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James Thurber-Humor in Fiction
James Thurber was one of the most influential and unforgettable writers of his kind. He made
modern–day problems seem preventable in the minds of people, and he tried to make them realize
that the problems had to have a source. Thurber wrote of people struggling with day–to–day life that
was once trouble–free and drew his ideas of humanity losing the direction it once had in the past. He
attributed this change to wandering minds and ignorant actions on man's behalf. James Thurber used
his artistic and creative abilities to make a point of human shortcomings through ingenious writings
and comical sketches. James Oliver Thurber, a satirical, Ohio–born writer, was born in Columbus on
December 8, 1894. Thurber wrote of himself that he "was ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
One of Thurber's choice ways of communicating with the masses was through writing magazine
articles, short stories, essays, and children's books. His uncanny take on his writing usually brought
laughter and enjoyment to its readers with descriptions of wild and ridiculous events being his
number one source of absurdity. Among them were Many Moons, a story of a daughter of royalty
who refused to make herself better after overeating until she was given the moon, and The
Wonderful O, the tale of a pirate who travels to the island of Ooroo to find jewels. When the pirate
leaves empty–handed, he banishes all words containing the letter "o." The moral to the fairy–tale
was words containing that vowel were vital in the world and among the necessary words was
"freedom" (Morsberger Suppl. 1:612). When it came to more important matters, Thurber had the
views of many of today's modern thinkers, and it was reflected in his work. He saw the human as
more harmful than helpful to the world as a whole. In his "Interview with a Lemming," the creature
being interrogated by a scientist calls humans "murderous, maladjusted, maleficent, malicious, and
muffle–headed." The scientist proceeds to tell him that he agrees with the observation, but he can
not seem to understand why lemmings hurry to the sea to drown themselves. The lemming curtly
replies, "How curious. The one thing I don't understand is why you humans don't" (Morsberger
Suppl. 1:603). His take on
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Walter Mitty Comparison
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
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty'
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber is a short story about a man named Walter
Mitty. Walter is an ordinary man living an ordinary life, however, Walter always seems to escape
into one of his fantasies while trying to accomplish everyday task. This often leads to Walter being
mocked and ridiculed by people around him. Furthermore, Walter's wife, Mrs. Mitty is dominant in
their relationship. She establishes many rules which Walter must fulfill. This is evident when, Walter
drives fifty–five kilometers per hour, Mrs. Mitty demands " 'Not so fast! You're driving too fast!'...
'You know I don't like to go more than forty' " (Thurber 2). Similarly, when Walter contemplates
whether to head back to the hotel, he recalls "She didn't like ... Show more content on
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Mitty] seemed grossly unfamiliar, like a stranger woman who had yelled at him in a crowd" (2).
Walter Mitty is so unbelievably absentminded that he is unable to recognize his own wife. Similarly,
Walter divulges into his dream–like state while almost crashing into a car. This causes the parking
lot attendant to sheik " 'Back it up! Look out for that Buick!' Walter Mitty jammed on the brakes.
'Wrong lane, Mac,' " (3). Evidently, Walters's imagination causes him to lose consciousness of
reality, thus, causing Walter to be absentminded. Furthermore, diction also helps illuminate Walter
character. After entering the wrong lane, the parking lot attendant volunteers to park the car. As
Walter hands him the key, the attendant "vaulted into the car, backed it up with insolent skill" (3).
This shows Walters opinion towards the attendant. The choice of words "vaulted" and "insolent"
indicates that Walter is jealous or insecure when he says "They're so damn cocky" (4). This shows
diction helped prove Walter is also jealous or insure about himself. In addition, the narration of the
story is narrated in third person, limited omniscient point of view. This gives effective insights of
Walter Mitty's thoughts and actions, which helps to further analyze Walters's character. For instance,
when Walter is unable to unwind the chains of the axles, Mrs. Mitty forces Walter to unwind the
chains at a garage. This makes Walter feel uneasy, consequently, Walter decides to "wear [his] right
arm in a sling; they won't grin at [him] then. I'll have my right arm in a sling 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,
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Analysis the Secret Life of Walter Mitty Essay
Analysis: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Tara Jackson
ENG 125 Introduction to Literature
Instructor Alfaro
April 18, 2011
The short story that I will do an analysis on is the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, written by James
Thurber in March of 1939. This story centers around the hilarious and amusing daydreams of Walter
Mitty an ordinary man, who resides in Waterbury, Connecticut, with his overbearing, nagging wife
Mrs. Mitty. Throughout this short story Mitty is characterized as being a pathetic, timid man, who
daydreams to deal with situations, and conflicts that arise in his life with his wife and others he
encounters on a daily basis.
The genre of this short story would be comedy, Thurber's writing style is quiet creative and ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Mitty's second daydream occurs after he drives past a hospital on his way to the parking lot, he
thinks he is a famous surgeon, heroic character, who saves the day. Mitty is awakened from his
daydream only to be told by the parking attendant that he is entering the parking lot the wrong way.
Third daydream, Mitty daydreams that he is a witness in a courtroom trial, walking down the street
trying to remember the other item his wife instructed him to buy. The fourth and final daydream
Mitty thinks he's a captain in a war plane, he was awakened by his wife, Mrs. Mitty in a hotel lobby
and confronted about not wearing his overshoes, and why he hiding in that particular chair, Mitty
replies to his wife that does it ever occur to her that he is thinking. (Clugston, 2010).
Mitty is saying to his wife, he has a mind of his own and that he can think for himself. Throughout
Mitty's babblings and day dreams, he is a weak, timid man dependent on a strong woman (Mann,
1982). Most importantly I can identify with Mitty's daydreaming not as hilarious and outrageous as
his are, but we all have a need to slip away from the hoarse realities of life and escapism in the form
of daydreaming.
References
Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint
Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu/books
Mann, A. (1982). TAKING CARE OF WALTER MITTY. Studies in Short Fiction, 19(4), 351.
Retrieved from
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Essay
"Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself." These great words were spoken by
George Bernard Shaw. The creating of a life is a huge part of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty written
by James Thurber. Walter Mitty has a boring life, so he creates one in the most destructive way. He
dreams of great lives, making m more depressed every day, seeing what he could have and what he
does. The author of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty portrays a boring, dull life by the contrast
between dreams and real life. He makes Walter Mitty a man whose life is unsatisfactory in his
standards, who seems lost through this day, and who dreams his life is fulfilling.
Walter Mitty's life does not give him the excitement he craves, as seen by the contrast between his
excitement–filled dream life and his boring, dull real life. In Walter Mitty's dream of being a doctor,
the operating room was full of excitement. The new anesthetizer aiding in the procedure
malfunctioned and he had to fix it on the spot, while the most exciting thing in his life is
remembering to fetch doggy biscuits. While in his normal life Walter Mitty is a man with dullness
insured into his daily activities his dream self is tasked with awe inspiring feats. For example when
"Commander Mitty" faces the storm head on, his men have such great confidence in him they are
willing to put their ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When escaping his dream of being a Commander on a navy hydro–plane, he was "speeding", going
over 55 mph and his wife perpetually reminded him of his wrong doing for the next minute. Another
example if this is when he comes out of his doctor dream a man yells "Back it up Mac! Look out for
that Buick". He was about to crash into another car, showing that his body, absent mind, was
continuing with its daily regime like a zombie. Yet in his dreams he is knows exactly what he is
doing in whatever
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Walter Mitty Comparison
Great writings open up one's imagination. Many of these stories come to life in a featured film but
not all writers' intentions are captured when creating the films and this is where great work is lost.
Short stories are concise and straight to the point. For example, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by
James Thurber. This short classic, was first published in "The New Yorker" in 1939 and later on
became a feature film. Ultimately, can a short story be successfully transformed into a film?
Walter Mitty is an elderly man who spends much of his time with his overlooking wife meanwhile
envisioning himself in different scenarios. Many of his scenarios include becoming a pilot, soldier,
and surgeon. As the story became well known, people, especially ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
The fight with reality and identity are clearly shown. Both Mittys have relatively normal and typical
lives. In the movie, Walter Mitty in is search for the 25th negative film strip that is missing. The
25th film, signifies the missing piece in his life. The part of his life in which he daydreams. All the
sporadic thoughts he has in his head are telling him to do something that makes his life more
interesting, worth meaning. In the short story, it is never fully fulfilled in reality because his thought
and wife limit him, but in the movie, the missing film pieces pushes him.
Performing great and rather life–risking and dangerous tasks that have adrenaline written all over
them was what Walter Mitty was all about. There was a beautiful quote that was brought up more
than once during the movie: "To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, to
draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life." Either stories, whether on
paper or on the movie screen, showed that their lives where so mysterious and secretive and that was
not taken away from them by the end, as Thurber said "inscrutable to the
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Literary Analysis Of The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" Literary Analysis "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James
Thurber is about a man who routinely fantasizes about himself in other lives. The main character,
Walter Mitty, inhabits a world that emasculates him. During an errand run with his wife, Walter
repeatedly imagines himself in traditionally masculine roles. The characters he inhabits display
distinct masculine qualities such as courage, leadership, aggression, and decisiveness. In direct
contrast to this, Mitty shies away from conflict in reality and is often humiliated by women and
men. For instance, Mitty's car is a symbol of his inability to meet his own masculine ideals. The man
in the parking lot is required to park it for Mitty. His wife sets
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Chopin VS Thurber and Relationships
In the stories "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber (Clugston, sec. h1.1) and "The
Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin (Clugston, sec. h2.1) escapism is a similar theme with in both
these stories, yet there is a slight variance in how each of these authors place these characters into
their escape from reality, relationships, and everyday chaos. In each of these stories the author
shows the characters escaping the realities of the relationship, one through Walter Mitts' daydreams,
and the other through one brief hour when Louise Mallard pictures her new life of freedom. Through
the use of characterization, imagery, point of view and setting these authors bring in the element of
escapism to each story. In the short story "The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
h2.1). In this stanza it paints a portrait of her going back in time to try and recollect what love was
about with her husband and was it silent or restless.
