ANALYTIC PAPER

Analytic Paper: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty



Analytic Paper: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Introduction

As a comic short story writer, James Thurber had few rivals in the mid-20th century. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is arguably the best of his stories and is still cited as an exemplar of its form during that period. Thurber's story has its roots in American cultural tradition. His chief character, Walter Mitty, has forerunners in native folklore and fiction. Carl M. Lindner points out that "Mitty is a descendant of Rip Van Winkle and Tom Sawyer" in serving to orchestrate the theme of conflict between the individual and society, and "he dream-wishes qualities customarily exhibited by the legendary frontier hero." At the same time, the main theme of the story, the craving for power, is presented in a distinctively modern context. Mitty's occupation is not specified, but the suggestion generated by his lifestyle is that he is some type of clerk. The story is about craving for power by the powerless (Thurber, 2000). Whereas Shakespeare's Macbeth, in his quest for power, crosses the border between thought and action, and seeks power in reality, Thurber's Mitty is placed in circumstances that permit him to enjoy power only in fantasy and offer him no avenue of achieving it in real life.

Discussion and Analysis

The story begins with an episode of fantasy. Mitty imagines that he is a Navy commander piloting a hydroplane through the worst storm in 20 years of flying. Modern American life is bedeviled by mechanical devices, technology, the demand for super-efficiency, and Mitty dreams that he is a master of it all. His description of himself in this episode suggests a man of steel. But the fantasy is suddenly juxtaposed with fact, the basic technique of the story. The eight-engine hydroplane is played off against a car and the hero against a mild, ordinary human being whose domineering wife snaps, "Not so fast!" Mitty typifies the male whom critics have called "the Thurber man," while his wife represents the female characterized as "the Thurber woman." Thurber's view of the battle of the sexes in 20th-century America is that the women have won it (Englund, Freeman & Thurber, 2007).

Mitty is a round character, the silent hero. Mitty's imaginings are the basis of his character. The content of his fantasies let us know everything we need to know about his aspirations, his failings, and his dissatisfaction with his own world. For example, Mitty dreams of being in charge, this tells us that, in real life, he's bothered by his lack of control, his wife calls all the shots (Thurber & Simont, 2006). The fact that he retreats into fantasy at all, never mind what he fantasizes about, also tells us something about Mitty, although the conclusion we draw from this is subject to debate. It may be that he is ultimately a strong character, who doesn't let himself get down despite being derided by those around ...