Essay On The Referential Meaning Of Walter Mitty

Essay On The Referential Meaning Of Walter Mitty
The referential meaning of Walter Mitty is that of a white collar who processes images and has lived
a relatively scheduled life, in ways he hasn't lived life to the fullest. When the time comes that he
has to find a missing negative, he goes on an epic adventure with the encouragement of his crush
and an urgency and demand for that negative photo because it's for Life magazine's last edition.
The referential meaning of this film was set by the trailer, the trailer does a amazing job setting up
what the movie stands for, which is adventure, living life to the fullest, and making your dreams
come true. The trailer was one of the best ways to market the movie, because much of the story's
ideals were given through the trailer while keeping ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The mystery and the ideals of life and adventure made people want to see this movie, in addition,
the images and the cinematography in the trailer was different as any part of the trailer could be used
for a background picture due to how well they were shot. The trailer was one of the major ways of
marketing the film as most trailers are but this movie was able to uplift a person and have them
think about their on lives and have the audience a yearning to learn how to improve their own lives
of try to live through the adventure of the main character. This made the film a great draw, just by
watching the film I felt like I still have much left to accomplish in my life. In addition, many people
have dreams similar to the main character who lived out his dreams by day dreaming giving it a
relatable aspect in the film.
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty focuses around Walter Mitty a negative asset manager who hasn't
lived the most vibrant life ,in contrast, to a photojournalist called Sean O'Connell, who he works to
make sure his photos and dreams are realized. Walter realizes that he is missing an important image
Sean had sent, he has a lot of pressure put on him as it is Life's last paperback edition and it's very
important as Life is becoming digital magazine. His crush Cheryl Melhoff encourages him to figure
out where the photo is, so he analyzes other photos that Sean had taken and he then goes to
Greenland, Iceland, and
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Walter Mitty Dream
In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," Walter Mitty daydreams into fantastic fantasies as he faces the
harshness of reality. Walter is first seen as the Commander of a navy hydroplane through a
hurricane. However, the "The Old Man ain't afraid of Hell" (The) in the hurricane is afraid of his
wife as she nags him for speeding. Unnamed Mrs. Mitty continues to command her husband even
insisting that he wear gloves. Walter, upset, purposely takes off the gloves at a red light. As he
stopped at the red light for too long, a cop tells him to "Pick it up, brother!"(The). Mitty
interestingly assumed the cop to be referring to the gloves he took off instead of the car. Because of
the authority figure of the cop, the second daydream is triggered. Mitty ... Show more content on
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Thurber had a troublesome marriage with Althea; Walter is constantly being controlled by Mrs.
Mitty. Because of Mrs. Mitty's nagging and imposing influence seen in paragraphs 3 and 4, Walter is
triggered into a daydream. As a world famous surgeon, he not only is in control of his life, but the
life of his patient. Mitty cleverly adapts to emergencies like using a fountain pen to fix the needed
surgical machinery (The). Every time he escapes, it is because of a trigger, often through an
authority figure imposing on him. In fact, it is the clear distinction between fantasy and reality that
makes "escaping" a theme. The heavy juxtaposition between diction of the dream world and real life
is evident. For example, in the second daydream as a surgeon, Dr. Mitty "snapped" at fellow doctors
and nurses to give him a fountain pen and uses fake yet complicated sounding medical terms such as
"Obstreosis of the ductal tract" (The). However, in the subsequent paragraph as Walter clumsily
almost hits another car in the parking lot in reality, he only "muttered" in response to the valet,
unable to give a definitive reply. The dramatic juxtaposition between Mitty's spectacular fantasies
and mundane reality drives the story. Thurber highlights Mitty's desperateness for action through the
drastic differences in scenes. Also, Thurber distinguishes daydreams by incorporating much more
imperative voice and literary devices compared to straight dialogue in the reality. Thurber literally
makes the fantasies more alive and interesting than boring reality. Onomatopoeia is seen in 3 of the
5 daydreams, "ta–pocketa–pocketa..." in paragraph 1 for the hydroplane and the same sound for the
surgical machine (The). "Rat–tat–tatting" in paragraph 14 reflects the machine gun sounds Captain
Mitty heard during war. By using onomatopoeia,

Walter Mitty Reflection
In the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, for me, it shows a very unique storyline that a film
may have. Personally, I think that it was interesting to watch this movie when one is about to feel
down of himself. By watching this movie, I get inspiration and motivation to appreciate my life
more of whatever things that I had done before or everything that I may do in the future.
Why do I live on this Earth? Based on the motto of LIFE Magazine, I think that in every step that
we take, there are pros and cons that we may face. "To see the world, things dangerous to come to,
to see behind walls, draw close, to find each other, and to feel that is the purpose of life." – What I
think about this phrase is we need to be brave to try new things ... Show more content on
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Also, sometimes we will feel that we are useless yet other people see us as a person who is very
important in a particular field. Being a lower position person does not mean that we are the most
useless people, instead most of the people who are at a lower position give the highest impact and
support to a well–known international company. No matter what you are, be proud of yourselves
because all the little things in you are perfect just for