B. "two white slender hands"(Clugston, sec. h2.1) is a clue to the reader that her character is gentle
as well as a lady and should be treated as so, however the "lines"(Clugston, sec. h2.1) as described
by the narrator show she's hiding many deep feelings. When someone is filled with recession the
chance to escape their stress and hurt would be welcomed.
In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty the use of imagery give the reader a illustrative description of
the daydreams he is having while allowing the reader to have a vivid picture of the goings–on
around him. The imagery of his wife's consistent nagging is brought into focus allowing the reader
to identify with Walter concerning his wife s overbearing and scrutinizing ways. In "The Story of An
Hour" imagery gives the reader a feel of almost relief along with the use of our senses such as taste,
smell, sight and sounds to set a stage the tragedies yet to come. Deneau suggests this story may be a
reflection of a sexual experience. In both of these cases an escape from the true reality is possible.
(1) Secret Life of Walter Mitty
A. In the stanzas "not so fast! You're driving too fast!" said Mrs. Mitty. "What are you driving so fast
for?" (Clugston, sec. h1.1),these lines give the reader a picture of both Mr. Mitty and Mrs. Mitty
driving
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Man Vs Society In The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty James Thurber illustrates the central conflict Man vs Society in The
Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Throughout the story, Mitty seems to have a struggle with adapting to
the social norms and gender roles he is meant to play. First, Walter Mitty feels society was meant to
mock him. Secondly, his feelings for his marriage are indifferent, and the gender roles appear
opposite. Lastly, even his daydreams seem to have a tug of war with society. Walter Mitty feels as if
society is pit against him. Throughout the story, people poke fun at Mitty. Unable to take his chains
off himself, Mitty's wife forces him to go to a garage. "They're so damn cocky, thought Walter Mitty,
walking along Main Street; they think they
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Theme
Adaptation of Thurber's "Walter Mitty" In James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter
Mitty," the author contrasts one man's life with the numerous daydreams he has. Similar to the story,
the film by the same name, directed by Ben Stiller, gives a glimpse of Walter's life while adding
substance to the story. Two scenes in particular in the film involve flights that Walter feels
compelled to make, both in his decision to continue on a journey on which he has already embarked.
While Thurber's short story indicates that life without dreaming is dull, Stiller morphs this theme to
show that we all must step out of our shell to accomplish what we want in life. From the opening
scene of the short story, when Walter is fantasizing about being on a naval vessel during a terrible
story, one can see how tedious life can actually be. Walter ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Walter's imagination pulled him away from the bland city streets of Waterbury and set him in a
world far more exciting than his own. Imagining a buzzing courtroom removed Walter from the bore
life was currently offering him; indeed, the mind has the power to remove an individual from the
drudgery of reality. What if we want to step outside the boundaries that are in front of us and take a
risk in believing that what is impossible might actually be within our fingertips? Stiller continues to
show how if not for taking this risk, individuals will remain locked inside their fantasy worlds. He
illustrates this in a scene where his character ultimately decides to board a helicopter with a slightly
intoxicated pilot in control. If Walter had chosen to cease his journey, then both his goal and his
dream would crumble. There are times in life when we must ask ourselves whether to step away
from the norm to continue the pursuit of personal desires or to remain immersed in comfort while
knowing our dreams and goals have
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Why Would You Eat Lunch With Walter Mitty
Would You Eat Lunch With Walter Mitty Essay Walter Mitty is a character in the book the secret life
of Walter Mitty by James Thurber. He is a dull person and is always daydreaming about something.
Of course he is not real but if was and he invited me to eat dinner with him I would have no kindly
say no. I wouldn't want to be a jerk but he is not the type of person that you would want to eat lunch
with. So I will explain all of the reasons on why I would not eat lunch with Walter Mitty. One reason
on why I would not want to eat lunch with Walter Mitty is because of the fact that he always gets
daydreams triggered by things around him. For example say if I way to say yes and we
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James Thurber Influence
Imagine losing sight in one of your eyes and still go on to become one of America's most famous
author and illustrator . James Thurber, an American author, is most famous for his short stories that
often include humor and drawings. He had many influences in his life that affected him in many
different ways. His most famous stories made fun of the "little man" that was not sure of himself
because of the wars. James Thurber's personal relationships and life events strongly influenced the
way he wrote and illustrated humor, descriptive characters, and told the plot of the story.
James Thurber's humor was influenced by his own life in many different ways. One way he was
influenced was from his mother, Mary Thurber. Mary Thurber was a "eccentric" ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
White(Biography). Thurber's first short story made while working for The New Yorker was with
collaboration with E.B. White. The short story that they both worked on together was "Is Sex
Necessary"(Thurber House). "Is Sex Necessary" is a great example of a short story that includes
Thurber's illustration and humor. Since E.B. White helped James Thurber with his first short story it
influenced his writing style in his later works. Another influence of the plot of the story was his first
wife, who he later divorced, Althea Adams. Althea Adams influenced Thurber's plot because he used
details in their marriage for short stories about controlling wives. His second wife , Helen Wismer,
also influenced his plots. Helen Wismer convinced Thurber to leave his job in New York and
become a freelance writer in Maine. Wismer was also his secretary and helped him write some of his
short stories. Thurber was influenced by many personal events that helped his writing become what
we all know and love to this
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Why I Want To Have Walter Mitty
James Thurber wrote "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" which made Walter Mitty look like a
complete fool headed. There are multitudinous reasons why you would not want to have the
character Walter Mitty as company for dinner. Walter has this monotonous job, for example he never
socializes well with others. He gets lost really easy on things that normal people never get lost with.
He is not someone you would like to be around with. Walter is also just a boring person in general,
with a boring job and with a boring life. So without doubt I would not want to have Walter Mitty as
a dinner companion, because he is just not a very pleasant person to be around with in any type of
activity. Unfortunately, Walter Mitty does not socialize well with people around town. Since he does
not socialize well with anyone how would you expect a conversation? You would be getting to the
point that you do not want to find out about him and just be talking about the weather. You would
not be having an enjoyable conversation you would have with your companions. There would be
just an awkward silence while you were eating. He would not want to have any way of talking to
you. Walter Mitty does not even get along very well with his wife. He is kind of a person that
aggravates people around town, for ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
With Walter Mitty's condition of daydreaming he would not pay attention to anything you say,
which would be very annoying. You never know if he is actually paying attention to you, he may be
in his own world. Walter Mitty would wander around the room looking at the details on the objects
around the room trying to find out how he can daydream and make his life more interesting. You
also never know what Walter Mitty would do in one of his daydreams, so how could anyone
possibly concentrate on eating when Walter is doing whatever he wants. From these examples,
Walter Mitty would be very perplex while you are having a dinner with
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How Does Walter Mitty Study The Benefits Of Daydreaming
In the short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber is about a man who gets
through his everyday life by daydreaming numerous amount of times. He daydreams of being a
laudable pilot, a millionaire banker, a marksman's, audacious WW2 pilot. Recently in class, we have
studied the benefits of daydreaming, and I will be explaining how Walter Mitty uses it to his
advantage to get by in his mundane life. First, Walter Mitty uses daydreaming by trying to recall
previous thoughts and memories he has heard. In the article "The Virtues of Daydreaming" it
explains "those who are more prone to mind–wandering tend to be better at generating new ideas".
This quote illustrates how if people tend to daydream they make ideas much better
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How Does Walter Mitty Escape His Fantasies
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a short story by James Thurber, is a story of man who goes
through an ordinary life fantasizing about a secret life where everything is great for him. In his
fantasies Walter Mitty is everything he isn't in real life. Mitty uses these fantasies to forget the things
he dislikes about his reality. Walter's life isn't anything special and he goes into his fantasies to
escape from the fact that he is insecure/shy, he's being bossed around by his wife, and he can't do
simple tasks. The first reason why Walter Mitty escapes his fantasies is because he is not confident,
or able to stand up for himself in real world. For example in the text Mrs. Mitty asks Walter, "Why
don't you wear your gloves?"(232) and he puts them on. As soon as she leaves, though, he takes
them off. This demonstrates that Walter ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When he is entering a parking lot, the parking attendant tells Walter, "Wrong lane Mac...leave her sit
there, I'll put her away" (233). Mitty had entered the wrong lane, and he couldn't back up properly.
This event shows the incompetency in real life that Walter has, and how he struggles with everyday
tasks. He also talks to the parking attendant in a low, nervous voice. Walter isn't calm person in real
life. Walter Mitty makes up for these mistakes in his another fantasy by becoming a famous surgeon.
He imagines saving the life of a millionaire, and president friend. Thurber writes how the other
doctors in Mitty's fantasy tell him, "No one in the East knows how to fix it" (233). Mitty responds in
calm voice and takes over. This shows how in his fantasies Walter Mitty is calm since being a
surgeon requires complete concertation and calmness. He is also able to take on difficult tasks in his
fantasy unlike reality. Mitty fantasizes to fight the reality of him being inept and scared in the real
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, By James Thurber
In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, by James Thurber, Walter Mitty imagines himself as a very
brave, confident person mainly because in reality he is the opposite. In one daydream, in which he is
held on trial for a murder, he is told that it is impossible for him to have committed the crime due to
his broken arm. Mitty responds , jeopardizing his own case, " 'With any known make of gun' [...] 'I
could have killed Gregory Fitzhurst with my left hand,' " (Thurber 26). Mitty in his daydreams is
very outspoken and proud, he contested with his lawyers, who made a point trying to prove his
innocence, because what they said made him seem weaker than he saw himself. He is very prideful,
something sometimes regarded as a negative trait, but to Mitty
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The Jilting Of Granny Weatherall Essay
Everywhere you look, our society today is stressed out or even falling into depression. Depending
on this common causes, eventually these can eventually lead to mental illness in people. The
protagonist of "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" by Katherine Anne Porter, Granny Weatherall
presents incoherent consciousness. Walter Mitty from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James
Thurber, has maladaptive daydreaming. Both stories are focused on mental illness, but each with a
different cause. While the jilted and depressed Granny Weatherall gets mixed up with all her
thoughts and memories from the past, Walter Mitty teased and stressed out by his wife and others
around him in present time, has accumulative fantasies. They both deal confront their ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Basically, people always seem to be either yelling or laughing at him for one mistake or another.
