The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Author Author James Thurber lived from 1894-1961 He was known as an author, cartoonist and humorist. Primarily he was known for his contributions to the famous New Yorker magazine

General Information General Information "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a short story centering around daydreams It was first published in March 18, 1939 

General Information General Information The action takes place in the late 1930s in a car, but most of the story takes place in the mind of Walter Mitty The story is known for its combination of high adventure mixed in with Thurber’s well known for humor and satire

Literary Focus Literary Focus Point of View Thurber tells the story in omniscient, third-person point of view The narrator reveals the thoughts of Walter Mitty as he goes from reality to fantasy

Literary Focus Literary Focus Imagery and Onomatopoeia Thurber relies on repetition of sounds and images to describe Mitty’s fantasies He also uses descriptive sounds like “pocketa-pocketa” and “queep” to imitate the sound being made in the dreams

Literary Focus Literary Focus Tone Part of the story’s appeal is it abrupt transitions in tone The tone is slow, almost like nails on a chalk board when Mitty is dealing with the mundane of everyday life It drastically changes to being tense and suspenseful when the heroic Mitty starts to daydream. For example, after Mitty slugs the district attorney in a courtroom dream, he remembers that he must buy puppy biscuits.  Tortoise and the Hare—much like the differing tones featured in Mitty

Themes and Focus The Power of Imagination Themes and Focus Themes Escapism Mitty deals with his everyday frustrations by escaping into daydreams.  Boosting the Ego Mitty’s daydreams help him sustain his ego against the nitpicking of his wife. Vicarious Adventure Even an ordinary man can become an extraordinary hero—with the help of his imagination Mundane Nature of Everyday Life As one ages and starts to work and have a family it becomes more difficult to find adventure and excitement The Power of Imagination

Summary and Plot Overview Mrs. Mitty bullies poor Walter, seemingly controlling his everyday life However, Walter’s own weakness, carelessness and ineptitude play a big role in allowing his wife to nag and treat him poorly  The reality is Walter is just as much at fault for his problems as anyone else in his life

Summary and Plot Overview Through the omniscient narration readers are able to escape from his wife’s nagging into his world of dreams. He takes readers into 5 different adventures: Daydream 1 Commander Mitty: Pilot of a navy hydroplane.

Summary and Plot Overview Daydream 2 Dr. Mitty: One of the world's most eminent surgeons Daydream 3 Mitty: Suspect in a murder case. He is an expert marksman who is on the stand answering the district attorney's questions.

Summary and Plot Overview Daydream 4 Captain Mitty: Devil-may-care World War I pilot. Daydream 5 Mitty: Defiant prisoner about to be executed.

Character Analysis Character Analysis Walter Mitty: Mrs. Mitty: Meek Connecticut man who retreats into daydreams in which he becomes a hero. Constantly being bullied by both his wife and who he encounters in real life Mitty's domineering wife. Seemingly takes advatage of her husband’s weakness, but also seems to be forced to be controlling because of Walter’s lack of a backbone