Ben Stiller plays the titular character in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty‚ a Life Magazine employee who spends much of his day “zoned out‚” oblivious to the world around him while fantasizing about adventures and endeavors that he’s too afraid to chase after. Paralyzed by family responsibilities and the daily work grind‚ Walter finds solace in his day dreams‚ where he rescues dogs from burning buildings‚ pummels his overbearing boss in a cartoonish street fight‚ and woos the woman of his dreams
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“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber demonstrates how excessive dreaming can have a harmful effect on one’s life and the lives of those around him‚ as shown in Walter Mitty’s unrestrained imagination. Walter Mitty slips into trances often during everyday activities‚ and they contrast extremely with his mundane life. While daydreaming about being a heroic doctor‚ Walter Mitty mindlessly tries to park‚ and a parking lot attendant yells to Mitty to get in the right lane so he does not
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their own life. Through out the course of the story it is evident that Mitty is not a hero nor does he have control of his life. His wife is yelling at him and telling him what and how to do things‚ so he uses the dreams characters to escape reality. In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty‚” James Thurber uses characterization‚ language‚ and irony to help readers identify with Mitty’s mundane life. Thurber never tells the reader what Mitty looks like. Instead he uses keywords throughout the story to let
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In James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty‚” the character Walter Mitty dreams of being a hero‚ and this contrast in characterization in real life reveals how unhappy he is with his dull and cowardly existence. Mitty’s life is monotonous‚ spent doing what his wife tells him to do. Mitty waits for his wife’s hair appointment to end when he realizes she will be done soon. He knows he has to get back to the hotel to meet his wife because “she didn’t like to get to the hotel first; she would
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In the short story‚ “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber‚ a middle aged man named Walter MItty‚ very regularly fantasises about what his life could be like‚ because he is bored and tired of his own life. But his wife‚ Mrs. Mitty‚ tries to protect him from his fantasies interfering in the real world. I believe Mrs. Mitty’s actions in the text are only to keep him safe and has his best interests at heart. Furthermore‚ Mrs. Mitty did not want Walter Mitty to get cold so she asked
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Marcus Wilson English 125 Alex Vuilleumier 12/18/2013 In James Thurber ’s short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty‚" we encounter a man who constantly daydreams. Since the story is told in a third-person narration‚ the readers have a distinct perspective and a better understanding of the character ’s personality and thought process. With access to the protagonist ’s mind‚ the readers are able to understand and relate the significance of his dreams to his
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Carl Gunther ENG125 Professor King February 13‚ 2012 Walter Mitty is an imaginary character‚ but he reminds me of myself and many people that I know. The main focus of the story is Walter’s behavior. Walter tends to get distracted from the real world and his normal life‚ sent into day-dreams in which he is more important. Walter uses his everyday interactions to make a fantasy world in which he is the main character during a drastic time‚ making him feel more
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“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” depicts the inner monologue of an aging man as his mind drifts in and out of fantasies as he completes his routine tasks on an otherwise routine day. Walter Mitty represents the aging of era which defined the current age. They experienced so much in one era and yet were still caught by the hands of time. This adventure through an aging mind gives great insight into not only the character of Walter Mitty‚ but the character of a generation. Walter Mitty represents
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty In James Thurber’s 1939s short story‚ “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty‚” the main character Walter Mitty‚ uses his imagination as a need to escape and express the emotions of anger along with self-pit that he feels daily. By means of daydreaming‚ he is able to escape the trivial details of everyday life and achieve freedom from his reality. Through the literary essentials of character‚ tone‚ and symbolism‚ James Thurber is able to illustrate how
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber is a short story about escaping the mundane repetitiveness of everyday life through familiar places that remind the main character of historical moments in history. Walter Mitty is an ordinary man who dreams of being extraordinary. Part of the reasoning for his dissatisfaction with his everyday life is that he fails to live up to what he holds as masculine ideals. (Shmoop Editorial Team‚ 2008) He is a lousy driver‚ forgetful and a passive husband.
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