The secret life of Walter Mitty important questions
Experience with his wife
Walter Mitty represents the character of a 20th century man, whose life is torn by different conflicts. A modern man of 20th century has to work against many pressures. He has to work at many projects for his livelihood. The time at his disposal is short and he has to complete all tasks of life in this short period. The result is that he performs these tasks in his imagination while in his practical life, his output is not sufficient. Walter Mitty is one such character who does not do much useful things in his practical life, but in his imagination, he performs many big deeds.
Walter Mitty sat in the car with his wife. He imagined to drive the car towards Waterbury. He was driving the car at the speed of fifty five miles per hour. His wife felt nervous at such a high speed.
She cried loudly to slow down the speed. She reminded him that he was once again feeling tense. He must consult Dr Renshaw about his nervous tension. Walter Mitty stopped the car in front of the building where his wife' had gone to have her hair done. As she got down, she asked him to wear the overshoes. ' Mitty told her that he did nor need the overshoes. His wife told him that he was no longer a young man. He needed the rubber shoes in order to save himself against cold whether. His wife reminded him to wear the gloves. He put them on. He took them off when he saw that his wife had gone into the building. He drove aimlessly around the streets and then came to the parking lot.
Adventure in the market
Walter Mitty represents character of a 20th century- man, whose life is torn by different conflicts. A modern man of 20tg century has to work against many pressures. He has to work at many projects for his livelihood. The time at his disposal is short and he has to complete all tasks of life in this short period. The result is that he performs these tasks in his imagination while in his practical life, his output is not sufficient. Walter Mitty is one such character who does not do much useful things in his practical life, but in his imaginations, he performs many big deeds.
Walter Mitty wandered aimlessly in the street. He drove his car here and there in the market. At last he was tired of aimless driving. He tried to park his car in the parking line but did not park it in the correct line The parking lot attendant got the key from him and parked it himself in the right line. He did not feel happy at the interruption of the attendant.
He remembered the time when he tried to take his car's chain off outside Newford. He fail to do so. Since then, his wife always made him to a garage to have the chains taken off. In order to hide his failure in taking his' cars chain off, he decided to wear his right arm in a sling.
This trick would work wonders. People would consider him naturally a handicapped person. They would consider him incompetent for taking the chain off the car.
He kicked at the slush on the side wall. Over shoes he said to himself, and he began looking for a shoe store. He bought the 'overshoes' from a store. Then he thought of other things which his wife asked him to buy.
He thought of buying Kleenex rozer blades, tooth paste and tooth brush. He thought of possessing independent power of decision which he did not have. He thought that his wife would once again find fault with him that he did not bring this thing or that.
Trial in the court
Walter Mitty represents the character of a 20th century man, whose life is torn by different conflicts. A modern man of 20th century has to work against many pressures. He has to work at many projects for his livelihood. The time at his disposal is short and he has to complete all tasks of life in this short period. The result is that he performs these tasks in his imagination while in the practical life, his output is not sufficient. Walter Mitty is one such character who does not do much useful things in his practical life, but in his imagination, he performs many big deeds.
Walter Mitty imagined to face a trial in the court. He was standing before the judge. The District Attorney thrust a heavy automatic gun at the quite figure on the witness stand. He asked Mitty if he recognized the gun. He recognized the gun and admitted that it belonged to him. There was an uproar in the court room. The District Attorney told the judge with confidence that Mitty was an expert at using any sort of firearms.
Mitty's Attorney raised at objection at it. He said that his client could not use any weapon as his right hand was wounded and he wore his right arm in a sling at night of the 14th July. Mitty contradicted his lawyer and told the judge that he could have killed George Fitzhurst at three hundred feet with his left hand.
There was noise and confusion in the room at his statement. Suddenly, a young woman screamed loudly and was in Walter Mitty arms.
The District Attorney struck at her savagely. Without rising from his chair , Mitty let the man have it on the point of the chin " you miserable curl" rushed out of the courtroom and came on the street. He cried " puppy biscuit ". A woman who was passing, laughed at the " puppy biscuits". Walter Mitty hurried on. He went to a store and demanded some biscuits for small, young dogs.
Actual secret of Mitty's life
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is one of the most popular and famous Story of James Thurber.The story deals with the life of a modern man who has failed in his actual life but tries to be successful in his imaginations. The secret of Walter Mitty's life lies in the power of his imagination. Walter Mitty is not happy with his social and practical life. He belongs to a middle class family. The middle class is often denied the pleasure of excitement and adventure. The people belonging to middle class try to gain prominence by doing some extraordinary deed in actual life. They can not do so. First,they are men of average means. Secondly,they; do not have time to do so many things in a short time. That is why they fall to day-dreaming.
