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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty By James Thurber

827 Words4 Pages

In, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” James Thurber uses his personal experience and symbolism to connect the historical climate at the time for the purpose of developing the conflict between man vs. society. The main character, Walter Mitty, goes through his day while battling icy waters as a lieutenant and performing surgeries on millionaire bankers with some of the best doctors in America. As he goes along, readers are able to see how technology and the war had impacted people’s lives during that time period, and how his unique way to escape reality comforted the thousands who seemed lost themselves. James Thurber had a very strenuous childhood, losing eyesight in his right eye, and slowly losing eyesight in his left eye as well when he …show more content…

While many had accepted this belief, many were still fearful of their constantly changing surroundings. When, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” was published in 1939, World War II had just begun. In the short story, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” The main character, Walter Mitty, is fixing his car. While the action is common for us today, in 1939 cars were new and the addition of the piece in the story correlates with the changing technology of Walter’s time. He seems excluded from his surroundings as they are all bizarre and unusual things for him to see normally. His vivid imagination can also be correlated with the impact of war on the homefront. Many people wanted to escape the lives they were in, and it seems Walter Mitty has found a solution to break free from reality, but he is always interrupted by other characters in the book. Thurber’s correlation of imaginative internal conflict to realistic, but still as intimidating external conflict helps readers understand why, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is arguably the best of his stories and is still cited as an exemplar of its form during that period,”(James Thurber) Several people could relate, if not directly, then to aspects of what Mitty was going through because the introduction of unfamiliar technology and World War II were shocking and frightening

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If I were able to have dinner with Walter Mitty from James Thurber 's “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” I would have to say yes. I have three main reasons to say yes and many a person may say no. I however may find his company enjoyable and much like my own. I would also have to see the way he looks at the world.

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He left behind a life that will be cherished, remembered, and celebrated for eternity. As a child, Walter is usually irate and belligerent. However, he loves to read and write. He knows that kids might make fun of him for enjoying the subjects of reading and writing, so he tries to keep it a secret.

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Above all else he discovers the intersections of oppression that make innocent people prey for a vicious and cyclical justice system. Examples of these intersections are Walter’s own race, his ‘violent’ manhood, and his low economic standing. Herbert Richardson acts as another central

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For Walter, society is suppressing his dreams from becoming a reality and causing him to live a life he doesn’t want. This is exhibited through Hansberry’s use of the phrase “rich white people”. It shows how the predominately white society of the 1950’s did not allow people like Walter, who were of a different race, the opportunity to have the same luxuries and success that they have. This causes Walter to believe that he will forever be stuck in a bad job and a small apartment where his son has to sleep in the living room, which means he will forever

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Key details in the film illustrate how the rest of the world see Walter. He is a shy dull man that is boring and maybe some might say a loner. When you watch the movie beginning to end you see his identity transform from timid to brave and courageous. He steps out of his shell and does thing he thought he would never do. Walter Mitty found his identity.

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In other instances of the book, Walter is found saying strange things or speaking aloud. On page 332, Mrs.Mitty asks Walter why he hadn’t put on his overshoes in the store. Walter responds with “I was thinking,” to which Mrs.Mitty retorts, “Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?” This dialogue between the couple further emphasizes the way Walter’s thoughts often get in the way of his

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The print version has one conflict in which there is a medical emergency: “obstreosis of the ductal tract” (Thurber 3). Considering the fact that this disease is not a real thing, it manifests the idea that all of Walter’s conflicts in the print version are within his daydreams. On the contrary, the director and actor Ben Stiller presents real life conflicts that Walter experiences: his boss and life being too boring. Since the problems in the movie are actually affecting Walter in reality, it implies that the problems demonstrated in the film are more important than ones in the print.

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Walter overcomes the societal strains of success and consequently learns the values of pride and

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Throughout time, people have been using their imagination as a way of refuge, where they can run away from the problems that come with being in the real world. This issue is well developed throughout the short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, written by James Thurber. The short story follows a middle aged man, Walter Mitty, as he goes through fantasies which involve him in situation that are far from his reality. People use imagination to put themselves in situation where they posses certain qualities or a lifestyle which they lack in the real world. Throughout the short story, Walter escapes into event-triggered fantasies in which he can do or be anything he wants to be.

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Also In the movie adaptation Walter has a job at the life office and loses a negative photo. This gives Walter another goal and this goal changes him more throughout the story. The negative makes him more courageous and risky. The Walter in the story is dry and boring. Lastly the movie gives Walter a reason to daydream.

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