This makes him create his own life and have daydreams in which he is the opposite of what he is in
reality. On their way to town, he had his first daydream as is a brave military commander piloting a
hydroplane, but his wife interrupts by yelling at him, saying: "You're driving too fast!".
(Thurber,1939) When she insists on him to make an appointment with his physician, he becomes a
famous surgeon at work, until a parking–lot attendant calls his attention to come back to reality.
Mitty was pissed and thought: "they think they know everything". (Thurber,1939) Mitty's third
daydream is of being the defendant in a trial, and he is woken by a mental association with dog
biscuits, which his wife asked him to buy. At that moment he gets bothered because, "A woman who
was passing laughed. "He said 'Puppy biscuit,'" she said to her companion. "That man said 'Puppy
biscuit' to himself."" (Thurber,1939) As he waits for his wife to finish at the hairdresser, he
daydreams of being a British pilot willing to sacrifice his life for his country, and he is again woken
by his wife, who was looking for him. In a moment Walter asked his wife "Does it ever occur to you
that I am sometimes thinking?"
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Walter Mitty Comparison
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
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
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
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The movie, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other,
and to feel. That is the purpose of life".– Walter Mitty (Movie).
Life is about finding yourself, each other, and being true to one's self. The Secret Life of Walter
Mitty is an extremely original and creative story written by James Thurber. The movie, The Secret
Life Of Walter Mitty, starring Ben Stiller, conveys a daydreamer escaping his typical life by
disappearing into a realm of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. In both the movie
and the book, the title character retreats into fantasy as an escape from his mundane reality because
in the real world, he is ordinary, insecure, and passive. In the short story, Walter ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
A good example of this happening is when Walter for example, "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." (Thurber). Walter proceeds to
playing defendant in his daydream. Him acting out this role demonstrated to us that he was very
guilty for forgetting what his wife asked him to get at the store. The transitions happen in a matter of
a few words. This causes surprise and excitement in the reader unlike in the movie. In the movie,
you can see that Walter is going to have a daydream because he seems to be getting hazy and the
visual effects cause a foreshadowing type effect. You can also easily figure out what the dream will
be about will be about. For example in the movie, as Walter is on the phone with an eHarmony
consultant, the consultant asks him "What interesting things have you done?" in which Walter puts
down the phone, the camera zooms in on his eyes, he runs, jumps off a tower into a building where
he is saving a kitten from a burning building (Stiller). There is this stark contrast where in the movie
one can tell that Walter is going to have his daydream, while in the book it surprises you.
Moreover, the biggest contrast of all that separates the movie and the book is that in the book,
Walter is constantly shifting into his dreams, which symbolize his wife, while in the movie he
actively pursues finding
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Essay on A Brief Overview of Walter Mitty
A Brief Overview of Walter Mitty
In the short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber, many interesting fantasies
occur in a way which brings the reader into a different world. The story switches back and forth
from delusion to reality, dragging the reader into a life, perhaps similar to their own. In the
beginning of this story, the first paragraph is a fantasy of the main character, Walter Mitty. It
describes his life as a commander of an aircraft. An intense scene is displayed showing what Walter
Mitty wishes would be reality. It is not until the next paragraph that one discovers this reality. His
wife then interrupts the scene, bringing Walter Mitty back into his everyday life, one which is far
less exciting to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The formalistic approach for analyzing this would be most appropriate in order to pick out the
elements such as setting, irony, imagery and metaphorical factors. These are organized in such a way
that the formatting consumes the story. In this tale, the first important element would be the
introduction of the setting. Throughout the story, the author writes across multiple settings because
of these flashbacks that he displays. The first setting would be on an airplane with two introductory
characters; 'The Commander' and 'Lieutenant Berg'. This beginning setting is seen as a guessing
game to begin with as the dialogue becomes the most prominent use in this introduction. Once the
setting is described more clearly as the paragraph moves forward, the reader will grasp an
understanding of where these two characters are. However, soon after the reader's mind may be
clarified, the scene is interrupted with the dialogue of a new character, Mrs. Mitty. " 'Not so fast!
You're driving too fast!' Said Mrs. Mitty. 'What are you driving so fast for?'" (Thurber 1). This is the
first example one has of the basic structure that this story will set forth. The organization of this
story goes from what was described in the introductory paragraph as a flashback, to the interrupting
dialogue of Mrs. Mitty. As she yells,
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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
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Descriptive Language in “Boys & Girls”, “Cat in the...
Descriptive language in the stories "Boys & Girls", "Cat in the Rain", "The Secret Life of Walter
Mitty" and the poem "A Far Cry from Africa". Descriptive language is a literary tool used by many
great writers. We clearly see this in the stories "Boys & Girls", "Cat in the Rain", "The Secret Life of
Walter Mitty" and the poem "A Far Cry from Africa". Through the use of metaphors, imagery,
similes and symbolism, the authors present their issues more effectively. We see that in all these
stories, descriptive language is used to demonstrate how a characters identity predicament can ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, the reader soon realizes that this uncomplicated story illuminates much deeper meanings.
This seemingly mundane plot becomes symbolic and purposeful under the reader's eyes. We see that
it is about a woman trying to find her identity in terms of a problematic relationship. Clarence
Lindsay, a critic, says, "Cat in the Rain is Ernest Hemingway's subtle exploration of this American
romantic quest for identity." This is true, as we see many times throughout the story. Hemingway
with his use of descriptive language shows the way the American women long for her identity.
When Hemingway writes, "The American wife stood at the window looking out. Outside right under
their window a cat was crouched under one of the dripping green tables. The cat was trying to make
itself so compact that it would not be dripped on. "I'm going down and get that kitty," the American
wife said." Here we see that the cat represents the women and her relationship with her husband. As
we all know cats detest water. Here the water represents everything that was destroying her and her
relationship. Her trying to save the cat was her trying to save herself and her relationship.
"A Far Cry from Africa" was written by Derek Wolcott. Walcott discusses the conflict between his
loyalties to Africa and to Britain in his poem. The title of the poem emphasizes Walcott's cultural
instability as it implies a type of alienation from Africa,
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Main Character in James Thurber's The Secret Life of...
In James Thurber's short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the main character, Mr. Mitty,
immerses himself into an alternate reality several times throughout the piece to escape the hollow,
unexciting life he leads. These instances in which he takes the place of others in more thrilling
situations are spurred by actual occurrences in his own life. Through the use of these alternate
realities, Thurber shows the monotony of an average life and how even average beings search to test
the waters of heroicness and bravery in important occupations. The story begins as Mitty is captain
on a Navy hydroplane in one of the worst storms in Navy history. This dream was most likely egged
on due to the fact that when this story takes place, the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Although there are two specialists called in from around the globe, the operation is being stopped to
wait for Dr. Mitty, a genius–surgeon. The fact that Walter performs the surgery without the direction
of the two other experts fortifies the idea that he only wishes to become a hero and not a zero. After
Walter realizes that he is driving in the wrong lane, due to his daydreaming, he leaves his car in the
care of a valet and goes about his business of purchasing some new overshoes. Mitty soon
remembers that he was to not only buy the shoes, but something else. As he is standing in the street
he hears something about the Waterbury trial from a paperboy. As if by magic, Mr. Mitty is slung
into a courtroom and is on trial now as a murderer, a cocky murderer on trial for shooting Gregory
Fitzhurst. He shows, yet again, how he longs to be the best and under no control by telling the
prosecution attorney that he is an expert ?with any known make of gun.? The point that he shows
that no one or thing has control over him is his telling the court that even though his arm is
bandaged, he could have shot the man over three hundred yards away with his left hand, which
shows that even physical ailments nor practicality have any control what so ever on the man. In the
middle of the trial ?puppy biscuit? escaped Walter?s lips as he finally remembered what it was he
was to buy, besides the overshoes. Later in the story, Walter is
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Identity In The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
The difference between Seven–billion people in the world is Identity. Identity is unique and hard to
understand, everybody wants to be someone and people have a hard time figuring that out. The
Secret life of Walter Mitty is a film about a man who is tired of his boring life. Pico Iyers Why We
Travel is an essay about how traveling can open the mind. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty short
story is about an older man who is using his imagination to cope with his midlife crisis. The
meaning of life is to be, to become someone to mean something. Identity is narrowed down to
important factors in life, while traveling can help someone find their way in life. Each of these play
an important part in a person's life, and without having an understanding on how each of these factor
in they will lose ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
People see tv stars, or astronauts and want to be them when they grow up. They learn about sport by
watching athletes play, all these factor in an create an identity. Everyone decides who they are and
what they want to do with themselves as they grow older, they strive to reach goals and dreams they
set for themselves and work hard to accomplish those goals. Sometimes those goals get buried in
everyday life and with that life slows down and is burdened with stress and obstacles that make life
hard. Getting lost in the world leads to a loss of identity. Without an identity a person is left to drift
in the world not knowing who they are or what they want. Goals and dreams fade, hope for
something more is replaced with stress and confidence disappears as doubt lingers. In the secret life
of walter mitty, Walter has lost his identity. He has low self esteem and hasn't achieved anything
extraordinary in life. The movie was successful because it's relatable, many people around the world
have given into the daily routine of nine–five work
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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
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Essay
Walter Mitty had an imagination like no other. His head was filled with many exciting and new
adventures. In the short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber, Walter Mitty uses
his dream worlds to escape reality. He is a very unique character with many different aspects to him.
Walter Mitty is imaginative, and creative in his own way. "Walter 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." tells the reader about one of his fantasies (Thurber, 125).
As the protagonist of the story, knowing about what happens inside his head plays an important role
to the plot. Walter Mitty's ideas contribute to the short story by making the plot more enjoyable, and
gave the story more meaning. Another way to describe Walter Mitty would be distraught.
