'The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty'

Daydreamer Thurber’s short story, “ The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” analyzes the daydreams by expansion, disappointments, and wants of the main character. Thurber narrates the story through a third person point of view, limited. The life of Walter Mitty is not one to be overly fascinated about. As a matter of fact, it is exactly opposite of an interesting life that others would be impressed with. Walter has entered fantasyland! Through Foils, to make up for many failures and disappointments Walter constructs a, “secret life” in his mind. Thurber shows through symbol how the real life Walter Mitty needs masculinity, so through his daydreams Walter uses this to escape and enter into a false reality, to be something and someone he’s really not. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is told by and detached third person narrator. The point of view is controlled, which is allowing the narrator to tell the thoughts of Walter as they are in progress. For example the story states, “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” (Thurber, 545). This

Walter Mitty is an out of the ordinary man who dreams of being extraordinary. One can voice that after reading this story, which Walter with his everyday life fails to live up to what the beliefs as a masculine icon is. The three main distinct literary elements that this paper discusses are narrator point of view in third person, Foils, and symbols. Broadening the implications to the larger study of narrative we have the setting that takes place in Waterbury, CT in 1938. Overall, in this short story with approach to the protagonist’s mind, the readers are able to comprehend and connect the significance of Walter dreams to