A Review On "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"

James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is considered to be his most acknowledged
masterpiece. It is also one of the most influential short stories in the history of American literature.
Thurber's characterization of the protagonist is so immaculate that the name Walter Mitty has entered
the English language denoting an escapist daydreamer. Thurber's masterwork has also been adopted
for the screen and the stage several times, most of which are significantly different from and none of
which nearly as delightful as the original story.
The story revolves around Walter Mitty, a henpecked husband and his domineering wife doing some
errands. To cope with the mundanity of his colorless life Walter indulges himself in a series of reveries,
in which he fantasizes himself as a valiant navy commander, a celebrated surgeon, a cold-blooded
murderer, and a courageous bomber pilot. Ironically, he is startled out of each of his daydreams, which
were supposed to be a means of escaping from his mundane life, by a mundane reality; whether his
wife exclaiming that he is driving too fast or a parking-lot attendant scornfully commanding him to
back up the car or even his own unconscious reminding him to buy puppy biscuits. The story is full of
comic exaggeration and humorous touches which are mostly the fruits of Mitty's misapplication of
melodramatic clichs such as heroic efforts as a captain, or courtroom dramas and suchlike in his
fantasies.

The two main characters of the story and their relationship are depicted so realistically and with such
an elegance that you could simply put yourself in their shoes. Walter Mitty is a middle-aged, absentminded husband with a hint of introversion in his character. Walter's ineffectuality and incompetence
in his real life leads him into a secret life; a secret life in which he is the hero. His wife on the other
hand is a nitpicking, dominant woman. The story is laden with images of Mrs. Mitty belittling Walter.
She pesters her husband to wear gloves and drive more slowly and nags him to buy overshoes. The
love-hate relationship between the couple is a slight exaggeration of modern couples.
The tangibility of the characters and their relation is the key factor that makes the story appealing to
both men and women. To women, it is Mrs. Mitty's mighty character that entices them to read the
story. Her dominance over her husband, moreover, Walter's obedience is what most modern women
demand for in their lives. On the contrary, what immerses men in the story is the personal sympathy
between them and Walter. Innumerable men are experiencing the same situation or at least reading
about Mitty's miserable life evokes strong memories of their past relationships. Aside from the
characters, the hint of humor and exaggeration that is artistically used in the story is another factor
that appeals both sexes.
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" was a fresh life breathed into American literature. James Thurber
pioneered a new style of short story writing and with the help of Walter Mitty, he opened doors to a
modern era of short stories. If you haven't read the Thurber's masterpiece yet, you haven't lived.
Kian Ashoory