"Something struck his shoulder. "I've been looking all over this hotel for you," said Mrs. Mitty."
shows how Walter's wife is constantly nagging him (Thurber, 129). That is why Walter Mitty creates
this strange storylines in his head, in order to run away from his problems with his wife. All of the
running around he has done for his wife has made him very scatter–brained when it comes to getting
things done. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
"Many of Thurber's stories and sketches grew directly out of his own life." implies that Walter Mitty
is most likely based off himself (Thurber, 123). By saying this, the reader can conclude that James
Thurber himself has crazy and wild ideas. This really explains that Thurber created Mitty, as
somebody that reminded him of himself. "They're so cocky, thought Walter Mitty, walking along
Main Street." gives better insight of how Mitty thinks of others (Thurber, 126) He plays an
important role as the main character, so it helps to know the little things like
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The World 's Greatest Satirist
The World's Greatest Satirist
James Thurber is a satirist. Satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and
criticize people 's stupidity or vices. It is also deliberate. His writing is full of common sense, humor,
and irony. The characters in his stories work extra hard to end up using simple solutions. The diction
in all his stories is very clear and simple. His writing is meant for everyone in every class and every
age group. The style and content of his stories make them timeless and relatable to anyone, even the
people about whom he is making fun. Richard Tobias has the best description of Thurber's
humoristic displays. Tobias says:
"Thurber's comedy, like any successful comedy, displays variations on the ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Also, his first wife, much like his mother, was a nut case. His father was a meek man who let his
wife run amok despite knowing she was a loose cannon. These characters in his life influence and
epitomize the characters in his stories. Thurber writes about decisions in life, and while he may be
using bunnies and wolves to make the examples, the realities he portrays most are revenge,
materialism, and cowardice. To externalize Thurber's inner discomposure toward women, he tends
to use his pieces to ridicule the fairer sex. His fiction imitates his life, and his life was filled with
scorn and contempt for the path to which he was pinned. Thurber also writes quite a bit about
morals. In all the following stories the moral is a variation of: Go with you first instinct.
"Unicorn in the Garden" is a story about a woman with contempt for her excitable husband. She sees
an opportunity to have him sent to the loony bin and takes it. However, she is the one who ends up
in the 'booby–hatch.' "As soon as the husband had gone out of the house, the wife got up and
dressed as fast as she could. She was very excited and there was a gloat in her eye. She telephoned
the police and she telephoned a psychiatrist; she told them to hurry to her house and bring a strait–
jacket." She is a coward here. She waits until he leaves the room to call the psychiatrist. Clearly, she
is jealous of him in some way. It is not clear why she has such distain for her
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty And James Thurrme's Uncle...
All that Walter Mitty wanted was a way to escape the claws of reality. If he was ever to meet Uncle
Marcos, the stories told between the two would be incredible. Marcos went on all of the adventures
that Mitty wished to go on. The protagonists from both "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James
Thurber and "Uncle Marcos" by Isabel Allende would learn learn many different things from each
other. Walter Mitty had always wanted to go on crazy adventures, which was something Uncle
Marcos could always do. Walter Mitty had some issues with his wife, which was why he would slip
off into his own world. If Uncle Marcos was to talk with Mitty, it would give him more imaginative
ideas. Uncle Marcos would be able to discuss all of his wild adventures
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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
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, By James Thurber
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber is about a man named Walter mitty who
daydreams. Walter mitty's daydreams get in the way of him doing what he wants to do. Walter mitty
is from CT and he is always forgetful. In his day dreams he is always the hero. Walter mitty's wife
miss mitty is very controlling and bossy. In the short story miss mitty gives walter a list of things
that he needs to accomplish. During the time he goes to get these things he gets distracted and has a
rough time getting these things done because of his day dreams. As you can see the problem in this
short story is walter mitty's daydreams are always getting in the way of is actual life. James Thurber
presents the theme of success versus failure by showing Walter Mitty's lack of success in reality and
his success in his daydreams. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
James Thurber show shows that Walter mitty is not in control of his life and thinks that he is a
failure."Why don't you put on your gloves on?"(Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Thurber) This quote
shows that Mrs. Mitty is controlling and tells him what to do. Walter is also unsuccessful because
his daydreams get in the way of his life. "You know I don't like to go more than forty. You were up
to fifty–five" (Secret Life of Walter, Mitty, Thurber) This quote shows that his daydreams are getting
in the way of his real life because he was speeding. James Thurber clearly shows that Walter is
unsuccessful in reality because he is not in control and his daydreams get in the way
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Comparison of the Effectiveness Of Imagery in “ The Secret...
While writing stories it is importing to keep in mind that readers should be able to picture the story
in their mind while reading. It is best to use effective ways to explain or describe the point; such as,
wording and writing format, in order to grab reader's attention and interest them.
Referring to the readings " The secret of Walter Mitty" written by James Thurber, and " Bartleby the
scrivener" written by Melville, both have been written in a great effective way for readers to use
their imagery and develop the ideas of what the story is about. Providing that, both stories have
described the character and setting with enough details to be effective imagery for readers.
Understanding the story and the main characters requires a suitable description of characteristic and
personality of people in the story. Therefore, both stories have introduced the characters with a brief
description to leave a picture of the characters in readers' head. In reading " The secret of Walter
Mitty," Walter Mitty has been described as a middle–age man who has trouble handling mechanical
tasks, forgets mostly everything easily, and someone who is a daydreamer. This description of
Walter Mitty gives readers a picture of a man who may not be able to work very well and may not
have a strong memory. But, daydreams of having great times to forget and not to worry about his
sad moments and his disability. Someone who wants to stay happy and tries to make his life
interested and joyful the way he
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A Modern Fable: “The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber Essay
This short story entitled "The Catbird Seat" is a modern fable. The definition of a fable is a simple
story with animal characters in which the big strong animal is bested, overcome by, or made a fool
of by the weaker character. A modern fable is a fable that takes place in modern times. This short
story by James Thurber takes place in New York City around the 1940s. Many fables written before
are very much alike "The Catbird Seat" when it comes to being a fable. For example, in "The
Tortoise and the Hare" the cocky, arrogant rabbit keeps on boasting about how speedy he is to the
scrawny, sluggish turtle. In the end, the turtle overcomes the pompous rabbit in a race because the
rabbit underestimated the turtle. Also, in "Henny Penny", ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
The "old quack" would always be boasting about her ducky first–floor apartment in the darling
three–story brick building to her co–workers. Mr. Fitweiler, the boss, hired "Ugline" not because of
her fantastic skills in the subject but to return the favor of how she helped him. Mr. Fitweiler,
resembling a Rottweiler, was confronted by a drunken man mistaking him for a Midwestern football
coach. The mammoth and masculine Ms. Barrows protected him from the drunken man. This
incident makes Ms. Barrows appear even more oppressive and burly. Mr. Fitweiler makes up the
post of Special Advisor and hires Ms. Barrows as the newly appointed Special Advisor to return the
favor to her. She started infiltrating many departments in the company and firing many workers.
Even more employees quit because they couldn't stand her. This strapping woman is the bigger,
stronger, and aggravating character in this modern fable. Mr. Martin is the oppressed and weaker
Henny Penny in this fable. Mr. Martin has been working for the company of F. & S. for twenty two
years as head of the filing department always filing everything in enormous filing cabinets. Many
know him as the man who neither smokes nor drinks. Mr. Fitweiler and the late Sam Schlosser, the
F. and S. of F. & S., praised Mr.
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Walter Mitty Essay
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was written by James Thurber, one of the most popular writers in
his time. There are only two main characters: Walter Mitty and his wife, Mrs. Mitty. The rest are
supporting characters in Mitty's daydreams and the people he meets. The setting constantly shifts
from one place to another; we go to the hospital in one daydream, and to a court trial in another. But
the real Mitty is somewhere in Waterbury where you can find a hairdresser, a pet shop, a parking lot,
and a shoe store within 2 blocks of each other. The short story is mainly about Walter Mitty's "secret
life" in his daydreams. These are mainly influenced by his everyday experiences – things he sees,
things he hears, and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He is always being told what to do. In the American society before, the men were always considered
superior over the women. So in this sense, they deviate from the norm. Another minor theme that is
closely related to the one before would be Mitty's lack of masculinity. The fact that he does not take
charge of the relationship between him and his wife is a big indicator of this. All of these support the
main theme of this story – Mitty trying to escape reality through his daydreams. The masterful use
of this theme was a result of the author himself, James Thurber, having a similar condition to Mitty.
These daydreams are what tell us the readers what Mitty is feeling and how he views his own life.
