essay about the secret life of walter mitty

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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

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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• “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor: Analysis

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

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Heroism and Masculinity

As Walter Mitty ferries his wife to her hairdresser’s and then buys some overshoes, he falls into fantasies that cast him in heroic and traditionally masculine roles: a naval commander, an expert pistol shot, a daring surgeon, a fighter pilot. He is admired for macho qualities like strength, bravery, aggression, lack of emotion, and holding his liquor, and is easily able to dominate the all-male social groups where his imagination makes him a leader. In…

Illness and Mortality

Mrs. Mitty is preoccupied with her husband’s health and possible illness (“You’re not a young man any longer,” she reminds him, insisting he put on the gloves and overshoes he doesn’t want to wear) and uses her concern to dismiss his feelings and assert control over his behavior. When she catches Mitty in the middle of a fantasy, she suggests he see the doctor, and when he asserts his right to be “sometimes thinking,” she…

Public Image and Embarrassment

Walter Mitty is very anxious about how others perceive him: for instance, he is so fearful of the young garagemen’s judgment that he plans to wear an unnecessary sling on his arm to avoid it, and he finds even the revolving doors of the hotel “faintly derisive.” Most other characters, from Mrs. Mitty to the traffic cop to the woman who laughs at him for saying “puppy biscuit” aloud on the street, interact with Mitty…

The Overlap of Fantasy and Reality

While at first glance Walter Mitty’s dramatic “secret life” couldn’t be more different from his mundane, routine reality, there are connections between the two lives. A newsboy’s shout about an ongoing trial triggers Mitty’s courtroom fantasy, and reading about aerial warfare turns him into a fighter pilot. More broadly, the themes and events in the fantasies are directly linked to the frustrations Mitty feels in reality, particularly his sense of not being in control of…

Concealment

The real-life Walter Mitty keeps his true self hidden, literally and figuratively. Whether he’s reluctantly putting on gloves and overshoes in obedience to Mrs. Mitty’s concern about his health, or planning to wear a sling on his arm to save himself from embarrassment, he believes concealing himself is necessary for his own protection; revealing his true self in any way would mean a risk of exposing his flaws. In his fantasies, however, Mitty is completely…

One of the most striking characteristics of Walter Mitty’s fantasies is their silliness. The fantasies may be heroic, but only melodramatically, cartoonishly so; from the fountain pen Mitty uses to replace a piston to the beautiful woman who materializes in his arms, they contain events and elements that couldn’t possibly happen in reality, and read like exaggerated parodies of action movies or adventure stories. Like a child playing pretend, Mitty makes a pocketa-pocketa-pocketa sound effect…

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

“We’re going through!” The Commander’s voice was like thin ice breaking. He wore his full-dress uniform, with the heavily braided white cap pulled down rakishly over one cold gray eye. “We can’t make it, sir. It’s spoiling for a hurricane, if you ask me.” “I’m not asking you, Lieutenant Berg,” said the Commander. “Throw on the power lights! Rev her up to 8,500! We’re going through!” The pounding of the cylinders increased: ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa- pocketa-pocketa . The Commander stared at the ice forming on the pilot window. He walked over and twisted a row of complicated dials. “Switch on No. 8 auxiliary!” he shouted. “Switch on No. 8 auxiliary!” repeated Lieutenant Berg. “Full strength in No. 3 turret!” shouted the Commander. “Full strength in No. 3 turret!” The crew, bending to their various tasks in the huge, hurtling eight-engined Navy hydroplane, looked at each other and grinned. “The Old Man’ll get us through,” they said to one another. “The Old Man ain’t afraid of Hell!” . . .

“Not so fast! You’re driving too fast!” said Mrs. Mitty. “What are you driving so fast for?”