Walter Mitty Symbolism
Everardo Solorio
Mr. Maruszak
English III 3A
11 December 2017 Symbolism and Conflict
Day dreamers, deep sleepers, lend your ears to this analysis. In a short story by the author, James
Thurber called, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." The story is about a couple. The main person in
the couple is Walter Mitty. He has daydreams of being well known and famous, like a fearless pilot,
a surgeon, sharpshooter, etc. While his wife oppresses him all his life. The daydreams are a way to
cope with oppressive wife. In the end Walter's wife walks in a drug store leaving him to wait; lights
a cigar and says, " Walter Mitty the undefeated, inscrutable to the last." A theme that James Thurber
develops in the story concentrates around the thought of women being dominant than men. He
shows that a man can sometimes too not be the one being pushy to the wife but rather the opposite
in which the wife is being a naggy mean person. Throughout the story, " The Secret Life of Walter
Mitty," James Thurber uses literary elements of symbolism and conflict to develop his theme of
wifes being dominant to the husband and being naggy mean people. When the story is set up,
symbolism can create the outcome or give clues of what the meaning of this short story is. In the
beginning of the story Walter is experiencing a daydream of him being a heroic fearless pilot during
a hurricane. From the short story it says, "We're going through! ... Rev her up to 8,500! We're going
through! ... The commander stared at

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
Day Dreaming In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Thurber uses day dreams to portray that Walter
Mitty's life isn't exactly the life he wishes he lived. Thurber uses simple sounds to take Mitty into a
whole different world, where he is the most important figure for once. A manly figure. He takes his
mundane life and changes it into a wide variety of day dreams where he is the man he wants to be
and has the attention he seeks. "Not so fast! You're driving too fast!" said Mrs. Mitty. "What are you
driving so fast for?" Mrs. Mitty was constantly hounding Walter with question after question or
telling him what to do, "Why don't you wear your gloves? Have you lost your gloves?" "Walter
Mitty reached in a pocket and brought out the gloves." Walter ... Show more content on
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I'll have my right arm in a sling and they'll see I couldn't possibly take the chains off myself." Walter
had attempted once to change the overshoes on his car, but ended up having to call a wrecking car to
come and fix the mess he made. After that incident Mrs. Mitty made him go take the car to a garage
to have the task completed. The fact that he couldn't do it himself made him feel less of a man and
he felt as if people laughed at him for it. He said "I'll wear my right arm in a sling", so the men at the
garage would simply think he couldn't do it himself because he had a sling on his arm. If the men
saw his arm in the sling Walter believed they wouldn't think any less of him. They would simply see
the cast and understand that to be the reason

Walter Mitty Quotes
The movie, Secret Life of Walter Mitty, is about a day–dreamer who escapes his life by disappearing
into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance, and action. When his job gets threatened,
Walter takes action in the real world embarking on journey that turns into an adventure more
extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined. When it comes to social acceptance, some
people will go to great lengths to achieve it. Walter Mitty, the main character of the movie, is trying
to get to know Cheryl Melhoff, new coworker that works in the same division as he does in the
LIFE Company. Walter Mitty believes and actions go with being socially accepted in society. Walter
Mitty lives by the quote "To see the world, things dangerous ... Show more content on
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When Walter went to Greenland and had no luck finding Sean. He came back to home, gave up
everything he has started. Walter though out his moto, the wallet Sean got him. He came home and
sat down in the living room, with the last picture that was not cracked. That picture was made of his
mother grand piano, it had the same scratch too. He asked if Sean came to take a picture of the
piano. Sean talk to Walter's mother. It was not the end of his adventure. Found more clues from him
mother on where Sean was off to now. Walter could not leave this case unsolved, him finishing is
socially acceptable. He found Sean but could not find the picture because it was in his wallet all this
time. He came home yet again disappointed, soon finds out that his mother saved the wallet. She
said you know I always save your

Example Of Argumentative Essay On Mitty
Mitty cannot be considered "undefeated" because of his evident submission to his spouse, his
cowardice and failure to stand up to others, and his consistent focus on daydreams over reality. First
of all, Mitty is nearly in an abusive relationship with his wife. She consistently bosses him around,
and suggests what Mitty needs to do for himself, as evidenced by her command of, "'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. (64).'" The fact that she states Mitty isn't a young man any
longer represents that she believes that Mitty is acting almost childish, and yet her commands to
Mitty are still his sole guidance in his life. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
(67).'" to stand up against his wife, she acts like he is sick for even daring to contradict anything she
is saying, representing the fact that he rarely, if at all, argues against what his wife wants or states.
This is far from the behavior of an "undefeated man", but rather a man who has long ago given up
on fighting. Furthermore, when rudely talked to by a parking–lot attendant and a woman at A & P,
Mitty essentially consumes the situation, playing in an extremely passive manner. "'He said Puppy
biscuit,' [a woman] said to her companion. 'That man said Puppy biscuit to himself. (66).'" While
Mitty does not get aggressive, he fails to truly state his opinion or explain himself in these
situations, but rather escapes

"Secret life of Walter Mitty" By James Thurber is about success versus failure. In reality, Walter is a
failure who doesn't do anything right. In Walter's daydreams, he is in charge of his life, he is well
known, and others look up to him. When reading "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James
Thurber it becomes clear that Walter Mitty in reality is not successful which is different from who
he is in his daydreams, where he is in control.
In reality, Walter Mitty is not successful. He always thinks that he isn't in control of his body, he is
very forgetful and daydreams interfere with his life. James Thurber depicts Walter lack of success is
through him not being in control. "She seemed grossly unfamiliar, like a strange women who had ...
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Unlike Walter in reality, Walter in the daydreams is in control of the dream and he is usually a leader
that can easily solve a problem. James Thurber depicts Walter as a success through him being a
leader. "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" ( The Secret Life of Walter
Mitty, Thurber). This quote illustrates Walter's daydreams as a success because it shows him being a
commander who in charge bigger group and leading them through a big storm. Another way, James
Thurber Depicts Walter as success is through him being well known. "It's the millionaire banker,
Wellington McMillian," said the pretty nurse. " Who has the case?" " Dr. Renshaw and Dr Benbow,
but there are two specialists here, Dr. Remington from New York and Mr. 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