From them we can, therefore, say that Walter Mitty is indeed a person who likes to live a life in
which he feels important and not just a nobody. He wants to be the one in control of the situations as
shown in the four daydreams he had. Walter Mitty, being over powered by his wife in real life,
would have wanted to be the man in their relationship. However, the weakness in him, made him
surrender to the harsh reality that he could no longer change the present situation. Thus, his last
daydream showed us his total
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How To Have A Dinner With Walter Mitty
A Dinner With a Walter Mitty And His Imagination I was first introduced to Walter Mitty by reading
the short story, " The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. The next thing I knew I got
asked if I wanted to have dinner with him. I could not believe that I had been asked to have diner
with Walter Mitty. I believe that Walter Mitty could be a good dinner guest for many reasons. My
first point is, he has an amazing imagination, with great stories. I also believe that he could be a
terrible dinner guest because he would start day dreaming in the middle of the dinner. That is why I
think he would be a bad dinner guest. First of all, I would have dinner with Walter Mitty for many
reasons. I wonder what he thinks about when he is not
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Short Story
A Societal Breakthrough Two men walk into a crowded bar, one man carrying a pencil and paper,
and the other carrying a wooden carving. Both men posses an item and foreshadowed talent of
artistic value, yet are vulnerable to so many new ideas, some of which could be shared by the
stranger across the room from them. In the short stories "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" written by
James Thurber and "Uncle Marcos" written by Isabel Allende, the main characters share many
similar traits and endurances. Additionally, each of the intelligent and curious characters behold the
possibility to learn from each other. Endless knowledge, experience, and magical abilities can be
shared when two people connect, as is the case with two essential characters within a story. Isabel
Allende and James Thurber created two magnificent characters, both comparable in concept and
exceedingly complex in interpretation. In the short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" the text
reads, "Once he had tried to take his chains off, outside New Milford, and he got them wound
around the axles,"(Thurber 126–127). Walter Mitty is a profound man, though, in some ways, his
life is too good to be true. Walter resembles Uncle Marcos, in that the two characters continually try
to outsmart civilizations, act wild, yet gain appreciation from their peers, and achieve the ever–
changing goals of a human being. Although, plans fade and ideas fall through, revealing shy and
timid characters. Uncle Marcos yearns for
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

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James Thurber-Humor In Fiction

  • 1. James Thurber-Humor in Fiction James Thurber was one of the most influential and unforgettable writers of his kind. He made modern–day problems seem preventable in the minds of people, and he tried to make them realize that the problems had to have a source. Thurber wrote of people struggling with day–to–day life that was once trouble–free and drew his ideas of humanity losing the direction it once had in the past. He attributed this change to wandering minds and ignorant actions on man's behalf. James Thurber used his artistic and creative abilities to make a point of human shortcomings through ingenious writings and comical sketches. James Oliver Thurber, a satirical, Ohio–born writer, was born in Columbus on December 8, 1894. Thurber wrote of himself that he "was ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... One of Thurber's choice ways of communicating with the masses was through writing magazine articles, short stories, essays, and children's books. His uncanny take on his writing usually brought laughter and enjoyment to its readers with descriptions of wild and ridiculous events being his number one source of absurdity. Among them were Many Moons, a story of a daughter of royalty who refused to make herself better after overeating until she was given the moon, and The Wonderful O, the tale of a pirate who travels to the island of Ooroo to find jewels. When the pirate leaves empty–handed, he banishes all words containing the letter "o." The moral to the fairy–tale was words containing that vowel were vital in the world and among the necessary words was "freedom" (Morsberger Suppl. 1:612). When it came to more important matters, Thurber had the views of many of today's modern thinkers, and it was reflected in his work. He saw the human as more harmful than helpful to the world as a whole. In his "Interview with a Lemming," the creature being interrogated by a scientist calls humans "murderous, maladjusted, maleficent, malicious, and muffle–headed." The scientist proceeds to tell him that he agrees with the observation, but he can not seem to understand why lemmings hurry to the sea to drown themselves. The lemming curtly replies, "How curious. The one thing I don't understand is why you humans don't" (Morsberger Suppl. 1:603). His take on ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 2.
  • 3. Walter Mitty Comparison 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 ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 4.
  • 5. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty' "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber is a short story about a man named Walter Mitty. Walter is an ordinary man living an ordinary life, however, Walter always seems to escape into one of his fantasies while trying to accomplish everyday task. This often leads to Walter being mocked and ridiculed by people around him. Furthermore, Walter's wife, Mrs. Mitty is dominant in their relationship. She establishes many rules which Walter must fulfill. This is evident when, Walter drives fifty–five kilometers per hour, Mrs. Mitty demands " 'Not so fast! You're driving too fast!'... 'You know I don't like to go more than forty' " (Thurber 2). Similarly, when Walter contemplates whether to head back to the hotel, he recalls "She didn't like ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Mitty] seemed grossly unfamiliar, like a stranger woman who had yelled at him in a crowd" (2). Walter Mitty is so unbelievably absentminded that he is unable to recognize his own wife. Similarly, Walter divulges into his dream–like state while almost crashing into a car. This causes the parking lot attendant to sheik " 'Back it up! Look out for that Buick!' Walter Mitty jammed on the brakes. 'Wrong lane, Mac,' " (3). Evidently, Walters's imagination causes him to lose consciousness of reality, thus, causing Walter to be absentminded. Furthermore, diction also helps illuminate Walter character. After entering the wrong lane, the parking lot attendant volunteers to park the car. As Walter hands him the key, the attendant "vaulted into the car, backed it up with insolent skill" (3). This shows Walters opinion towards the attendant. The choice of words "vaulted" and "insolent" indicates that Walter is jealous or insecure when he says "They're so damn cocky" (4). This shows diction helped prove Walter is also jealous or insure about himself. In addition, the narration of the story is narrated in third person, limited omniscient point of view. This gives effective insights of Walter Mitty's thoughts and actions, which helps to further analyze Walters's character. For instance, when Walter is unable to unwind the chains of the axles, Mrs. Mitty forces Walter to unwind the chains at a garage. This makes Walter feel uneasy, consequently, Walter decides to "wear [his] right arm in a sling; they won't grin at [him] then. I'll have my right arm in a sling and ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 6.
  • 7. 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 Helpwriting.net ... 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, ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 8.
  • 9. Analysis the Secret Life of Walter Mitty Essay Analysis: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Tara Jackson ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Instructor Alfaro April 18, 2011 The short story that I will do an analysis on is the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, written by James Thurber in March of 1939. This story centers around the hilarious and amusing daydreams of Walter Mitty an ordinary man, who resides in Waterbury, Connecticut, with his overbearing, nagging wife Mrs. Mitty. Throughout this short story Mitty is characterized as being a pathetic, timid man, who daydreams to deal with situations, and conflicts that arise in his life with his wife and others he encounters on a daily basis. The genre of this short story would be comedy, Thurber's writing style is quiet creative and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Mitty's second daydream occurs after he drives past a hospital on his way to the parking lot, he thinks he is a famous surgeon, heroic character, who saves the day. Mitty is awakened from his daydream only to be told by the parking attendant that he is entering the parking lot the wrong way. Third daydream, Mitty daydreams that he is a witness in a courtroom trial, walking down the street trying to remember the other item his wife instructed him to buy. The fourth and final daydream Mitty thinks he's a captain in a war plane, he was awakened by his wife, Mrs. Mitty in a hotel lobby and confronted about not wearing his overshoes, and why he hiding in that particular chair, Mitty replies to his wife that does it ever occur to her that he is thinking. (Clugston, 2010). Mitty is saying to his wife, he has a mind of his own and that he can think for himself. Throughout Mitty's babblings and day dreams, he is a weak, timid man dependent on a strong woman (Mann, 1982). Most importantly I can identify with Mitty's daydreaming not as hilarious and outrageous as his are, but we all have a need to slip away from the hoarse realities of life and escapism in the form of daydreaming. References Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu/books Mann, A. (1982). TAKING CARE OF WALTER MITTY. Studies in Short Fiction, 19(4), 351. Retrieved from
  • 10. ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 11.
  • 12. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Essay "Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself." These great words were spoken by George Bernard Shaw. The creating of a life is a huge part of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty written by James Thurber. Walter Mitty has a boring life, so he creates one in the most destructive way. He dreams of great lives, making m more depressed every day, seeing what he could have and what he does. The author of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty portrays a boring, dull life by the contrast between dreams and real life. He makes Walter Mitty a man whose life is unsatisfactory in his standards, who seems lost through this day, and who dreams his life is fulfilling. Walter Mitty's life does not give him the excitement he craves, as seen by the contrast between his excitement–filled dream life and his boring, dull real life. In Walter Mitty's dream of being a doctor, the operating room was full of excitement. The new anesthetizer aiding in the procedure malfunctioned and he had to fix it on the spot, while the most exciting thing in his life is remembering to fetch doggy biscuits. While in his normal life Walter Mitty is a man with dullness insured into his daily activities his dream self is tasked with awe inspiring feats. For example when "Commander Mitty" faces the storm head on, his men have such great confidence in him they are willing to put their ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... When escaping his dream of being a Commander on a navy hydro–plane, he was "speeding", going over 55 mph and his wife perpetually reminded him of his wrong doing for the next minute. Another example if this is when he comes out of his doctor dream a man yells "Back it up Mac! Look out for that Buick". He was about to crash into another car, showing that his body, absent mind, was continuing with its daily regime like a zombie. Yet in his dreams he is knows exactly what he is doing in whatever ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 13.
  • 14. Walter Mitty Comparison Great writings open up one's imagination. Many of these stories come to life in a featured film but not all writers' intentions are captured when creating the films and this is where great work is lost. Short stories are concise and straight to the point. For example, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. This short classic, was first published in "The New Yorker" in 1939 and later on became a feature film. Ultimately, can a short story be successfully transformed into a film? Walter Mitty is an elderly man who spends much of his time with his overlooking wife meanwhile envisioning himself in different scenarios. Many of his scenarios include becoming a pilot, soldier, and surgeon. As the story became well known, people, especially ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... The fight with reality and identity are clearly shown. Both Mittys have relatively normal and typical lives. In the movie, Walter Mitty in is search for the 25th negative film strip that is missing. The 25th film, signifies the missing piece in his life. The part of his life in which he daydreams. All the sporadic thoughts he has in his head are telling him to do something that makes his life more interesting, worth meaning. In the short story, it is never fully fulfilled in reality because his thought and wife limit him, but in the movie, the missing film pieces pushes him. Performing great and rather life–risking and dangerous tasks that have adrenaline written all over them was what Walter Mitty was all about. There was a beautiful quote that was brought up more than once during the movie: "To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life." Either stories, whether on paper or on the movie screen, showed that their lives where so mysterious and secretive and that was not taken away from them by the end, as Thurber said "inscrutable to the ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 15.
  • 16. Literary Analysis Of The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" Literary Analysis "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber is about a man who routinely fantasizes about himself in other lives. The main character, Walter Mitty, inhabits a world that emasculates him. During an errand run with his wife, Walter repeatedly imagines himself in traditionally masculine roles. The characters he inhabits display distinct masculine qualities such as courage, leadership, aggression, and decisiveness. In direct contrast to this, Mitty shies away from conflict in reality and is often humiliated by women and men. For instance, Mitty's car is a symbol of his inability to meet his own masculine ideals. The man in the parking lot is required to park it for Mitty. His wife sets ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 17.