“Hmm?” said Walter Mitty. He looked at his wife, in the seat beside him, with shocked astonishment. She seemed grossly unfamiliar, like a strange woman who had yelled at him in a crowd. “You were up to fifty-five,” she said. “You know I don’t like to go more than forty. You were up to fifty-five.” Walter Mitty drove on toward Waterbury in silence, the roaring of the SN202 through the worst storm in twenty years of Navy flying fading in the remote, intimate airways of his mind. “You’re tensed up again,” said Mrs. Mitty. “It’s one of your days. I wish you’d let Dr. Renshaw look you over.”

Walter Mitty stopped the car in front of the building where his wife went to have her hair done. “Remember to get those overshoes while I’m having my hair done,” she said. “I don’t need overshoes,” said Mitty. She put her mirror back into her bag. “We’ve been all through that,” she said, getting out of the car. “You’re not a young man any longer.” He raced the engine a little. “Why don’t you wear your gloves? Have you lost your gloves?” Walter Mitty reached in a pocket and brought out the gloves. He put them on, but after she had turned and gone into the building and he had driven on to a red light, he took them off again. “Pick it up, brother!” snapped a cop as the light changed, and Mitty hastily pulled on his gloves and lurched ahead. He drove around the streets aimlessly for a time, and then he drove past the hospital on his way to the parking lot.

. . . “It’s the millionaire banker, Wellington McMillan,” said the pretty nurse. “Yes?” said Walter Mitty, removing his gloves slowly. “Who has the case?” “Dr. Renshaw and Dr. Benbow, but there are two specialists here, Dr. Remington from New York and Dr. Pritchard-Mitford from London. He flew over.” A door opened down a long, cool corridor and Dr. Renshaw came out. He looked distraught and haggard. “Hello, Mitty,” he said. “We’re having the devil’s own time with McMillan, the millionaire banker and close personal friend of Roosevelt. Obstreosis of the ductal tract. Tertiary. Wish you’d take a look at him.” “Glad to,” said Mitty.

In the operating room there were whispered introductions: “Dr. Remington, Dr. Mitty. Dr. Pritchard-Mitford, Dr. Mitty.” “I’ve read your book on streptothricosis,” said Pritchard-Mitford, shaking hands. “A brilliant performance, sir.” “Thank you,” said Walter Mitty. “Didn’t know you were in the States, Mitty,” grumbled Remington. “Coals to Newcastle, bringing Mitford and me up here for a tertiary.” “You are very kind,” said Mitty. A huge, complicated machine, connected to the operating table, with many tubes and wires, began at this moment to go pocketa-pocketa-pocketa. “The new anaesthetizer is giving way!” shouted an interne. “There is no one in the East who knows how to fix it!” “Quiet, man!” said Mitty, in a low, cool voice. He sprang to the machine, which was now going pocketa-pocketa-queep-pocketa-queep. He began fingering delicately a row of glistening dials. “Give me a fountain pen!” he snapped. Someone handed him a fountain pen. He pulled a faulty piston out of the machine and inserted the pen in its place. “That will hold for ten minutes,” he said. “Get on with the operation.” A nurse hurried over and whispered to Renshaw, and Mitty saw the man turn pale. “Coreopsis has set in,” said Renshaw nervously. “If you would take over, Mitty?” Mitty looked at him and at the craven figure of Benbow, who drank, and at the grave, uncertain faces of the two great specialists. “If you wish,” he said. They slipped a white gown on him; he adjusted a mask and drew on thin gloves; nurses handed him shining . . .

“Back it up, Mac! Look out for that Buick!” Walter Mitty jammed on the brakes. “Wrong lane, Mac,” said the parking-lot attendant, looking at Mitty closely. “Gee. Yeh,” muttered Mitty. He began cautiously to back out of the lane marked “Exit Only.” “Leave her sit there,” said the attendant. “I’ll put her away.” Mitty got out of the car. “Hey, better leave the key.” “Oh,” said Mitty, handing the man the ignition key. The attendant vaulted into the car, backed it up with insolent skill, and put it where it belonged.