Walter Mitty
Walter Mitty is a renowned surgeon, grizzled army sergeant, and deadly assassin that, in his words,
could kill a man with any known make of gun from three hundred feet out with his left hand. He
commands respect wherever he goes. The only catch is that this is all in his head. Walter Mitty is
abnormally average and lackluster, but his daydreams transform the world around him into exciting
scenes straight from a blockbuster movie. Walter views his own wife as a distraction from his
beloved daydreams, and he has disdain for all of the other equally average people around him in his
daily life. To escape from this monotony he pretends to be various people worthy of respect, and
tends to disobey or rebel in small ways in order to quietly rebel. ... Show more content on
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Throughout the story he does not seem to enjoy interacting with the other people of the town,
especially his own wife. For example, near the end of the story his wife says she will be gone a
minute, an obvious figure of speech, and Mitty chastises her for being more than a minute. His wife
is the only person in the story that he has the courage to talk back to, and when he does it is still in
very weak and unsure ways quite unlike the cock–sure persona of his characters. When he interacts
with the attendant he is quite nonconfrontational and almost avoids conflict, not saying more than
muttering "Gee," Or "Oh." However, once he walks away the story says, "They're so damn cock,
thought Walter Mitty, walking along Main Street; they think they know everything." He then
describes a time that he tried to take his chains off and managed to get them wound up around the
axles, and a grinning garageman had to help him. To any other person this would probably seem like
a kind act, something to be thankful for. Not Mitty. He thinks about wearing his arm in a sling the
next time so that in order to make them think he didn't cause the blunder himself, thinking that that
will take the grin off the garageman's face. He interprets the grin as being of condescension. Instead
of just assuming that the man was happy to help, he assumed that the man was smiling because he
found his

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Essay
Although Walter Mitty is sought to be an average, middle–aged man, he goes through periods of
time escaping reality through fantasies. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, James Thurber creates
Walter as an insecure husband who is degraded by his own wife. Whenever Walter feels mortified
and like a failure, he falls into deep fantasies where he is portrayed as a hero who always ends up
saving the day. Through the depiction of elaborate fantasies, Thurber reveals how escaping reality
allows Mitty to combat the adequacy he feels in his real life. One of the major reasons Walter Mitty
has severe daydreams is because his wife degrades everything he does. An example of this is:
"We've been all through that. You're not a young man anymore. Why don't you wear your gloves?
Have you lost your gloves?" (Thurber, 4). Whether it be telling him what he needs to get done or
telling him what to do, she treats him like a child and not her husband. Because of this, Walter has
daydreams about major occupations, such as being a surgeon or hero saving people's lives. He wants
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In order for him to be confident in himself, he has daydreams about saving lives, being a person
people look up to or even dying a legend. Additionally, Walter forgets things easily, cannot handle
simple tasks and is not a very good driver. This causes him to have fantasies of his weaknesses
being his strengths. For example, his wife always criticizes his driving, so he dreams about being a
Navy hydroplane pilot during a storm, along with commanding and flying a plane during war. "Not
so fast! You're driving too fast!" said Mrs. Mitty. "What are you driving so fast for? You were up to
fifty–five. You know I don't like going more than forty. You were going fifty–five" (Thurber, 2). He
also has dreams about being a world–famous surgeon saving high–ranked individuals when he is
feeling low and

Walter Mitty Negative Elements
In every movie we watch, we could not help from hoping that it fulfills our hero's quest, whether
there is a hero with special abilities, or a hero that will save people or situations by the end of the
story. The other movie that fulfills our hero quest is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty which was
released in 2013. Directed by Ben Stiller, this comedy–drama adventure movie, the main characters
are played by Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty, and Kristen Wiig as Cheryl Malhoff. The story is about
Walter Mitty, who goes on an adventure to learn about himself and returns newly empowered,
changes to a better person. Walter Mitty is a daydreamer Negative Assets Manager at LIFE
magazine company. Walter is diligent at work and takes a great care of the pictures for the
magazine. However, the magazine is undergoing transition process to be a digital magazine. For the
last issue, the magazine requires Walter to find negative #25 captured by a notable photographer,
Sean O'Connor which he could not ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The whole story depicts how Walter changed from a man who knows what he wants but lacks the
drive and determination to a man who brings courage to bear challenges in life. In addition, the
choice of the background song which is Space Oddity sung by David Bowie suits well with the
theme of the movie as it is also a song about being courage and going to unknown with harmonious
tone. Overall, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a good inspirational movie that is easy to
understand. Personally, I would like to recommend this movie to the people who are lack of
determination and spirit so that they can go beyond far from what themselves are at this

Walter Mitty Comparison
The book "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is about a man name Walter Mitty, who daydreams. He
goes in and out of them. They happen from something that distracts him. His wife is the one who
normally gets him back into reality. The movie is different, but also similar. Walter Mitty
daydreams. Walter doesn't have a wife but he's crushing on a co–worker. Walter is considered a
"loser" because he doesn't get out much. But he's like that in both the movie and the book. He has
barely to no friends. In the book he doesn't become happy but in the movie, he has a girlfriend. In
the book Walter Mitty daydreams about something that is not happening. But could happen. But in
the movie Walter Mitty daydreams about something that isn't happening either. But also it couldn't
happen. Walter Mitty goes on these adventures about his crush on the co–worker. Or he daydreams
about something he wishes he could do. For example in the movie Walter Mitty wishes he could say
something back to the guy who is trying to change the company. But he never does. He's always to
scared to say something. So he just lets it happen to him. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Which is why he has most of his daydreams. He is always thinking about her. So he incorporates her
into his daydreams. But in the book Walter Mitty has a wife. She is the one who snaps him back into
reality. Always yelling at him to do things. In the movie though, someone just says his name, for
example, "Walter, Walter, Walter, you okay?" Then he snaps back into reality. So the difference is
that walter has a crush in the movie and in the book he has a wife that is