  • 18. Chopin VS Thurber and Relationships In the stories "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber (Clugston, sec. h1.1) and "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin (Clugston, sec. h2.1) escapism is a similar theme with in both these stories, yet there is a slight variance in how each of these authors place these characters into their escape from reality, relationships, and everyday chaos. In each of these stories the author shows the characters escaping the realities of the relationship, one through Walter Mitts' daydreams, and the other through one brief hour when Louise Mallard pictures her new life of freedom. Through the use of characterization, imagery, point of view and setting these authors bring in the element of escapism to each story. In the short story "The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... h2.1). In this stanza it paints a portrait of her going back in time to try and recollect what love was about with her husband and was it silent or restless. B. "two white slender hands"(Clugston, sec. h2.1) is a clue to the reader that her character is gentle as well as a lady and should be treated as so, however the "lines"(Clugston, sec. h2.1) as described by the narrator show she's hiding many deep feelings. When someone is filled with recession the chance to escape their stress and hurt would be welcomed. In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty the use of imagery give the reader a illustrative description of the daydreams he is having while allowing the reader to have a vivid picture of the goings–on around him. The imagery of his wife's consistent nagging is brought into focus allowing the reader to identify with Walter concerning his wife s overbearing and scrutinizing ways. In "The Story of An Hour" imagery gives the reader a feel of almost relief along with the use of our senses such as taste, smell, sight and sounds to set a stage the tragedies yet to come. Deneau suggests this story may be a reflection of a sexual experience. In both of these cases an escape from the true reality is possible. (1) Secret Life of Walter Mitty A. In the stanzas "not so fast! You're driving too fast!" said Mrs. Mitty. "What are you driving so fast for?" (Clugston, sec. h1.1),these lines give the reader a picture of both Mr. Mitty and Mrs. Mitty driving ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 19.
  • 20. Man Vs Society In The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty The Secret Life of Walter Mitty James Thurber illustrates the central conflict Man vs Society in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Throughout the story, Mitty seems to have a struggle with adapting to the social norms and gender roles he is meant to play. First, Walter Mitty feels society was meant to mock him. Secondly, his feelings for his marriage are indifferent, and the gender roles appear opposite. Lastly, even his daydreams seem to have a tug of war with society. Walter Mitty feels as if society is pit against him. Throughout the story, people poke fun at Mitty. Unable to take his chains off himself, Mitty's wife forces him to go to a garage. "They're so damn cocky, thought Walter Mitty, walking along Main Street; they think they ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 21.
  • 22. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Theme Adaptation of Thurber's "Walter Mitty" In James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," the author contrasts one man's life with the numerous daydreams he has. Similar to the story, the film by the same name, directed by Ben Stiller, gives a glimpse of Walter's life while adding substance to the story. Two scenes in particular in the film involve flights that Walter feels compelled to make, both in his decision to continue on a journey on which he has already embarked. While Thurber's short story indicates that life without dreaming is dull, Stiller morphs this theme to show that we all must step out of our shell to accomplish what we want in life. From the opening scene of the short story, when Walter is fantasizing about being on a naval vessel during a terrible story, one can see how tedious life can actually be. Walter ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Walter's imagination pulled him away from the bland city streets of Waterbury and set him in a world far more exciting than his own. Imagining a buzzing courtroom removed Walter from the bore life was currently offering him; indeed, the mind has the power to remove an individual from the drudgery of reality. What if we want to step outside the boundaries that are in front of us and take a risk in believing that what is impossible might actually be within our fingertips? Stiller continues to show how if not for taking this risk, individuals will remain locked inside their fantasy worlds. He illustrates this in a scene where his character ultimately decides to board a helicopter with a slightly intoxicated pilot in control. If Walter had chosen to cease his journey, then both his goal and his dream would crumble. There are times in life when we must ask ourselves whether to step away from the norm to continue the pursuit of personal desires or to remain immersed in comfort while knowing our dreams and goals have ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 23.
  • 24. Why Would You Eat Lunch With Walter Mitty Would You Eat Lunch With Walter Mitty Essay Walter Mitty is a character in the book the secret life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber. He is a dull person and is always daydreaming about something. Of course he is not real but if was and he invited me to eat dinner with him I would have no kindly say no. I wouldn't want to be a jerk but he is not the type of person that you would want to eat lunch with. So I will explain all of the reasons on why I would not eat lunch with Walter Mitty. One reason on why I would not want to eat lunch with Walter Mitty is because of the fact that he always gets daydreams triggered by things around him. For example say if I way to say yes and we ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 25.
  • 26. James Thurber Influence Imagine losing sight in one of your eyes and still go on to become one of America's most famous author and illustrator . James Thurber, an American author, is most famous for his short stories that often include humor and drawings. He had many influences in his life that affected him in many different ways. His most famous stories made fun of the "little man" that was not sure of himself because of the wars. James Thurber's personal relationships and life events strongly influenced the way he wrote and illustrated humor, descriptive characters, and told the plot of the story. James Thurber's humor was influenced by his own life in many different ways. One way he was influenced was from his mother, Mary Thurber. Mary Thurber was a "eccentric" ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... White(Biography). Thurber's first short story made while working for The New Yorker was with collaboration with E.B. White. The short story that they both worked on together was "Is Sex Necessary"(Thurber House). "Is Sex Necessary" is a great example of a short story that includes Thurber's illustration and humor. Since E.B. White helped James Thurber with his first short story it influenced his writing style in his later works. Another influence of the plot of the story was his first wife, who he later divorced, Althea Adams. Althea Adams influenced Thurber's plot because he used details in their marriage for short stories about controlling wives. His second wife , Helen Wismer, also influenced his plots. Helen Wismer convinced Thurber to leave his job in New York and become a freelance writer in Maine. Wismer was also his secretary and helped him write some of his short stories. Thurber was influenced by many personal events that helped his writing become what we all know and love to this ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 27.
  • 28. Why I Want To Have Walter Mitty James Thurber wrote "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" which made Walter Mitty look like a complete fool headed. There are multitudinous reasons why you would not want to have the character Walter Mitty as company for dinner. Walter has this monotonous job, for example he never socializes well with others. He gets lost really easy on things that normal people never get lost with. He is not someone you would like to be around with. Walter is also just a boring person in general, with a boring job and with a boring life. So without doubt I would not want to have Walter Mitty as a dinner companion, because he is just not a very pleasant person to be around with in any type of activity. Unfortunately, Walter Mitty does not socialize well with people around town. Since he does not socialize well with anyone how would you expect a conversation? You would be getting to the point that you do not want to find out about him and just be talking about the weather. You would not be having an enjoyable conversation you would have with your companions. There would be just an awkward silence while you were eating. He would not want to have any way of talking to you. Walter Mitty does not even get along very well with his wife. He is kind of a person that aggravates people around town, for ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... With Walter Mitty's condition of daydreaming he would not pay attention to anything you say, which would be very annoying. You never know if he is actually paying attention to you, he may be in his own world. Walter Mitty would wander around the room looking at the details on the objects around the room trying to find out how he can daydream and make his life more interesting. You also never know what Walter Mitty would do in one of his daydreams, so how could anyone possibly concentrate on eating when Walter is doing whatever he wants. From these examples, Walter Mitty would be very perplex while you are having a dinner with ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 29.
  • 30. How Does Walter Mitty Study The Benefits Of Daydreaming In the short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber is about a man who gets through his everyday life by daydreaming numerous amount of times. He daydreams of being a laudable pilot, a millionaire banker, a marksman's, audacious WW2 pilot. Recently in class, we have studied the benefits of daydreaming, and I will be explaining how Walter Mitty uses it to his advantage to get by in his mundane life. First, Walter Mitty uses daydreaming by trying to recall previous thoughts and memories he has heard. In the article "The Virtues of Daydreaming" it explains "those who are more prone to mind–wandering tend to be better at generating new ideas". This quote illustrates how if people tend to daydream they make ideas much better ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 31.
  • 32. How Does Walter Mitty Escape His Fantasies "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a short story by James Thurber, is a story of man who goes through an ordinary life fantasizing about a secret life where everything is great for him. In his fantasies Walter Mitty is everything he isn't in real life. Mitty uses these fantasies to forget the things he dislikes about his reality. Walter's life isn't anything special and he goes into his fantasies to escape from the fact that he is insecure/shy, he's being bossed around by his wife, and he can't do simple tasks. The first reason why Walter Mitty escapes his fantasies is because he is not confident, or able to stand up for himself in real world. For example in the text Mrs. Mitty asks Walter, "Why don't you wear your gloves?"(232) and he puts them on. As soon as she leaves, though, he takes them off. This demonstrates that Walter ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... When he is entering a parking lot, the parking attendant tells Walter, "Wrong lane Mac...leave her sit there, I'll put her away" (233). Mitty had entered the wrong lane, and he couldn't back up properly. This event shows the incompetency in real life that Walter has, and how he struggles with everyday tasks. He also talks to the parking attendant in a low, nervous voice. Walter isn't calm person in real life. Walter Mitty makes up for these mistakes in his another fantasy by becoming a famous surgeon. He imagines saving the life of a millionaire, and president friend. Thurber writes how the other doctors in Mitty's fantasy tell him, "No one in the East knows how to fix it" (233). Mitty responds in calm voice and takes over. This shows how in his fantasies Walter Mitty is calm since being a surgeon requires complete concertation and calmness. He is also able to take on difficult tasks in his fantasy unlike reality. Mitty fantasizes to fight the reality of him being inept and scared in the real ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 33.
  • 34. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, By James Thurber In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, by James Thurber, Walter Mitty imagines himself as a very brave, confident person mainly because in reality he is the opposite. In one daydream, in which he is held on trial for a murder, he is told that it is impossible for him to have committed the crime due to his broken arm. Mitty responds , jeopardizing his own case, " 'With any known make of gun' [...] 'I could have killed Gregory Fitzhurst with my left hand,' " (Thurber 26). Mitty in his daydreams is very outspoken and proud, he contested with his lawyers, who made a point trying to prove his innocence, because what they said made him seem weaker than he saw himself. He is very prideful, something sometimes regarded as a negative trait, but to Mitty ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 35.
