|
|
|
By James Thurber (1894-1961) A Study Guide |
|||||
Study Guide Compiled by Michael J. Cummings.© 2009 Type of Work and Publication Dates ......."The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a short story centering on the daydreams of a henpecked Connecticut husband. It was first published in the March 18, 1939, issue of The New Yorker. Harcourt, Brace and Company published it in October, 1942, in a book collection of Thurber's works, My World--and Welcome to It. .......The action takes place in the late 1930s in a car traveling to Waterbury, Connecticut, and in the city itself in the area of Main Street. Waterbury is in west-central Connecticut on the Naugatuck River. Real Life Walter Mitty: Meek
Connecticut man who retreats into daydreams in which he becomes a hero.
Daydream 1 Commander Mitty: Pilot
of a navy hydroplane.
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.
Daydream 4 Captain Mitty: Devil-may-care
World War I pilot.
Daydream 5 Mitty: Defiant prisoner
about to be executed.
By Michael J. Cummings.© 2009 . .......Facing perilous weather—possibly a hurricane—the commander of the hydroplane barks orders to the crew. “Rev her up to 8500!” he says. “We're going through! . . . Switch on No. 8 auxiliary . . . Full strength in No. 3 turret!” .......“The Old Man'll get us through,” the crewmen say to one another, grinning. .......Mrs. Mitty then barks a command to her husband: “Not so fast.” .......Walter Mitty's daydream of flying into a horrendous storm vanishes at the sound of his wife's voice. He and she are on their way to Waterbury, Connecticut, with Walter at the wheel of the car. He is doing 55 but she doesn't like to go any more than 40. She tells him he's stressed out and should let Dr. Renshaw examine him. .......In Waterbury, he drops her off at the hairdresser's. Before getting out, she reminds him to buy overshoes, which he says he doesn't need, and tells him to put on his gloves. He puts them on, but after he drives off he removes them at the next red light. When the light changes to green, a policeman tells him to get moving. .......While driving past a hospital toward a parking lot, he hears the voice of a nurse. .......“It's the millionaire banker, Wellington McMillan,” she says. .......McMillan, a friend of President Franklin Roosevelt, suffers from a life-threatening affliction. Dr. Renshaw and Dr. Benbow are handling the case, and specialists have been called in from New York and London. But it is Dr. Mitty who comes in and takes over in the operating room. First, he uses a fountain pen to repair a malfunctioning machine with tubes, wires, and dials, and then . . . . .......He discovers he is in the exit lane of the parking lot and turns the car over to an attendant, who backs it up and then parks it. Mitty walks off and buys his overshoes. On his way back to his car with the shoe box under his arm, he forgets another item his wife told him to buy. Meanwhile, a newsboy passes by shouting the headline about the Waterbury trial and . . . .......The district attorney holds the gun before Mitty, asking, “Have you seen this before?” Mitty identifies it as his. The DA then observes that Mitty is an expert marksman, but Mitty's attorney objects on grounds that Mitty's right arm was in a sling on the night of July 14. Mitty, however, says he could have shot the victim with any type of gun with his left hand from three hundred feet. There is a buzz in the courtroom and a lovely woman runs to him. The DA strikes her, Mitty slugs him, and . . . .......“Puppy biscuit,” he says aloud, remembering the second item his wife told him to buy. A woman pedestrian laughs at him, pointing out to her companion that “That man said 'puppy biscuit' to himself.” Mitty turns into an A & P market and buys the brand that says “Puppies bark for it” on the box,” then goes to a hotel lobby, where he is to meet his wife. He sits in a chair and reads a magazine about the air power of Germany. Unfortunately . . . .......Captain Mitty's partner is ill from shell shock, but Mitty tells a sergeant that he will fly alone, saying, “Somebody's got to get to that ammunition dump.” War booms and thunders around the dugout where Mitty pours himself and the sergeant some brandy. As splinters from a blast fly through the dugout, Mitty throws down the brandy and says, “We only live once, Sergeant.” He leaves, braving the fire of cannons, machine guns, and flame throwers. Suddenly . . . .......His wife taps him on the shoulder and tells him she's been searching all over for him. She asks him why he did not try on his overshoes, then tells him she will check his temperature after they arrive home. On their way to the parking lot, Mrs. Mitty stops in a pharmacy to pick up an item. It begins to rain and sleet and . . . .......Mitty lights a cigarette, stands against a wall, and proudly and defiantly faces the firing squad. .  .......Thurber
tells the story in omniscient, third-person point of view, enabling the
narrator to reveal the thoughts of Walter Mitty as they are in progress.
However, the narration does not peep into the mind of Mrs. Mitty. Instead,
it reveals what she is thinking through her spoken words.
Themes Escapism Henpecked Mitty deals with his everyday frustrations by escaping into daydreams. Boosting the Ego Mitty is a submissive, accommodating chap. But when he makes himself the hero of his daydreams, he becomes a veritable demigod. His 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. And who is to say that the secret world of Walter Mitty is not a real world? After all, daydreams are part of everyday reality. .......Thurber achieves his drollery via the following: Narration and dialogue that mock the melodrama of hack novels. An example is the opening paragraph, part of which says, " 'We're going through!' The Commander's voice was like thin ice breaking. He wore his full-dress uniform, with the heavily braided white cap pulled down rakishly over one cold gray eye. 'We can't make it, sir. It's spoiling for a hurricane, if you ask me.' 'I'm not asking you, Lieutenant Berg,' said the Commander. 'Throw on the power lights! Rev her up to 8500! We're going through!' " Or consider this passage: " 'With any known make of gun,' " [Mitty] said evenly, 'I could have killed Gregory Fitzhurst at three hundred feet with my left hand.' Pandemonium broke loose in the courtroom. A woman's scream rose above the bedlam and suddenly a lovely, dark-haired girl was in Walter Mitty's arms."Mitty's Ineptitude .......Mrs.
Mitty bullies poor Walter, but it appears that his obvious ineptitude and
carelessness play no small role in inciting her nagging and the ill treatment
he receives from others.
.
.......One could make a case that Mitty harbors repressed violence. After all, four of his five daydreams center on guns and death. But even the “peaceful” daydream in the hospital operating room implies the spilling of blood. Is Mitty a nut case who will one day end up toting a gun to a public place and venting his wrath on innocent victims? It is extremely doubtful that Thurber intended Mitty as anything other than an amusing daydreamer. Nevertheless, if one lifts the lid on Mitty's subconscious, he or she might discover there a dark and brooding soul. .......There
is no climax in the story unless one interprets the final daydream as a
turning point in Mitty's life. For example, having himself executed by
a firing squad could suggest that he has decided to end his excessive daydreaming
and attempt to resolve the problems that cause his daydreams. Among his
morally acceptable options are (1) to see a psychiatrist, (2) to take action
on his own (such as becoming more assertive), and (3) separating from his
wife. Among his morally unacceptable options are murdering his wife or
killing himself.
The
car, the overshoes,the gloves, and the tire chains: These all symbolize
Mrs. Mitty's control over bumbling Walter. She orders him to buy overshoes,
wear gloves, and slow down from 55 to 40. In addition, she requires him
to take his car to a garage to have the snow chains on his tires removed.
Allusions, Names, Special Terms, and Malapropisms Archies: Anti-aircraft
weapons.
1....Is
Mitty's daydreaming normal? Or is it a symptom of a deep-seated problem?
|
