty?
This really depends on if you think the movie version enhanced the story or not. Stiller was drawn to the material of Mitty in part because of the opportunity it presented to tackle more adult themes. In spite of his proficiency as a film...
How does Walter Mitty show transition to transformation?
Walter Mitty transforms within his own imagination... his reality is constant and unchanging.
In Walter’s notebook, how much did it say the piano storage was?
It was $200.
Study Guide for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film) study guide contains a biography of director Ben Stiller, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
- About The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film)
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film) Summary
- Character List
- Director's Influence
Essays for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film) essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film), directed by Ben Stiller.
- Escaping Escapism: Cinematic Technique and Cumulative Message in 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'
- Creating a "Fully Functional" Protagonist: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty vs. Carl Rogers
Wikipedia Entries for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film)
- Introduction
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COMMENTS
Main Events in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. Walter Mitty, a middle-aged man, is on a trip to run errands with his wife. While his wife is in a hair appointment, Walter daydreams about being a heroic military pilot. ... The James Thurber Papers (Ohio State University Libraries), no. 13 (1989): 1-12. This scholarly ...
Walter Mitty is one of literature's great dreamers. He spends much of his time escaping into fantasies in which he is brilliant and heroic, and his life is dramatic and adventurous. The enduring ...
His most famous creation, Walter Mitty, appeared in the film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ... A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Charles S. Holmes, Prentice-Hall, 1974, pp. 28-36.
Analysis. A naval commander is captaining a "huge, hurtling, eight-engined Navy hydroplane" through a terrible storm. Physical descriptions associate him with cold and ice. The Commander is the only one of Mitty's alter egos not to share his name.
Analysis of James Thurber's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on June 12, 2021. As a 20th-century comic writer, James Thurber had few peers. Not only is "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" considered his best story, but the term Walter Mitty also has entered the language as a metaphor for an ordinary man who escapes into a fantasy world of impossible heroics.
Full Title: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. When Written: 1939. Where Written: Connecticut. When Published: March 18, 1939, in The New Yorker; collected in My World—and Welcome To It (1942) Literary Period: Modernism. Genre: Short Story/Humor. Setting: Waterbury, Connecticut, around the winter of 1938-1939.
Walter Mitty, a meek and unassertive individual, is married to his strong-willed wife, Mrs. Mitty. He is frequently henpecked by her and constantly chided for his forgetfulness and perceived ...
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Walter Mitty has a miserable life. He is clumsy and cowardly. He is also always pushed around by his bossy wife, yelled at by a police, and laughed at by people who take the chains off his tires. He has a pretty hard life. This is why he is always... The Secret Life of Walter Mitty essays are academic essays for ...
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1939) is a short story by James Thurber. The most famous of Thurber's stories, it first appeared in The New Yorker on March 18, 1939, and was first collected in his book My World and Welcome to It (Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1942). It has since been reprinted in James Thurber: Writings and Drawings (The Library of America, 1996, ISBN 1-883011-22-1), is ...
The secret to the enduring popularity of what is perhaps James Thurber 's most famous short story, " The Secret Life of Walter Mitty "—published first in The New Yorker on March 18, 1939 and then reprinted in Thurber's 1942 collection My World - and Welcome to It— lies in a certain universality. No matter how famous, rich and successful ...
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Summary. The reader is thrust right into what might well be the climax of a more traditional story. That story is taking place aboard a naval hydroplane equipped with eight engines and facing what appears to be a life-and-death situation. That situation is made all the more precarious as a result of ice forming ...
First published in the New Yorker in 1939, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is James Thurber's short story about the flamboyant fantasy life of a timid suburban Everyman. A gentle satire of the human imagination (among other things), the story struck an immediate and lasting chord in the midcentury American imagination and is widely regarded as a comic masterpiece.
Exclusively available on IvyPanda®. This is a short story on "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" from My World and Welcome to It.". The story gives an account of Mr. Mitty's dreams and his encounters. It also shows his relationship with his wife. In this narration, the writer has used several themes such as power and authority and the ...
The three main themes in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" are daydreaming, technology, and middle age. Daydreaming: The story is about a man who escapes his mundane life through daydreaming ...
The meaning of Walter Mitty's final daydream or fantasy in the short story is that it can be pointed out or seen as a factual hero. In this part of the story, Walter mention the firing squad. He fantasizes and dreams of being shot or killed by the firing squad. He comes up to the firing squad so courageously; he is, at his final stage ...
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film) Summary. Walter, a negatives assets manager at Life Magazine, has a colorful imagination, one in which he is always taking risks and getting into outrageous adventures. At work and in life, however, he is a mild-mannered doormat, who goes along with the stronger personalities in his life and fulfills ...
for only $0.70/week. Subscribe. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The Compensatory Function of the Imagination. Walter Mitty has a "secret life" not simply because he is an imaginative fellow, but because he is an unhappy man. Though we begin the story in his imagination and follow his fantasies over the course of the narrative, we learn not just about what the man can think up and desire, but also that from ...
Essays for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film) essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 Film), directed by Ben Stiller. Escaping Escapism: Cinematic Technique and Cumulative ...