  • 36. The Jilting Of Granny Weatherall Essay Everywhere you look, our society today is stressed out or even falling into depression. Depending on this common causes, eventually these can eventually lead to mental illness in people. The protagonist of "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" by Katherine Anne Porter, Granny Weatherall presents incoherent consciousness. Walter Mitty from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber, has maladaptive daydreaming. Both stories are focused on mental illness, but each with a different cause. While the jilted and depressed Granny Weatherall gets mixed up with all her thoughts and memories from the past, Walter Mitty teased and stressed out by his wife and others around him in present time, has accumulative fantasies. They both deal confront their ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Basically, people always seem to be either yelling or laughing at him for one mistake or another. This makes him create his own life and have daydreams in which he is the opposite of what he is in reality. On their way to town, he had his first daydream as is a brave military commander piloting a hydroplane, but his wife interrupts by yelling at him, saying: "You're driving too fast!". (Thurber,1939) When she insists on him to make an appointment with his physician, he becomes a famous surgeon at work, until a parking–lot attendant calls his attention to come back to reality. Mitty was pissed and thought: "they think they know everything". (Thurber,1939) Mitty's third daydream is of being the defendant in a trial, and he is woken by a mental association with dog biscuits, which his wife asked him to buy. At that moment he gets bothered because, "A woman who was passing laughed. "He said 'Puppy biscuit,'" she said to her companion. "That man said 'Puppy biscuit' to himself."" (Thurber,1939) As he waits for his wife to finish at the hairdresser, he daydreams of being a British pilot willing to sacrifice his life for his country, and he is again woken by his wife, who was looking for him. In a moment Walter asked his wife "Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?" ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 37.
  • 38. Walter Mitty Comparison 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 ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 39.
  • 40. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty 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 ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 41.
  • 42. The movie, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life".– Walter Mitty (Movie). Life is about finding yourself, each other, and being true to one's self. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an extremely original and creative story written by James Thurber. The movie, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, starring Ben Stiller, conveys a daydreamer escaping his typical life by disappearing into a realm of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. In both the movie and the book, the title character retreats into fantasy as an escape from his mundane reality because in the real world, he is ordinary, insecure, and passive. In the short story, Walter ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... A good example of this happening is when Walter for example, "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." (Thurber). Walter proceeds to playing defendant in his daydream. Him acting out this role demonstrated to us that he was very guilty for forgetting what his wife asked him to get at the store. The transitions happen in a matter of a few words. This causes surprise and excitement in the reader unlike in the movie. In the movie, you can see that Walter is going to have a daydream because he seems to be getting hazy and the visual effects cause a foreshadowing type effect. You can also easily figure out what the dream will be about will be about. For example in the movie, as Walter is on the phone with an eHarmony consultant, the consultant asks him "What interesting things have you done?" in which Walter puts down the phone, the camera zooms in on his eyes, he runs, jumps off a tower into a building where he is saving a kitten from a burning building (Stiller). There is this stark contrast where in the movie one can tell that Walter is going to have his daydream, while in the book it surprises you. Moreover, the biggest contrast of all that separates the movie and the book is that in the book, Walter is constantly shifting into his dreams, which symbolize his wife, while in the movie he actively pursues finding ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 43.
  • 44. Essay on A Brief Overview of Walter Mitty A Brief Overview of Walter Mitty In the short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber, many interesting fantasies occur in a way which brings the reader into a different world. The story switches back and forth from delusion to reality, dragging the reader into a life, perhaps similar to their own. In the beginning of this story, the first paragraph is a fantasy of the main character, Walter Mitty. It describes his life as a commander of an aircraft. An intense scene is displayed showing what Walter Mitty wishes would be reality. It is not until the next paragraph that one discovers this reality. His wife then interrupts the scene, bringing Walter Mitty back into his everyday life, one which is far less exciting to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... The formalistic approach for analyzing this would be most appropriate in order to pick out the elements such as setting, irony, imagery and metaphorical factors. These are organized in such a way that the formatting consumes the story. In this tale, the first important element would be the introduction of the setting. Throughout the story, the author writes across multiple settings because of these flashbacks that he displays. The first setting would be on an airplane with two introductory characters; 'The Commander' and 'Lieutenant Berg'. This beginning setting is seen as a guessing game to begin with as the dialogue becomes the most prominent use in this introduction. Once the setting is described more clearly as the paragraph moves forward, the reader will grasp an understanding of where these two characters are. However, soon after the reader's mind may be clarified, the scene is interrupted with the dialogue of a new character, Mrs. Mitty. " 'Not so fast! You're driving too fast!' Said Mrs. Mitty. 'What are you driving so fast for?'" (Thurber 1). This is the first example one has of the basic structure that this story will set forth. The organization of this story goes from what was described in the introductory paragraph as a flashback, to the interrupting dialogue of Mrs. Mitty. As she yells, ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 45.
  • 46. 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 ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 47.
  • 48. Descriptive Language in “Boys & Girls”, “Cat in the... Descriptive language in the stories "Boys & Girls", "Cat in the Rain", "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and the poem "A Far Cry from Africa". Descriptive language is a literary tool used by many great writers. We clearly see this in the stories "Boys & Girls", "Cat in the Rain", "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and the poem "A Far Cry from Africa". Through the use of metaphors, imagery, similes and symbolism, the authors present their issues more effectively. We see that in all these stories, descriptive language is used to demonstrate how a characters identity predicament can ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... However, the reader soon realizes that this uncomplicated story illuminates much deeper meanings. This seemingly mundane plot becomes symbolic and purposeful under the reader's eyes. We see that it is about a woman trying to find her identity in terms of a problematic relationship. Clarence Lindsay, a critic, says, "Cat in the Rain is Ernest Hemingway's subtle exploration of this American romantic quest for identity." This is true, as we see many times throughout the story. Hemingway with his use of descriptive language shows the way the American women long for her identity. When Hemingway writes, "The American wife stood at the window looking out. Outside right under their window a cat was crouched under one of the dripping green tables. The cat was trying to make itself so compact that it would not be dripped on. "I'm going down and get that kitty," the American wife said." Here we see that the cat represents the women and her relationship with her husband. As we all know cats detest water. Here the water represents everything that was destroying her and her relationship. Her trying to save the cat was her trying to save herself and her relationship. "A Far Cry from Africa" was written by Derek Wolcott. Walcott discusses the conflict between his loyalties to Africa and to Britain in his poem. The title of the poem emphasizes Walcott's cultural instability as it implies a type of alienation from Africa, ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 49.
  • 50. Main Character in James Thurber's The Secret Life of... In James Thurber's short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the main character, Mr. Mitty, immerses himself into an alternate reality several times throughout the piece to escape the hollow, unexciting life he leads. These instances in which he takes the place of others in more thrilling situations are spurred by actual occurrences in his own life. Through the use of these alternate realities, Thurber shows the monotony of an average life and how even average beings search to test the waters of heroicness and bravery in important occupations. The story begins as Mitty is captain on a Navy hydroplane in one of the worst storms in Navy history. This dream was most likely egged on due to the fact that when this story takes place, the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Although there are two specialists called in from around the globe, the operation is being stopped to wait for Dr. Mitty, a genius–surgeon. The fact that Walter performs the surgery without the direction of the two other experts fortifies the idea that he only wishes to become a hero and not a zero. After Walter realizes that he is driving in the wrong lane, due to his daydreaming, he leaves his car in the care of a valet and goes about his business of purchasing some new overshoes. Mitty soon remembers that he was to not only buy the shoes, but something else. As he is standing in the street he hears something about the Waterbury trial from a paperboy. As if by magic, Mr. Mitty is slung into a courtroom and is on trial now as a murderer, a cocky murderer on trial for shooting Gregory Fitzhurst. He shows, yet again, how he longs to be the best and under no control by telling the prosecution attorney that he is an expert ?with any known make of gun.? The point that he shows that no one or thing has control over him is his telling the court that even though his arm is bandaged, he could have shot the man over three hundred yards away with his left hand, which shows that even physical ailments nor practicality have any control what so ever on the man. In the middle of the trial ?puppy biscuit? escaped Walter?s lips as he finally remembered what it was he was to buy, besides the overshoes. Later in the story, Walter is ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 52. Identity In The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty The difference between Seven–billion people in the world is Identity. Identity is unique and hard to understand, everybody wants to be someone and people have a hard time figuring that out. The Secret life of Walter Mitty is a film about a man who is tired of his boring life. Pico Iyers Why We Travel is an essay about how traveling can open the mind. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty short story is about an older man who is using his imagination to cope with his midlife crisis. The meaning of life is to be, to become someone to mean something. Identity is narrowed down to important factors in life, while traveling can help someone find their way in life. Each of these play an important part in a person's life, and without having an understanding on how each of these factor in they will lose ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... People see tv stars, or astronauts and want to be them when they grow up. They learn about sport by watching athletes play, all these factor in an create an identity. Everyone decides who they are and what they want to do with themselves as they grow older, they strive to reach goals and dreams they set for themselves and work hard to accomplish those goals. Sometimes those goals get buried in everyday life and with that life slows down and is burdened with stress and obstacles that make life hard. Getting lost in the world leads to a loss of identity. Without an identity a person is left to drift in the world not knowing who they are or what they want. Goals and dreams fade, hope for something more is replaced with stress and confidence disappears as doubt lingers. In the secret life of walter mitty, Walter has lost his identity. He has low self esteem and hasn't achieved anything extraordinary in life. The movie was successful because it's relatable, many people around the world have given into the daily routine of nine–five work ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 53.
  • 54. 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 ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 55.