Walter Mitty is an unhappy person. He lacks status and power in his ordinary life. He fails to make his life with his limited sources. He tries to get in his imagination what he is denied in his actual life: A sort of mental conflict which is the essence of modern civilization, exists in his mind. It is the conflict which we, often find between the real life and imaginative one. This conflict grips Mitty's mind. Let us study it.
First:
Mitty wants to do many things in his actual life but he fails to do so for want to money and time. He escapes into the imaginative world where he can command and rule. He becomes the Commander of a navy hydroplane . He orders the , crew to face the hurricane. But soon he comes back to the actual and practical life of his home. He goes outside his home with his boots and dress. He feels unhappy in his actual life and once again slips into the dreamy world.
Secondly:
He imagines himself as ' specialist' doctor, with a famous medical book at his credit. He operates upon a banker very successfully. He comes back to the world of reality once again. He buys some household things at a store. He remembers his wife's unnecessary demands and angry mood.
Thirdly:
The mental conflict between reality and imagination continues. He feels unhappy with the behavior of his wife. But being a coward , he feels as if he were responsible for the unhappy of married life. He imagines to be present in the court. He admits that he has killed a man with his gun. In this way, he tries to satisfy his guilty mind .
Fourthly:
Mitty is once again faced with the conflict of going to war or staying with his wife. He decides to become the captain of the army in the war. He drinks wine and tells the sergeant " We live only once". He escapes into the world of pleasure instead of facing the bitter reality of life.
Fifthly:
When his wife finds him in the hotel, he imagines to die. There is a conflict in his mind between to live and to die. His death wish is nothing new. It represents the general failure of modern middle-class man in the actual life. Mitty stands before the firing squad in his imagination and thinks himself to be killed. His death wish shows the utter disappointment of a modern man to get happiness in the highly industrialized western society. The story is a serious comment on the failure of modern civilization to give happiness to common man.
This main conflict is not resolved. The reason is quite obvious. The husband is a dreamy and imaginative person. His wife Mrs. Mitty is a practical and realistic woman. Nether changes. The conflict remains where it is.
A character sketch of Walter Mitty
" Walter Mitty" is the product of modern civilization. A such, he represents different conflicts and mental conditions which the modern civilization has produced in a common man.
Introduction:
Walter Mitty belongs to the middle class. He has limited sources of money . He feels unhappy in the modern society which is completely material and inhuman. He lacks power and status . He is a tried and dissatisfied citizen of the Western society.
A man of conflicts:
He suffers from many mental conflicts and confused mental conditions. He wants to do some extraordinary things in life. He has a desire to lead a life of adventure and excitement. But he' feels unfit to do so. Firstly, he has not enough money in his possession.
Secondly , he has no time to do many things in a short' period of time. The result is that he escapes 'into the imaginary world and assumes a life of power and status here. But the harsh reality of actual life does not desert him. He comes into the actual life time again and again. This mental conflict grips throughout the story. He becomes the commander of a navy hydroplane in his' imaginations. He steers the motorboat through the hurricane. He comes back to the actual world and goes to a shopping centre with his wife, but soon he escapes into the world of day reality and becomes a specialist doctor. He becomes a captain of the army after some time. A glimpse of his life shows that he is not satisfied with his social and inner life . He imagines to stand before the firing squad and is willing to accept his death. This conflict between his actual and imaginary life is the dominant trait of his life and it grips his mind throughout the story.
As a husband :
Mitty is a coward and timid husband. He wants to be dominating husband but fails to be so. His wife dominates him. She orders him to slow down the speed of his car. She asks him to wear overshoes on his feet. She takes him to task for not buying different domestic articles like tooth brush and tooth paste. Mitty is not happy with his wife. He considers himself misfit in his home. That is why, he wishes to die instead of facing the harsh realities of life.
A sick person :
Mr. Mitty is mentally a sick person. He lives a timid and confused life at his home. He feels himself guilty for not doing many things in life. He feels that people do not trust him. Even his wife feels that he does contrary to her wishes . He feels himself guilty in his own eyes. He imagines to be present in the court and admits that he has killed a man with his gun. In this way, he offers himself for punishment. The last scene of the story where he offers himself to be killed by the firing squad shows that he is utterly dissatisfied with his life.
A symbolic character :
Mitty represents the life of a large number of common citizens of America, who live a dissatisfied and confused life. He represents the unhappiness and discomfort which the modern civilization has produced for the common man. Mitty is the true picture of a sick and diseased society. He is the symbol of uneasiness, sickness and moral corruption of Western society.