Short Story Examples In the short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," by James Thurber,
Walter Mitty is an inscrutable character. Walter first shows his inscrutability when he is on his way
with his wife to a town called Waterbury going fifteen miles faster than the limit, not letting her
know why. She believes that he is crazy and does this on purpose, but Walter was really living in his
own daydream. This act of what seems to be a concealment, shows that Walter prefers keeping his
imagination to himself, which to others comes off as inscrutable. Later in the story, Mr. Mitty shows
that he is inscrutable by almost crashing his car when he is trying to park because he is in the wrong
lane. This does not seem to show an act of his

Imagination and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" appears to be a simple story of old Walter Mitty going on a trip
into town with his controlling wife, Mrs. Mitty. Walter is incompetent at many things and forgets
things easily. His imagination is what makes him special. The author, Thurber, tells the story in
omniscient, third–person point of view. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" sees escape through
fantasy as a significant element of inner balance .
"Mitty escapes into fantasy to deal with the conflict of being an absent–minded and inept man in
real life .He becomes a hero in his own mind.
This is the real spirit of the story – Mitty's attempt to resolve his conflict. ... Show more content on
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In the real world, he is ordinary, passive, and often awkward. In his fantasies, he is strong and
decisive. Walter Mitty is an ordinary man who dreams of being extraordinary. He is dissatisfied with
his everyday life because he is mechanically clumsy, a bad driver, and a meek husband. In his
fantasies, he is skilled, decisive, brave, and, respected by people around him. Mrs. Mitty bothers
Walter to buy overshoes at the store and insists that he wear his gloves while driving. She is
sheltering Walter from the world. She won't let him take his own temperature, or take the chains off
his car, or make basic decisions which are why he spends so much time

Walter Mitty Identity
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a film which revolves around an ordinary ineffectual individual
who often tunes in and out of the existent world and the imaginative. Walter is portrayed as a
character with a tedious and mundane life. Although we see numerous theme that co–exists in the
film the most prevalent and concrete theme, is identity. The individual experience that Walter
confronts really shapes his identity and his monotonous life throughout the story. Immediately at the
start of the film, the spectator gets a perception that Water is a mediocre run of the mill type of guy
this is insinuated by the monochromatic colors and the black and white orderly decor of his
apartment. Despite the conventional start the director also adds some element of humor ... Show
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Regardless the person Walter currently is, through the small hints and flashback we get a sense that
he is very passionate and energetic through his pursue for skateboarding and aspiration to travel. In
addition to this, he also suffered the loss of his father at a young age, this turned out to be truly life
changing. Due to this he had to take on financial responsibilities to support his family, so he took a
job at Papa–John. It was not long before his amusing and entertaining lifestyle cease to exist, as his
repetitive life began. He is a very humble and modest person so, he does not complain about lost
opportunities; however, once he is given a task he is forced to take risks and his ability to problem
solve and to make quick decisions really shows in his personality, Through the difficulties he has
experienced in order to find the missing negative reveals his long lost passion for adventure and
experience. This is indicated when Walter tracks down a perplexed photographer Sean

The short story 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' by James Thurber share similarities to the romantic
comedy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the movie, but they also contain many differences.* The
short story tells a tale of a man escape reality whilst the movie displays the man daydreaming to
enhance reality. Similarly, Walter Mitty in both stories is a man that daydreams to a big extent. His
daydreams always involve women as the root cause. In the short story, Walter attempts to daydream
fun things to escape the terrible situation between him and his wife and the movie depicts him
daydreaming to fantasize a life with himself and his crush. To compare, both Walters' daydream
have the same cause, but the content and meaning is entirely

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Character Development
The complexity of the human psyche is built on the social interactions that forms it, coinciding with
tendencies of association. Notably, these ideas take precedence within Ben Stiller's 2013 film, The
Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which centers around Walter Mitty and the development of his
character. In particular, Stiller complements Mitty's development by incorporating external
influences from individuals and collectives to prompt Mitty at various stages of evolution. However,
failing to understand the societal pressures imposing change, Mitty develops a façade to combat the
bleak implications of reality, which invariably fails in the presence of characters who easily
penetrate Mitty's veneer of false reality. Yet when the underlying forces ... Show more content on
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There is a noticeable shift following his ascendance "into the unknown" away from the oscillating
motion between delusion and reality, previously stimulated by an element of the banal environment.
Accordingly, this marks a significant change within Mitty as his "normal" excursions into the
illusionary annals of his mind are evidently absent, allowing for a heightened appreciation of the
social network around him leaving Mitty accessible to external philosophies and modifications of
worldviews. Stiller contrasts this revelation with the classical issues pervading societal values,
where the current socio–economic model encourages materialism, social division and isolationism,
rejecting "humanly" interacting. Thus, the suffocating conditions of segregation highlights the
scarcity of social unity which fosters individual ambitions with little regard for others. Stiller frames
the evolution of Mitty's character as a condemnation of the current societal framework, suggesting
an alternative where communal connectedness is a mechanism for cultural

