As children, we all like to get lost in our wildest imaginations. In these spontaneous daydreams, we like to imagine ourselves embarking on some great adventure, or accomplishing something big, or do something that people didn’t think was possible. Especially with Halloween coming up, where kids dress up as someone or something that they want to emulate.
I’ve had some pretty wild imaginations some of which included fighting in the Star Wars universe for the Republic, and playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. These were all in my childhood, and I like to look back at those at those daydreams and I laugh at how absurd they were. Even as a teenager entering adulthood, I still think that if those absurd imaginary scenarios actually happened, I would have loads of fun.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a story that details the crazy imaginations of Walter Mitty, an adult that is married. Him and his wife drive to a town called Waterbury, where his wife goes shopping and Walter is left on his own to daydream. Some of those daydreams include him captaining a boat through a storm, and attempting to save a man’s life as a surgeon, and the story ends with him lining up to get shot by a firing squad.
Pretty dark, right? You may also find it surprising that the author who wrote this story was a cartoonist. Yes, he drew cartoons for the New Yorker and was friends with EB White a fellow author that wrote The Charlotte’s Web, a children’s book that you may know. Oh the irony…
I think that one of the biggest themes that Thurber wants to convey to the readers is the unsatisfactory and unfulfilling elements of reality in life. Again, it’s a pessimistic way to look at things but then again I can say the same for most literature. Throughout the story, Mitty’s imaginations are cut short by one real-life event or another. His wife seems to be always on his case telling him to do this and that. She for sure isn’t supportive or interested in her husband’s wild imaginations. This story was written after Mitty’s first marriage where he and his ex-wife, Althea, divorced after marital conflicts. If Mitty’s wife in this story is meant to be parallel to Althea, then Thurber is a brilliant for taking revenge on his ex-wife in a subtle way. Maybe that’s not the case, but I’d like to think that Thurber would be petty enough to bad-mouth his ex-wife through a popular short story. The are many instances throughout the story where there is tension between Mitty and his wife, including when she tells him to slow down on the road.
You can tell that Mitty is bored of his life. Thurber’s description of Mitty’s imaginations are wildly detailed and worded. The dialogue is quick and intense. His language is more geared towards while his description of Mitty’s real life is flat and colorless.
It is also quite a way to end the story with Mitty getting shot by a firing squad. This is quite different than the adrenaline-fueling, exhilarating, scenarios that he is a part of in his imaginations leading up to the firing squad imagination. I just find it interesting how his last imagination is getting shot after all the exciting imaginations that he has had leading up to that point. This probably reflects Mitty’s current state of mind where he’s miserable and unhappy.
As I was reading this, I can’t help but relate to Walter Mitty. Him and I both had wild daydreams that were usually rudely interrupted by reality. Many young adults can probably relate to him as well. We all enjoy imagining our own fantasies right? However, I think that Thurber’s overall message to the reader with this story is too depressing, especially with how he conveyed it with the firing squad part. It offers no hope that Walter Mitty or people in general can maybe live out some of their own dreams or become happy. Ben Stiller made a movie in 2013 titled “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” which was loosely based on the short story. The movie didn’t get rave reviews but I still thought that Stiller’s ending message to people watching was more palpable than Thurber’s and I liked it a lot more. People should pursue happiness and fulfillment in their lives even if it seems imaginary.
Sources:
“The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Themes.” Shmoop.com. N. p., 2019. Web. 18 Oct. 2019. (Sorry! Most reviews of the story were movie reviews. Best I could find)
“Thurber House — ABOUT JAMES THURBER — Literary Center And James Thurber Museum.” Thurber House. N. p., 2019. Web. 18 Oct. 2019.
“Ebiri On The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty: A Predictable Dream World.” Vulture. N. p., 2019. Web. 18 Oct. 2019.
I think your interpretation of this story is very interesting! I have seen the movie variation of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but I had no idea it was based on a short story. It was one of my favorites as a kid, actually. I was fascinated by Mitty’s wild adventures and the David Bowie soundtrack. My history with the movie sparked my interest in the story you wrote about and made me want to know more about the background.
Being a high school student, I completely understand Mitty’s desire to escape his normal life in favor of something more exciting. Reality, with all of its classes and mundane homework assignments and responsibility, is nothing compared to figments of our imagination. You did a nice job of personalizing not only Mitty but the author of the story as well. Personalizing them makes the reader relate more heavily to the characters and the story, ultimately prompting interest in reading the story itself.
Thanks for commenting, Mackenzie! I too absolutely loved the movie when I was younger. Ben Stiller, who also directed the movie, really brought the character to life. I agree with your take on reality; school work is pretty mundane and boring. I think that our imagination motivates us. Elon Musk and Bill Gates are examples of people who had great imaginations.
This was a fun read! I was thinking about choosing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty since it’s one of the newer short stories on the list that’s pretty famous. I think the theme that you bring up of how reality is often unsatisfactory and sometimes you just need a bit of fantasy or imagination is quite applicable to our real life. Though daydreaming and fantasizing can be dangerous if you dream too hard, I think it is still important to keep a sort of childlike wonder in one’s outlook on life. In the end though, it definitely sucks though that Mitty’s real life fate was getting shot after how fun you describe Mitty’s fantasy life to be. But, anyway, how you describe Thurber’s writing to be – detailed and imaginative – makes me think that this short story might be worth a read.
Hey Albert,
Intriguing post. You had some solid analysis into the meaning of the story, however there are a few points where I disagree. You present Walter’s boring life as a byproduct of life; that is, he can’t control the fact his life is slowly getting boring. I think that an individual’s quality of life doesn’t have to turn out like Walter’s. People have control over their own life; rather than daydreaming all day and being unsatisfied with what they currently have, going out and pursuing bigger goals would definitely be a more colorful alternative.
With that said, what do you think?
Hi Albert, this sounds like an intriguing story and one that we can all relate to! I know I still day dream all the time- mostly when I am not supposed to- and like you and Walter Mitty am snapped out of these day dreams by reality. Most of the time that reality is that I need to start trying to focus on what my math teacher says instead of daydreaming and looking at the posters. Daydreaming is an escape tactic of many high schoolers, as well as Mitty. I also agree that it is very ironic that he is a cartoonist, as cartoons are typically very lighthearted and fun. Do you think that his occupation had anything to do with him eventually writing this macabre story?