The secret life of Walter Mitty

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• Secundair onderwijs

The secret life of Walter Mitty

A literary analysis

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Some background on the author

James Grover Thurber: 

• December 8, 1894
• American cartoonist, author, humorist, journalist, and playwright

Signature Humor: 

• Comedic frustrations of everyday life. Relatable humour
• Influenced generations of comedic writers

Notable Works: 

• The 13 Clocks
• My Life and Hard Times

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How could you describe Walter Mitty's character best?

Adventurous and outgoing

Timid and daydreamer

Aggressive and assertive

Empathetic and caring

Exercise: Characters

Walter Mitty:

• Round Character 
• Protagonist of the story
• Ordinary, middle-aged man 
• Daydreams to escape his mundane life
• Navy commander, surgeon, being on trial, WWI pilot, a prisoner facing a firing squad.
• Desire for adventure

Mrs. Mitty:

• Flat Character 
• Main antagonist of the story 
• Does not understand (or doesn’t know about?) Walter’s daydreams
• Treats him as if he’s less than her

In reality, Walter is nothing special, forgetful, and dominated by his wife.

Other flat characters

• Dr. Renshaw: Mitty’s real-life doctor.
  
• Lieutenant Berg: Navy colleague
  
• ‘The cop’ (can be linked to the dominant wife)
  
• Wellington McMillan: “The millionaire banker”
  
• Dr. Benbow, Dr. Remington, and Dr. Pritchard-Mitford: physician specialists
  
• Parking-lot Attendant: Underlines Walter’s actual lack of skill
  
• Garageman: Portrays Walter as not much of a handy person.  

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Where does the story take place?

1. Australia
2. USA
3. UK
4. Ireland

Exercise: Setting

Our analysis: Setting

Setting in time

20th century: cars...

Narrative time: 5-10min

Narrated time: a couple of hours (at least 1 hour, at most 4 hours)

Acceleration, also to do with daydreaming – time passes faster

Acceleration: looking for shoe store, next line he walks out with overshoes

Setting in space: Reality

• Waterbury Streets: Passing through the town, doing errands
• Hair Salon: Where Mitty drops off his wife
• Shoe Store: Buying overshoes
• Parking Lot: Where Mitty parks his car, two blocks from the hotel
• A&P: Buying 'puppy biscuit'
• Hotel Lobby: Waiting in a big leather chair

Setting in space: Daydreams

• Navy Hydroplane: Dreaming about being a heroic Navy commander
• Sports Car: Imagines himself as a daring sports car driver
• Hospital: Performing surgery on the millionaire banker
• Courtroom: Being a defendant in a courtroom trial
• Pilot: Dreaming about being a skilled pilot
• Firing Squad: A final daydream, Mitty envisions himself facing a firing squad

Plot: Put the following events in chronological order

Walter Mitty dreams of being a surgeon.

Mrs. Mitty asks Walter to buy overshoes.

Walter Mitty dreams of being a wartime pilot.

Walter Mitty faces ridicule from his wife.

Exercise: Plot

Our analysis: Plot

• Exposition: Meet Walter Mitty and his wife – their relationship
  
• Complication: Daydreams keep occurring – affect Mitty’s daily life
  
• Crisis: Mitty doesn’t want to get in trouble with his wife by being late
  
• Dénouement: ‘To hell with the handkerchief’ - Mitty stops fighting the daydreams and escapes reality
• Interpretation of Events: Wants to be a hero, to be more than he is now
• Open-Ended Conclusion: Embraces daydreams, Leaves room for interpretation

The story's timeline is non-linear due to Walter Mitty's daydreams. How does this affect the narrative?

It creates confusion without adding depth.

It reflects Walter's desire to escape reality.

It shows the author's lack of storytelling skill.

It makes the story more humorous.

Exercise: Temporal aspects

Our analysis: Temporal aspects

• In media res: Start of action in a daydream
  
• Disrupted Chronology: Seamlessly weaving between Walter Mitty's daydreams and his reality.
• Narrative Tempo: 

1. Moments of daydreaming: Narrative slows down, focus on the details. 
2. Moments of reality: Tempo is higher and skips more parts. Reality is not that interesting. 

The author uses contrasting language styles to differentiate between reality and fantasy. Which style is associated with Walter Mitty's fantasies?

1. Sarcastic and critical
2. Poetic and romantic
3. Technical and heroic
4. Informal and mundane

Exercise: Language and Style

Our analysis: Language and Style

Foregrounding of Form:

• Typographical Level: 

1. Reality: Straightforward sentences
2. Daydreams: Emphasis and exaggeration

• Phonetical Level: 

1. Daydreams: Rhytm, pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa
2. Reality: Dialogue with his wife (short, cold sentences to recreate tension)

Foregrounding of Meaning:

• Figures of Speech: 

1.  Understatements such as ‘no big deal’
2. Over-the-top nature of his fantasies

• Diction and Word Choice: 

1. Daydreams: Technical and heroic style
2. Reality: Simpler, more straightforward language

It creates some irony, and in turn, humour.

The overall tone of the story can be described as:

Sober and serious

Ironic and heroic

Dark and foreboding

Angry and bitter

Our analysis: Tone

Irony of escapism

• Situational irony in daydreams, in contrast with quiet reality.
• Despite his rich imagination, Mitty is unable to push himself in reality.
• Mitty's desire for escaping into fiction as a coping technique for the monotony of his daily life. 
• Story encourages thinking about the conflict between desire and reality
• Significance of imagination when facing challenges in life.

The narrative technique used in the story is primarily:

Extract from the short story

1. Editorial omniscient narrator
2. Anonymous omniscient narrator
3. Limited omniscient narrator
4. First-person narrative

Exercise: Method of Narration

Our analysis: Method of narration

Limited omniscient narrator: 

• Observation: The narrator explains/describes Walter’s actions and thoughts/daydreams.
• Limited Perspective: The narrative perspective focuses solely on Mitty's experiences and perceptions, without delving into the thoughts or feelings of other characters.
  
• Impersonal Tone: The narrator maintains a neutral and detached demeanor, devoid of personal opinion or involvement in the events being described.
  
• Access to Character's Thoughts: Readers are granted direct insight into Walter Mitty's innermost thoughts and emotions, enriching their understanding of his character.
  
• Ability to Describe Surroundings: The narrator vividly depicts Mitty's surroundings and interactions, creating a detailed and immersive backdrop for the story.

One of the central themes of 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' is:

1. The struggle between good and evil
2. The importance of being brave at all times
3. The conflict between reality and fantasy
4. Achievements in life

Exercise: Themes

Our analysis: Theme

Escapism vs. Reality

• Walter Mitty's ‘boring’ life and his vivid daydreams
• Uses his fantastical adventures to get away from the routine and unhappiness of his real existence. 
• Monotony and submissive behaviour in real life <-> Exciting situations in daydreams.  
• Gets in his daydreams what he misses in real life, autonomy.
• Negative effects: overindulging in escape. Straining marriage and endangering his capacity to operate in the outside world. 

Linking aspects