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" Essay There is a man who daydreams about anything and
everything. A man who lives in his dreams, and rarely spends time in reality. This man is named
Walter Mitty. The movie directed by Ben Stiller and the short story by James Thuber both tell the
stories of Walter Mitty and his outlandish daydreams. Although the movie is supposed to be based
on the short story, there are many significant differences. These differences include how Walter's
personalities are not the same in the movie and short story, and also how their endings share no
resemblance to each other. In the movie, Walter has a courageous personality and constantly strives
to live his life to the fullest. The Walter from the short story cannot ... Show more content on
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At the end of the story, on page 7, Walter is waiting for his wife to finish shopping at the drugstore,
he imagines being executed. "...he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and
disdainful,...." This could be understood to mean that Walter is not happy with his relationship with
Mrs. Mitty or his life. She does not make him happy, and he will continue to be unhappy because he
is too timid to do anything about it. Mrs. Mitty makes things worse for Walter because she believes
his daydreams are an illness. On page 7 she states to Walter, "I'm going to take your temperature
when we get home." This shows that Mrs. Mitty considers Walter to be unwell, and considers him
senseless. Her words prove to the reader that the life of Walter Mitty will continue to be miserable.
Walter at the end of the short story faces a firing squad, whereas the Walter from the movie does not
share the same fate. At the end of the movie Walter finally gets a date with Cheryl. Cheryl is the
woman he has longed to be with. He has been trying to ask her out since the beginning of the movie,
but never finds the right words. This opens up many possibilities for him and will certainly make
him happier. By the end of the movie, Walter has had many extraordinary adventures and has
traveled to many different places. He has learned that if you take risks, good things may happen.
Walter knows that if you only fantasize about your dreams and not act on them, you will never know
what could have

Walter Mitty: A Psychological Condition
Walter Mitty, is an interesting character, who happens to live a very mundane life, but posses an
imaginative brain. In the story, Walter Mitty spends most of his time daydreaming, as a strategy of
ignoring or escaping his day–to–day duties. Walter Mitty is suffering a psychological condition
known as Maladaptive daydreaming, and that he is not just a normal dreamer. Maladaptive
daydreaming is a psychological condition, that, according to Aaron Kandola, " Causes intense
daydreaming that distracts a person from their real life" (2). These are some reasons why. First of
all, throughout the story, Walter Mitty has exceedingly vivid dreams, which involve different
characters, and contains elements that greatly resemble that of a novel. This trait has been credited a
symptom of Maladaptive dreaming by many of those who wrote of the condition (1)(2)(4). One may
say that he is just a normal, but imaginative dreamer, but daydreaming in this way, in excess, is very
abnormal indeed. The daydreams which Walter Mitty goes through are also reasonably realistic,
such as fighting in a war, and curing a patient, which make it all the more strange (3). Walter Mitty
is not a normal dreamer. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The fact that, every single time he zones out, it is due to the fact that he's either read an article, heard
someone saying something, passed by a building, or was driving a car, leads to the conclusion that
he is suffering a psychological condition. Many different reliable sites have credited this as a
symptom of maladaptive dreaming, such as Healthline, MedicalDaily, and MedicalNewsToday (1)
(2)(4) . One may consider the opinion that Walter Mitty might just be remembering past
experiences, but in fact, he is not, he is legitimately zoning out, and imagining different things.
Walter Mitty does not randomly daydream

Walter Mitty Fantasy
The secret life of Walter Mitty This essay will be discussing how the line between reality and
fantasy is blurred in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and what this teaches the audience about living
in the moment. This essay will discuss the 'question' by comparing and pointing out the difference of
Walter in his daydreams and in real life. Walter Mitty, a middle–aged man around his 30 or 40's who
breaks away from his normal life by daydreaming and having these fantasies about himself doing
amazing things to other people. This movie is a combination of fantasy and real life fiction both
begin and conclude Walter Mitty's fantasies and or daydreams. This film is based on the travels and
explorations of Walter Mitty as he urges to find the missing photo sent to Walter to be the front
cover of Life magazine which is published by ted Hendricks. Walter Mitty is always pretending that
he is somebody else rather than being himself. His fantasies all see him as being a successful and
valiant person, who is called upon to save the day, but ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
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. However, it also shows the
audience that our dreams can conquer our actual reality and what's going on in the real world. An
example would be, Walter Mitty's fantasies turned out to be so real for him and that he realizes that
these dreams that he is having are not false and it is just in his mind and that he is just living a
normal life. An example of this would have to be every time he is around his crush Cheryl he
fantasizes that she is somehow telling Walter that she loves him and wants to be with him, although
he controls himself to stop daydreaming and pretend to be very interested in whatever Cheryl is
talking

Walter Mitty Identity
Both "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and "Lamb to the Slaughter" analyze human's ways of
achieving self– acceptance. Walter Mitty's persona is not considered 'appropriate' by people around
him, so as a result, he daydreams to accept his true character. On the contrary, Mary Maloney's self–
love is built upon the presence of her husband, so when he decided to leave, her whole world
shattered.
In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", James Thurber explores the topic of self acceptance through
the protagonist's daydreams, to demonstrate the strategy of accepting oneself through fantasies when
society's values oppose one's behavior. In "Lamb to the Slaughter", Mary Maloney's dependence on
Patrick for happiness implies that one often relies heavily on others in order to attain self–
acceptance and adopt a socially fitting identity.
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" presents us with a character who finds his escape through
fantasies to suggest that when one's unable to stand up against harassers, imagination and dreams
will nourish confidence and self– image. For instance, at the end of the story, Walter Mitty's use of
the words "erect and motionless", "proud and disdainful", "Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable
to the last" suggests his ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
At the beginning of the story, the readers are presented with a strangely content housewife. Mary
Maloney's "curiously peaceful" demeanor and the fact that she was merely satisfying herself with
the thinking "each minute that went by made it nearer the time he would come home" suggests that
Patrick is the focus of Mary's life, the fountainhead of joy and purpose. Consequently, Mary
developed and maintained a cellophane, fabricated persona, with the center of everything being her