They’re so damn cocky, thought Walter Mitty, walking along Main Street; they think they know everything. Once he had tried to take his chains off, outside New Milford, and he had got them wound around the axles. A man had had to come out in a wrecking car and unwind them, a young, grinning garageman. Since then Mrs. Mitty always made him drive to a garage to have the chains taken off. The next time, he thought, I’ll wear my right arm in a sling; they won’t grin at me then. I’ll have my right arm in a sling and they’ll see I couldn’t possibly take the chains off myself. He kicked at the slush on the sidewalk. “Overshoes,” he said to himself, and he began looking for a shoe store.

When he came out into the street again, with the overshoes in a box under his arm, Walter Mitty began to wonder what the other thing was his wife had told him to get. She had told him, twice, before they set out from their house for Waterbury. In a way he hated these weekly trips to town—he was always getting something wrong. Kleenex, he thought, Squibb’s, razor blades? No. Toothpaste, toothbrush, bicarbonate, carborundum, initiative and referendum? He gave it up. But she would remember it. “Where’s the what’s-its-name?” she would ask. “Don’t tell me you forgot the what’s-its-name.” A newsboy went by shouting something about the Waterbury trial.

. . . “Perhaps this will refresh your memory.” The District Attorney suddenly thrust a heavy automatic at the quiet figure on the witness stand. “Have you ever seen this before?” Walter Mitty took the gun and examined it expertly. “This is my Webley-Vickers 50.80,” he said calmly. An excited buzz ran around the courtroom. The Judge rapped for order. “You are a crack shot with any sort of firearms, I believe?” said the District Attorney, insinuatingly. “Objection!” shouted Mitty’s attorney. “We have shown that the defendant could not have fired the shot. We have shown that he wore his right arm in a sling on the night of the fourteenth of July.” Walter Mitty raised his hand briefly and the bickering attorneys were stilled. “With any known make of gun,” he said evenly, “I could have killed Gregory Fitzhurst at three hundred feet with my left hand .” Pandemonium broke loose in the courtroom. A woman’s scream rose above the bedlam and suddenly a lovely, dark-haired girl was in Walter Mitty’s arms. The District Attorney struck at her savagely. Without rising from his chair, Mitty let the man have it on the point of the chin. “You miserable cur!” . . .

“Puppy biscuit,” said Walter Mitty. He stopped walking and the buildings of Waterbury rose up out of the misty courtroom and surrounded him again. A woman who was passing laughed. “He said ‘Puppy biscuit,’ ” she said to her companion. “That man said ‘Puppy biscuit’ to himself.” Walter Mitty hurried on. He went into an A. & P., not the first one he came to but a smaller one farther up the street. “I want some biscuit for small, young dogs,” he said to the clerk. “Any special brand, sir?” The greatest pistol shot in the world thought a moment. “It says ‘Puppies Bark for It’ on the box,” said Walter Mitty.

His wife would be through at the hairdresser’s in fifteen minutes, Mitty saw in looking at his watch, unless they had trouble drying it; sometimes they had trouble drying it. She didn’t like to get to the hotel first; she would want him to be there waiting for her as usual. He found a big leather chair in the lobby, facing a window, and he put the overshoes and the puppy biscuit on the floor beside it. He picked up an old copy of Liberty and sank down into the chair. “Can Germany Conquer the World Through the Air?” Walter Mitty looked at the pictures of bombing planes and of ruined streets.

. . . “The cannonading has got the wind up in young Raleigh, sir,” said the sergeant. Captain Mitty looked up at him through touselled hair. “Get him to bed,” he said wearily. “With the others. I’ll fly alone.” “But you can’t, sir,” said the sergeant anxiously. “It takes two men to handle that bomber and the Archies are pounding hell out of the air. Von Richtman’s circus is between here and Saulier.” “Somebody’s got to get that ammunition dump,” said Mitty. “I’m going over. Spot of brandy?” He poured a drink for the sergeant and one for himself. War thundered and whined around the dugout and battered at the door. There was a rending of wood and splinters flew through the room. “A bit of a near thing,” said Captain Mitty carelessly. “The box barrage is closing in,” said the sergeant. “We only live once, Sergeant,” said Mitty, with his faint, fleeting smile. “Or do we?” He poured another brandy and tossed it off. “I never see a man could hold his brandy like you, sir,” said the sergeant. “Begging your pardon, sir.” Captain Mitty stood up and strapped on his huge Webley-Vickers automatic. “It’s forty kilometres through hell, sir,” said the sergeant. Mitty finished one last brandy. “After all,” he said softly, “what isn’t?” The pounding of the cannon increased; there was the rat-tat-tatting of machine guns, and from somewhere came the menacing pocketa-pocketa-pocketa of the new flame-throwers. Walter Mitty walked to the door of the dugout humming “Auprès de Ma Blonde.” He turned and waved to the sergeant. “Cheerio!” he said. . . .

