The Secret Life of Walter Mitty By Derek Pruestel Have you ever daydreamed about being a pilot or doctor‚ or anything more exciting than what you were doing? The titular protagonist of James Thurber’s short story‚ “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” sure has. The story is about a man who is bored with the dull tasks of his average life. He runs errands‚ brings his wife to salons‚ and reads newspapers. He tries to escape his boring reality by daydreaming of more intense and dangerous situations
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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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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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This event from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" occurred only in the confines of the short story’s main character by the same name’s mind. It is simply an illustration of how Mitty can take mundane situations like shopping for puppy biscuits and escape from it using his imagination. Written by James Thurber and published in The New Yorker‚ in 1939 “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” was an instant hit. This four page story takes place in the tiny town of Waterbury‚ Connecticut during the same year
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Dinner With Someone in La La Land? The short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” was written by James Thurber. I wouldn’t have dinner with Walter because he would be a terrible guest for several reasons. Walter wouldn’t be a good listener for several reasons. One reason is because Walter often daydreams he doesn’t know what his wife wants him to do. “He looks at his wife in the seat beside him with shocked astonishment‚ She seemed grossly familiar‚ like a strange woman who yelled at him in
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An identification of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty . Theme: Manliness‚ real and perceived‚ as well as the lack thereof. Symbolism is an amazing thing in any writing‚ and one of my favorite things when it comes to writing. From the immensity of symbolism in the Bible‚ to the metaphors that define and clarify emotion‚ symbolism is a way to get the point across when words are not enough. They force the mind to grasp what is being said; bring forth imagination to garner the truths that the writer
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most people want to escape reality at least once in their lives. James Thurber creates the character Walter Mitty who seems to be relatable to everyday people. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has several lessons that can be learned from reading it. Walter’s wife‚ Mrs. Mitty plays a huge role into why Walter often wants to escape reality. When put in a situation where his manhood is jeopardized‚ Walter goes into a deep daydream where he is in intense situations where he comes out the hero. Knowing Walter’s
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the story? 7. Why does Thurber choose this particular expression of Mrs. Barrows’ for his title rather than one of her others? 8. How does Thurber create humour in his story? “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” 1. Explain what the title of the story refers to. 2. Why does Walter Mitty find it necessary to have a “secret life”? 3. Although he does not dare disobey Mrs. Mitty openly‚ he does defy her in little ways. Give an example of this defiance. 4. In this story‚ Walter drifts off into
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opposite. In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber‚ Walter Mitty constantly has daydreams. Mitty lives a dull‚ repetitive lifestyle. He is always running errands for his wife‚ and he uses his daydreams as a distraction. Mitty goes on a variety of adventures such as being a pilot‚ conducting an important surgery‚ and even facing a firing squad. In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”‚ James Thurber gives these vivid daydreams purpose by helping the character Walter Mitty escape from his normal
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Normally for any reader‚ this is one of the main characteristics the reader is performing. The reader by default is looking for some form of connection to the literary work he/she may be reading. Therefore‚ when the reader begins to make these connections‚ they are already utilizing the reader-response perspective. In the Secret Life of Walter Mitty‚ James Thurber seemed to create a character that found ways to patch over his wifes nagging with how own imaginary stories. It seemed as though he had pretend
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