In the movie and short story, there is a man named Walter Mitty. Walter is a dreamer, a daydreamer.
He dreams about being an important hero. Walter does this to escape from his boring, dull lifestyle.
The question that needs to be answered is; what are the similarities and differences between the
short story and the film? Initially, Walter Mitty is the same person in both versions of the story. He
daydreams about being important. In the movie, Walter dreams about saving his, crushes dog from a
building on fire. He dreams about getting the woman of his dreams like him. This symbolizes that
Walter is a lonely man and is in need of a lifestyle change. In the short story, Walter daydreams
about being a heroic lifesaver, not so much about getting

Walter Mitty Quotes
Walter Mitty, in the story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber, can be considered to be
losing in the relationship. Walter Mitty's wife is constantly seen as being the dominant one in the
relationship, and Walter Mitty is forced to accommodate for her. In one instance, as Walter Mitty is
daydreaming while driving he begins to speed up, resulting in his wife exclaiming "'You know I
don't like to go more than forty. You were up to fifty–five'" (Thurber 1). Walter Mitty is forced to
adjust because of her wife's preferences,showing him as limited in the actions he takes as a cause of
the relationship. Walter Mitty also considers himself to be helpless when it comes to his wife's
choices. Towards the end of the story, as Walter Mitty

Walter Mitty Daydreams
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber is about the trip Walter Mitty takes into town
with his wife. During this trip, Mitty experiences many different daydreams that seek to help him
escape from the monotony of his life. Each of these fantasies is brought about by some aspect of
Mitty's life. While driving too fast into town Mitty dreams of being the commander of a Navy
hydroplane, flying through a storm. After dropping off his wife at the salon, Mitty fantasizes about
being a miracle surgeon while driving to the store. Continuing with his errands Mitty has trouble
remembering the last item on his list and ends up fantasizing about being on trial for a murder. After
he finished his shopping, Mitty goes into a hotel to wait for ... Show more content on
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We learn about and bare witness to her thoughts and lack of a dynamic development in this story.
Throughout the story we learn about Miss Brill and her prominent tendency to listen in on others
conversations and fantasize about the lives of those around her. In the beginning, Miss Brill is sitting
in the park at her "special" seat as she did every Sunday. Sharing this seat with two other people,
Miss Brill awaits the start of their conversation, but is soon disappointed when they did not speak.
As the story progresses, we come to recognize that Miss Brill believes those around her to be a part
of the a play: "They weren't only the audience, not only looking on; they were acting. Even she had
a part and came every Sunday" (864). Because of her belief that everyone was a part of a
performance, Miss Brill romanticizes the stranger's lives. After sitting alone at her "special" seat, a
boy and girl come sit down. Miss Brill immediately commences fantasizing about who they are:
"They were beautifully dressed; they were in love. The hero and heroine, of course, just arrived
from his father's yacht" (865). While Miss Brill is brought back into reality through the conversation
she eavesdrops on between a boy and girl, her perception of reality does not change. Miss Brill is
static because while being brought back into a harsh reality she does not accept this is the truth as
shown when she "thought she heard

Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Essay
Without experiencing life firsthand, we as humans cannot know our boundaries and consequently,
we cannot learn about ourselves and grow into unique individuals. Self–actualization is an
individual's personal growth and discovery through experiences which occur in one's life. This
process of an individual's self–actualization is portrayed through the protagonist, Walter Mitty's
evolution in Ben Stiller's 2013 adventure comedy–drama The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In search
of Sean O'Connell and the "quintessence of life," Walter grows from a timid dreamer to an
adventurous person grounded in reality through his countless experience. Consequently, Ben Stiller
utilizes The Secret Life of Walter Mitty to reflect and develop how people learn about ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Through utilizing Sean's explanation of the snow leopard demonstrating that "beautiful things don't
ask for attention," Stiller conveys that everyone has the potential to experience their own distinctive
adventures and consequently, learn about themselves but in order to do so, they must use this
potential to the fullest. Ben Stiller effectively states that in order to learn about ourselves, grow to
our fullest potential, and be happy with ourselves, we must strive for new experiences.
By the end of the film, Walter has fully grown from an unadventurous, stock character to an
experienced, dynamic character having a unique identity. In the conclusion, Walter is shown
updating his dating profile with his recent adventures and experiences. While these may attract
women, Walter still remains homeless, unemployed, and poor; regardless his dire situation, Walter is
finally happy with his own life and no longer feels the urge to daydream to escape reality. Through
this, Stiller conveys that one's position is irrelevant; through experiencing reality first–hand, an
individual gains new insights into the world as well as into themselves just as Walter Mitty did.
Through real–life experiences, one can learn a tremendous amount about themselves and in–turn,
this leads them to a life in which they are happier with themselves or