Something struck his shoulder. “I’ve been looking all over this hotel for you,” said Mrs. Mitty. “Why do you have to hide in this old chair? How did you expect me to find you?” “Things close in,” said Walter Mitty vaguely. “What?” Mrs. Mitty said. “Did you get the what’s-its-name? The puppy biscuit? What’s in that box?” “Overshoes,” said Mitty. “Couldn’t you have put them on in the store?” “I was thinking,” said Walter Mitty. “Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?” She looked at him. “I’m going to take your temperature when I get you home,” she said.

They went out through the revolving doors that made a faintly derisive whistling sound when you pushed them. It was two blocks to the parking lot. At the drugstore on the corner she said, “Wait here for me. I forgot something. I won’t be a minute.” She was more than a minute. Walter Mitty lighted a cigarette. It began to rain, rain with sleet in it. He stood up against the wall of the drugstore, smoking. . . . He put his shoulders back and his heels together. “To hell with the handkerchief,” said Walter Mitty scornfully. He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then, with that faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last. ♦

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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.

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The ‘Weird’ History of Tim Walz’s Political Put-Down

Once, the word signified supernatural things. In the mouth of Kamala Harris’s running mate, weirdness is much more earthbound.

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By Jason Farago

Jason Farago is a critic at large who covers culture and its place in the world.

Two inauguration days ago, after Donald J. Trump had been sworn in and delivered a raw diagnosis of “American carnage,” his predecessor George W. Bush walked off the Capitol dais and said to Hillary Clinton, as she reported it, “Well, that was some weird shit.”

It was a prescient observation! Strange things have taken place in America lately, and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, whom Vice President Kamala Harris selected as her running mate on Tuesday, has made calling them out a rallying cry. “ These guys are just weird ,” he told the “Morning Joe” kaffeeklatsch a few weeks ago, the first of many assertions of abnormality that helped propel a once obscure state leader to the national ticket.

May I briefly observe how curious it has been — how weird, if you prefer — to see this pithy term embraced so quickly? As a matter of political communication, weirdness can be a powerful epithet. But as a matter of cultural prestige, weirdness overtook normality long ago.

It is not so much in the eye of the beholder as the believer, and there are good weirds and bad. Are you fonder of the glamorous weird of Björk or Lady Gaga (who performed at President Biden’s inauguration, for crying out loud), or the peculiar weird of Pee-wee Herman or Napoleon Dynamite? Are you, my dear weirdo, more like the bowling-alley oddballs of “The Big Lebowski” or the banana-nosed, chicken-besotted Muppet named Gonzo? Weirdness, as a cultural marker, is a designation of irregularity that is increasingly self-declared and celebrated. To turn it back to an accusation, as Mr. Walz has done, is wondrous strange.

Weirdness has always been formidable, literally so in centuries past. Before it was an insult (flinged or reclaimed), weird actually signified power — and before it was an adjective, “weird” was a proper noun. In Anglo-Saxon Britain, Wyrd was a pre-Christian personification of destiny, who governed the fate of all things. She is invoked early in “Beowulf,” as the title hero prepares for battle with the monster Grendel. “Fares Wyrd as she must,” says Beowulf to Hrothgar, the king of the Danes. Do not mourn me if I die. The weird is the lord of man.

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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