Mr Mitty Symbolism

The authors use symbolism to demonstrate how the characters change and become unsure of their identity. The overshoes and gloves are symbols of Mrs. Mitty’s overprotectiveness that causes Mr. Mitty to become passive, changing his identity and who he could be or become. As she is leaving to get her hair done, Mrs. Mitty tells Walter to “[r]emember to get [some] overshoes” and questions him about “why [he doesn’t] wear [his] gloves” (Thurber 34). Mrs. Mitty is always badgering Walter about things he does wrong and often treats him like a child. He does not learn to do things for himself because he is afraid to do them wrong and make mistakes. Mrs. Mitty makes it seem like Walter is inept and cannot carry out simple tasks. This constant pressure
The fantasies that Walter creates in his mind are the real ways he sees himself, but cannot carry out these adventures because of the controlling nature of Mrs. Mitty. Whereas mirrors are symbols of the change Alice is going through and how she adapts to it and changes her identity. Alice still is not used to her new body and her father says that “[t]he eyes are the mirror of the soul” she questions “whose soul is” in her body (Coakley 14). Mirrors bring fear and an uncomfortable feeling to Alice’s life because she was so used to seeing her old face. When she sees her new body in a mirror it is a reminder of who she used to be and although she insists that she is still the same person, deep down she knows something has changed inside her. She tries as hard as she can to avoid mirrors, but always finds herself running into them. Alice is still figuring out who she is in her new body. Although the characters are in different situations, both Alice and Walter are still figuring out who they are and what their purpose is in the
Both authors use symbolism to validate that the characters have been changed and are unsure of their identity. Likewise, in both short stories when conflict arises between loved ones, it often changes how one would normally react or solve the problem. They also establish that the environment we live in and the people we live with are considerable factors that control our identity. It is clear that the people who raise and care for children have some kind of control over who they become but how much of their identity is shaped by those around them and how much is shaped by