The Strange Life Of Walter Mitty Essay
In the story, The Strange Life of Walter Mitty, Walter Mitty struggles with an inferiority complex
that has been developed from the belief that people were looking down on him. Even though it may
be implied in the story that the people that Walter Mitty had interactions with were all looking down
on him it is never truely stated therefore it is believed that Walter Mitty was just paranoid and
assumed this. Since his inferiority complex and character prevents him from talking back and
assuming a role of dominance he copes with this reality by daydreaming. The issue with his
daydreaming is that he complelety leaves reality and puts whatever task he was doing on autopilot.
In the first paragraph, Walter Mitty shows us one of his secret lives – these secret lives are more of a
fantasy – as a navy captain while he battles a hurricane with his crew. It wasn't until he heard his
wife yelling at him that he tuned back into reality and realized that he was up to fifty five which is
considerably fast back in that day with that vehicle. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Dangerous because of how easily Walter Mitty could have sped out of control harming himself and
his wife or accidently speeding into pedestrians. Another instance of Walter Mitty endangering
himself is when he starts imagining himself as a world famous doctor that is depended on by other
famous doctors to save the millionare banker,Wellington McMillan. During this daydream sesssion
Walter Mitty was in the process of parking his vehicle but because he was distracted by his fantasies
he nearly drove into the wrong parking lane and risked collision with another vehicle. It has already
been established that his habits can potentially bring risk to others but the one truly at risk is

Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Analysis
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, directed by Ben Stiller, focuses on the desire to escape from the
tedious and dull life that Walter (portrayed by Stiller) has been stuck in. Ben Stiller has shown his
audience that many people may live in a life similar to Walter's. A life that is predictable and
monotonous. Stiller explores this theme by showing that Walter was cemented into a life that was
unwanted due to his father's death at a young age. Due to the demise of his father, Walter had to take
care of his family, and change into someone who was capable to do so. Stiller wanted to show his
audience that although the root of the problem happened a while ago, that we as humans cling on to
it for as long as we can. Walter was able to take care of his mom and sister, ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
This was the first time Walter had branched out of his comfort zone and done something
"outrageous". It was the beginning of Walter's change. Sean O'Connell was also a contributing factor
in Walter's change. Although Walter and Sean had never met face–to–face, Walter had a connection
with Sean he did not have with many other people. Knowing that the negative was a gift from Sean,
and that it was to be the last cover of "Life Magazine", Walter was determined to find it. The life
threatening actions that Walter had taken was justified by the fact that he wanted to secure his job,
but he himself knew that he would never do something that risky for a job so uneventful and dull.
Walter showed a great amount of perseverance when dealing with the struggles throughout his
journey in escaping his previous life. Although, Walter may have never had hope in himself to
overcome those obstacles, throughout his journey he realized that everyone has obstacles in their
lives that they must overcome. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, reminds the audience that although
your life maybe be dull, and uneventful that there is room to change into someone who is
adventurous and does not limit themselves from their fullest

A comparison of what seems to be two completely different stories may not make sense, but they
may have a lot in common if you review it carefully! In this case, we are comparing James Thurber's
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace¨. In James Thurber's
story, Walter Mitty is simply a normal man going down the road with his wife, although in his mind,
in which he is daydreaming, he is captaining a hydroplane through a hurricane, while it breaks
down. When woken from his dream, he was going 55 mph on an open road with his wife who was
terrified by the speed he was traveling at. In Guy de Maupassant's story, the main character is
Madame Loisel. She is married to a small clerk, lives in a small shabby apartment, and doesn't have
many friends to go out and be social with. One day her husband comes home and has a special
invitation to a social event but she fears she can't go due to the fact that she doesn't have any jewels
or a nice dress to wear. She buys a new dress, and borrows a necklace from her friend for the event.
When the event is over she find that she has lost this "expensive" necklace. Her and her husband end
up paying for a new one, only ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In both Thurber's and Maupassant's stories, the main character seems to lead an unhappy life in
reality. In "The Necklace", Madame Loisel is unhappy with her low and simple living conditions.
The reason for this is that she is living in an apartment that is very shabby in her opinion. (Dingy
draperies, worn looking chairs, etc.) She feels as if she is miserable because she doesn't own fancy
dresses and jewels like the other women of the town. Walter seems to be living an unhappy life, so
bad in fact that he daydreams while driving! As he simply drives his wife complains and freaks out
because he's going fifty–five miles per hour, because she doesn't like to go over forty. His life seems
very unreasonable and somewhat

Walter Mitty Quotes
Walter Mitty is a fictional character in both the book and film. He can be relatable to hopeless and
shy people in the book. But, Mitty can also be relatable to others that want to be heard, and have
hopes and dreams. In James Thurber's story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," Walter Mitty is
forgetful and easily controlled, while Mitty in the film is outgoing and optimistic. Walter is a
forgetful person in the short story. His forgetfulness is most likely caused by his constant
daydreaming. "Walter Mitty began to wonder what the other thing was his wife had told him to get."
(90). This quote represents how Mitty neglects to remember what Mrs. Mitty told him. Right before
Mitty forgot what his wife told him, he had a daydream that he

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Analysis
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty When thinking to myself about whether to Mitty should be laughed
at, pitied, or if he is just an average person the one that makes the most sense is that he is just an
average person. Mitty is thought to be an elderly man that goes in and out of reality and daydreams
and is able to be brought out of them by someone catching his attention. In this story Mitty's wife
seems to be annoyed with how Mitty is with his daydreams but she still stays with him. Mitty
daydreams that he is a pilot, a surgeon, an assassin, another pilot, and finally he daydreams that he is
facing a firing squad. I chose that Mitty would just be considered an average man because there are
a lot of elderly men and women that act the same