  • 56. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Essay Walter Mitty had an imagination like no other. His head was filled with many exciting and new adventures. In the short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber, Walter Mitty uses his dream worlds to escape reality. He is a very unique character with many different aspects to him. Walter Mitty is imaginative, and creative in his own way. "Walter 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." tells the reader about one of his fantasies (Thurber, 125). As the protagonist of the story, knowing about what happens inside his head plays an important role to the plot. Walter Mitty's ideas contribute to the short story by making the plot more enjoyable, and gave the story more meaning. Another way to describe Walter Mitty would be distraught. "Something struck his shoulder. "I've been looking all over this hotel for you," said Mrs. Mitty." shows how Walter's wife is constantly nagging him (Thurber, 129). That is why Walter Mitty creates this strange storylines in his head, in order to run away from his problems with his wife. All of the running around he has done for his wife has made him very scatter–brained when it comes to getting things done. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... "Many of Thurber's stories and sketches grew directly out of his own life." implies that Walter Mitty is most likely based off himself (Thurber, 123). By saying this, the reader can conclude that James Thurber himself has crazy and wild ideas. This really explains that Thurber created Mitty, as somebody that reminded him of himself. "They're so cocky, thought Walter Mitty, walking along Main Street." gives better insight of how Mitty thinks of others (Thurber, 126) He plays an important role as the main character, so it helps to know the little things like ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 58. The World 's Greatest Satirist The World's Greatest Satirist James Thurber is a satirist. Satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people 's stupidity or vices. It is also deliberate. His writing is full of common sense, humor, and irony. The characters in his stories work extra hard to end up using simple solutions. The diction in all his stories is very clear and simple. His writing is meant for everyone in every class and every age group. The style and content of his stories make them timeless and relatable to anyone, even the people about whom he is making fun. Richard Tobias has the best description of Thurber's humoristic displays. Tobias says: "Thurber's comedy, like any successful comedy, displays variations on the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Also, his first wife, much like his mother, was a nut case. His father was a meek man who let his wife run amok despite knowing she was a loose cannon. These characters in his life influence and epitomize the characters in his stories. Thurber writes about decisions in life, and while he may be using bunnies and wolves to make the examples, the realities he portrays most are revenge, materialism, and cowardice. To externalize Thurber's inner discomposure toward women, he tends to use his pieces to ridicule the fairer sex. His fiction imitates his life, and his life was filled with scorn and contempt for the path to which he was pinned. Thurber also writes quite a bit about morals. In all the following stories the moral is a variation of: Go with you first instinct. "Unicorn in the Garden" is a story about a woman with contempt for her excitable husband. She sees an opportunity to have him sent to the loony bin and takes it. However, she is the one who ends up in the 'booby–hatch.' "As soon as the husband had gone out of the house, the wife got up and dressed as fast as she could. She was very excited and there was a gloat in her eye. She telephoned the police and she telephoned a psychiatrist; she told them to hurry to her house and bring a strait– jacket." She is a coward here. She waits until he leaves the room to call the psychiatrist. Clearly, she is jealous of him in some way. It is not clear why she has such distain for her ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 60. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty And James Thurrme's Uncle... All that Walter Mitty wanted was a way to escape the claws of reality. If he was ever to meet Uncle Marcos, the stories told between the two would be incredible. Marcos went on all of the adventures that Mitty wished to go on. The protagonists from both "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber and "Uncle Marcos" by Isabel Allende would learn learn many different things from each other. Walter Mitty had always wanted to go on crazy adventures, which was something Uncle Marcos could always do. Walter Mitty had some issues with his wife, which was why he would slip off into his own world. If Uncle Marcos was to talk with Mitty, it would give him more imaginative ideas. Uncle Marcos would be able to discuss all of his wild adventures ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 62. 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 ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 64. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, By James Thurber "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber is about a man named Walter mitty who daydreams. Walter mitty's daydreams get in the way of him doing what he wants to do. Walter mitty is from CT and he is always forgetful. In his day dreams he is always the hero. Walter mitty's wife miss mitty is very controlling and bossy. In the short story miss mitty gives walter a list of things that he needs to accomplish. During the time he goes to get these things he gets distracted and has a rough time getting these things done because of his day dreams. As you can see the problem in this short story is walter mitty's daydreams are always getting in the way of is actual life. James Thurber presents the theme of success versus failure by showing Walter Mitty's lack of success in reality and his success in his daydreams. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... James Thurber show shows that Walter mitty is not in control of his life and thinks that he is a failure."Why don't you put on your gloves on?"(Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Thurber) This quote shows that Mrs. Mitty is controlling and tells him what to do. Walter is also unsuccessful because his daydreams get in the way of his life. "You know I don't like to go more than forty. You were up to fifty–five" (Secret Life of Walter, Mitty, Thurber) This quote shows that his daydreams are getting in the way of his real life because he was speeding. James Thurber clearly shows that Walter is unsuccessful in reality because he is not in control and his daydreams get in the way ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 66. Comparison of the Effectiveness Of Imagery in “ The Secret... While writing stories it is importing to keep in mind that readers should be able to picture the story in their mind while reading. It is best to use effective ways to explain or describe the point; such as, wording and writing format, in order to grab reader's attention and interest them. Referring to the readings " The secret of Walter Mitty" written by James Thurber, and " Bartleby the scrivener" written by Melville, both have been written in a great effective way for readers to use their imagery and develop the ideas of what the story is about. Providing that, both stories have described the character and setting with enough details to be effective imagery for readers. Understanding the story and the main characters requires a suitable description of characteristic and personality of people in the story. Therefore, both stories have introduced the characters with a brief description to leave a picture of the characters in readers' head. In reading " The secret of Walter Mitty," Walter Mitty has been described as a middle–age man who has trouble handling mechanical tasks, forgets mostly everything easily, and someone who is a daydreamer. This description of Walter Mitty gives readers a picture of a man who may not be able to work very well and may not have a strong memory. But, daydreams of having great times to forget and not to worry about his sad moments and his disability. Someone who wants to stay happy and tries to make his life interested and joyful the way he ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 68. A Modern Fable: “The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber Essay This short story entitled "The Catbird Seat" is a modern fable. The definition of a fable is a simple story with animal characters in which the big strong animal is bested, overcome by, or made a fool of by the weaker character. A modern fable is a fable that takes place in modern times. This short story by James Thurber takes place in New York City around the 1940s. Many fables written before are very much alike "The Catbird Seat" when it comes to being a fable. For example, in "The Tortoise and the Hare" the cocky, arrogant rabbit keeps on boasting about how speedy he is to the scrawny, sluggish turtle. In the end, the turtle overcomes the pompous rabbit in a race because the rabbit underestimated the turtle. Also, in "Henny Penny", ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... The "old quack" would always be boasting about her ducky first–floor apartment in the darling three–story brick building to her co–workers. Mr. Fitweiler, the boss, hired "Ugline" not because of her fantastic skills in the subject but to return the favor of how she helped him. Mr. Fitweiler, resembling a Rottweiler, was confronted by a drunken man mistaking him for a Midwestern football coach. The mammoth and masculine Ms. Barrows protected him from the drunken man. This incident makes Ms. Barrows appear even more oppressive and burly. Mr. Fitweiler makes up the post of Special Advisor and hires Ms. Barrows as the newly appointed Special Advisor to return the favor to her. She started infiltrating many departments in the company and firing many workers. Even more employees quit because they couldn't stand her. This strapping woman is the bigger, stronger, and aggravating character in this modern fable. Mr. Martin is the oppressed and weaker Henny Penny in this fable. Mr. Martin has been working for the company of F. & S. for twenty two years as head of the filing department always filing everything in enormous filing cabinets. Many know him as the man who neither smokes nor drinks. Mr. Fitweiler and the late Sam Schlosser, the F. and S. of F. & S., praised Mr. ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 70. Walter Mitty Essay The Secret Life of Walter Mitty The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was written by James Thurber, one of the most popular writers in his time. There are only two main characters: Walter Mitty and his wife, Mrs. Mitty. The rest are supporting characters in Mitty's daydreams and the people he meets. The setting constantly shifts from one place to another; we go to the hospital in one daydream, and to a court trial in another. But the real Mitty is somewhere in Waterbury where you can find a hairdresser, a pet shop, a parking lot, and a shoe store within 2 blocks of each other. The short story is mainly about Walter Mitty's "secret life" in his daydreams. These are mainly influenced by his everyday experiences – things he sees, things he hears, and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... He is always being told what to do. In the American society before, the men were always considered superior over the women. So in this sense, they deviate from the norm. Another minor theme that is closely related to the one before would be Mitty's lack of masculinity. The fact that he does not take charge of the relationship between him and his wife is a big indicator of this. All of these support the main theme of this story – Mitty trying to escape reality through his daydreams. The masterful use of this theme was a result of the author himself, James Thurber, having a similar condition to Mitty. These daydreams are what tell us the readers what Mitty is feeling and how he views his own life. From them we can, therefore, say that Walter Mitty is indeed a person who likes to live a life in which he feels important and not just a nobody. He wants to be the one in control of the situations as shown in the four daydreams he had. Walter Mitty, being over powered by his wife in real life, would have wanted to be the man in their relationship. However, the weakness in him, made him surrender to the harsh reality that he could no longer change the present situation. Thus, his last daydream showed us his total ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 72. How To Have A Dinner With Walter Mitty A Dinner With a Walter Mitty And His Imagination I was first introduced to Walter Mitty by reading the short story, " The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. The next thing I knew I got asked if I wanted to have dinner with him. I could not believe that I had been asked to have diner with Walter Mitty. I believe that Walter Mitty could be a good dinner guest for many reasons. My first point is, he has an amazing imagination, with great stories. I also believe that he could be a terrible dinner guest because he would start day dreaming in the middle of the dinner. That is why I think he would be a bad dinner guest. First of all, I would have dinner with Walter Mitty for many reasons. I wonder what he thinks about when he is not ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
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  • 74. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Short Story A Societal Breakthrough Two men walk into a crowded bar, one man carrying a pencil and paper, and the other carrying a wooden carving. Both men posses an item and foreshadowed talent of artistic value, yet are vulnerable to so many new ideas, some of which could be shared by the stranger across the room from them. In the short stories "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" written by James Thurber and "Uncle Marcos" written by Isabel Allende, the main characters share many similar traits and endurances. Additionally, each of the intelligent and curious characters behold the possibility to learn from each other. Endless knowledge, experience, and magical abilities can be shared when two people connect, as is the case with two essential characters within a story. Isabel Allende and James Thurber created two magnificent characters, both comparable in concept and exceedingly complex in interpretation. In the short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" the text reads, "Once he had tried to take his chains off, outside New Milford, and he got them wound around the axles,"(Thurber 126–127). Walter Mitty is a profound man, though, in some ways, his life is too good to be true. Walter resembles Uncle Marcos, in that the two characters continually try to outsmart civilizations, act wild, yet gain appreciation from their peers, and achieve the ever– changing goals of a human being. Although, plans fade and ideas fall through, revealing shy and timid characters. Uncle Marcos yearns for ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...