The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Essay

It is likely that most people want to escape reality at least once in their lives. James Thurber creates the character Walter Mitty who seems to be relatable to everyday people. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has several lessons that can be learned from reading it. Walter’s wife, Mrs. Mitty plays a huge role into why Walter often wants to escape reality. When put in a situation where his manhood is jeopardized, Walter goes into a deep daydream where he is in intense situations where he comes out the hero. Knowing Walter’s relationship with his wife, interactions with strangers, and what he wants out of himself will help one understand the reasons why Walter daydreams so often.
Right from the beginning of the book, it is obvious Walter feels
He often gets pushed around and yelled at by strangers. For example, while driving Mrs. Mitty to her hair appointment, Walter stalled at a stop light too long and a cop behind him started honking and yelled “pick it up brother” (Thurber, 3) outside of his window. Walter lets everything that is said to him go, but while this happens, he goes into a deep daydream of a situation where someone’s life is on the line and he saves it. For example, the book explains a daydream of Walter’s where he is a heart surgeon and he is performing surgery on a patient who is near death. The lack of gratitude Walter receives in his real life is a key factor as to why his daydreams occur.
Walter Mitty is often misunderstood by those around him. Who he is and who he wants to be are quite opposite. Walter wants nothing more than to be a well respected husband, co-worker and stranger. Those around him think he is odd when he daydreams, but they don’t know the reasoning behind it. It is partly Walter’s fault because he should change how he interacts for people and stand up for himself. He needs to speak what is on his mind and maybe that would gain the respect he strives