Walter Mitty Symbolism
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Symbolism Both the short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by
James Thurber, and the major motion picture based on the short story, featuring Ben Stiller, have
many examples of symbolism. These examples of symbolism affect the reader or watcher very
much. These affects let the writer or director to add meaning to their work and make the theme
easier to grasp. These uses of symbolism help Walter develop as a character. The use of symbolism
makes the overall meaning of the work tangible, and makes the work more intriguing to the reader
or watcher. The use of symbolism in the short story when truly analyzed makes the story more
intriguing and meaningful to the reader. An example of symbolism in the short ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
In both the short story and in the movie, Walter's constant fantasies can be attributed to the lack of
masculinity he stores. The gloves in the short story and the skateboard are polar opposites. In the
short story, the gloves that Walter's wife makes him put on shelter him from the outside world. In the
movie, the skateboard symbolizes stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a chance in life.
These are obvious opposites. The gloves make Walter keep his circle small and not explore and take
a chance in life, while the skateboard is really the roadmap to taking a chance in life and exploring.
The similarities in symbolism is what points out Walter's reason behind his fantasies, while the
differences between symbolism are the difference between Walter remaining the same as a character,
or growing as a character. All the uses of symbolism, whether they are alike or different shows the
deeper meaning that the author wants to relay to the reader or watcher. The uses of symbolism also
help the theme of the story become more clear and understandable to the reader or watcher. Overall,
the uses of symbolism in both the short story and in the movie are very affective. The uses allow the
theme to be easier to comprehend, and allow

Has daydreaming even taken over your life? In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber,
is about a man, Walter Mitty, who is kind of pathetic and many people laugh at him. Walter
daydreams a lot in order to escape reality. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Walter works at Life
Magazine and goes on an adventure to find the missing picture that is going to be used for the cover
of the next magazine. Walter starts off boring and pathetic, but begins to make his daydreams his
reality as his dreams become less of a fantasy. In the film, the setting takes place all over the world
including Iceland, Greenland, and Afghanistan. Although in the story, the setting takes place only in
Waterbury, Connecticut. They both have similarities and differences throughout the story. There are
many similarities in both versions. One similarity is that Walter stands up for himself at some point.
In the short story Walter states, "'Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?'"(Thurber
5). This shows Walter standing up to his wife Mrs.Mitty. In the film, Walter stands up, this time to
his boss when he gets fired from his job. Walter is fired for losing the picture that was going to be on
the next magazine. Walter states that he ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
A big difference between the film and short story is Walter's relationship. In the film, Walter has a
love interest and most of his daydreams are about the girl he likes, Cheryl. One of Walter's
daydreams includes a statue that he made for Cheryl of the two of them together. This shows how
Walter feels about Cheryl. Yet, in the short story, Walter already has a wife. James Thurber writes,
"...Mrs. Mitty...he looked at his wife..."(Thurber 1). This shows the difference in Walter's romance.
This affects the dreams Walter has during the story. The daydreams are different in each version,
which causes Walter's thoughts to also be different. This is important because it causes the stories to
be

Walter Mitty Daydreams
Whimsically and beautifully produced and acted, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, directed and
starring Ben Stiller, is the perfect movie to relate to our own lives. Like countless people on this
planet, Walter Mitty (Stiller) works his 9 to 5 every single day in his life, stuck in an endless cycle.
Everyone that knows Mitty is aware of when he "zones out" – in some situations, he pictures
himself making a wild choice, since he was never brave enough to make those illusions a reality. As
the negative assets manager in the photography department, Mitty works at LIFE magazine and has
a crush on his co–worker, Cheryl (Kristen Wiig). The magazine is beginning to fall apart, as
corporate men take over the company to transition to online. Led ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
At the film's start, Mitty's daydreams were extreme and obviously a fantasy, as they explored
entirely different movie genres, such as a Latin romance or a Michael Bay action film. These
daydreams are almost comedy like, for they are simply unrealistic for a man like Mitty. However,
after Mitty's epic adventure begins, these daydreams begin to make sense and they are no longer
silly fantasies. This man's realities keep you on the edge of your seat, for he makes choices that not
every person would. As a viewer, that is something admirable to take from this inspirational film.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an amazing movie. The plot evenly spreads hints of comedy, as
well as heartwarming moments that stick with you. The soundtrack is incredible, for just listening to
the songs on their own evoke urges to travel. Each and every role is played the way they should –
Scott seemingly fits with his snarky comments, Wiig is adorable as the love interest and Stiller
portrays the perfect boring man turned adrenaline junkie. As the star of comedies, such as Zoolander
and Meet The Fockers, Stiller portrays his famous comedic character in this film, mixed with
heartwarming tendencies. Walter Mitty is one of us – an average person, just living in the cycle of
life. Watching this man's journey escaping the endless loop of everyday is simply inspirational as he
does what not all of us have the courage to

Nia 1 Sara Nia Mr. Klatt ENG3U1–50 2 March 2015 Literary Analysis of "The Secret Life of Walter
Mitty" "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber is a short story in the limited omniscient
point of view. The title of the story suggests that not only does Walter Mitty isolate himself from
reality by fantasizing, but that his dreams are a secret from the world. While Mrs. Mitty plays the
antagonist, Walter Mitty takes part in being the protagonist with his primary personal figure. Mittys
life does not contain drastic changes, "In a way he hates these weekly trips to town" (Thurber 35).
Walter Mitty has fantasies due to avoidance in ordinary life. Not to mention the life setting of the
story displays that the dullness of these particular

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Daydreams
In the beginning of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Walter Mitty's personality is he has a lot of
courage and potential according to his character traits in his daydreams. When Walter Mitty has all
sorts of daydreams. Those daydreams reveal his character about him. In Walter Mitty's daydream,
other people treat him respectfully. Other than his wife, Mrs. Witty. First of all, Walter Mitty
behaves with his wife and with other real–life characters in the story because Walter Mitty isn't
anything special. Walter Mitty gets bossed around a lot by his wife. Walter could not do mechanical
things. He was forgetful because he would have daydreams every time he had to do something. But
in other real–life, Walter Mitty is constantly nagged by his wife.

Essay On The Referential Meaning Of Walter Mitty

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