Secret Life of Walter Mitty

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Secret Life of Walter Mitty

I've seen the film

I've read the story

Never heard of it, but looks cool

I'm fine with him keeping it a secret

Literature : the secret life of Walter Mitty

In this lesson you will learn close reading of a short story

In this lesson you will learn a bit about American Modernism

Hopefully, in this lesson you will see why I LOVE American Lit.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

by James Thurber

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a short story written in 1939 by James Thurber.
• Appeared in The New Yorker magazine and was later added to his book n 'My World and Welcome to It'.
  
• It is one of the most included stories when anthologies are compiled of similar works.
• It has been filmed in 1947 and 2013, as well as performed in theatres.
• These adaptations do not always stick to the original story but expand on its ideas!
  

Literary context

• Modernism: tried to capture the sense of emptiness and disillusionment post WWI
• The lost generation of American authors: Fitz + Hemingway (Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms)
• Reality, corruption, and sadness of the human condition 

Modernism

• Modernism was set in motion by the Great War, which

divided Europe from 1914 to 1918, known now as World
War I. The stories about this “War to End All Wars” were so
horrific that afterwards people wanted to break with many
traditions. The horrors of World War II, from 1939 to 1945,

helped strengthen this idea.

• Modernist writers wanted to “make it new!” They also wanted to change the way people think about truth and

reality. Rather than concentrating on the outside world, they started to focus on the ‘inner self’ and the workings of consciousness.

• Various forms of new writing were tried out. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, James Thurber used the

stream-of-consciousness technique, in which the reader follows the private thoughts of Walter Mitty

Stream of Conciousness

• James Thurber uses the stream of consciousness as a
  literary technique. He writes down, in detail, the thought
  processes and fantasies of Walter Mitty. Each fantasy in
  Mitty’s head is triggered by objects or actions in real life.
  It is humorous to see how heroic he becomes in his
  daydreams.

• a literary style in which a character's thoughts, feelings,
   and reactions are depicted in a continuous flow
  uninterrupted by objective description or conventional
  dialogue.
  

Story time

Read the Short Story

Answer the questions 

What are the four imaginary situations Walter finds himself in?

1. Skater, Banker, Witness, Firing Squad
2. Pilot, Banker, Witness,Firing Squad
3. Driver, Surgeon, Witness, Pilot
4. Pilot, Surgeon, Witness,Firing Squad

What are the common elements in Walter Mitty's daydreams?

1. He always plays a heroic role
2. The sound pocketa-pocketa
3. He is his own age
4. All of the above

Does Walter Mitty ever stand up to his wife?

1. Yes
2. No

Answers

Explain the title: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

He is often day-dreaming so he has a real life and a secret life

Answers

a - Describe Mitty's heroic role in the second daydream.

- heroic surgeon who fixes a anesthetic machine

b - What triggers the second daydream?

Name two important story details.

1 - He puts on his gloves (like a surgeon)

2 - He drives past a hospital.

3 - Dr Renshaw is mentioned by his wife.

Answers

a - Walter Mitty’s dominant character trait is that he is a lonely dreamer. What do you think he is
escaping from during his mental

escapades?

- his wife who 'nags' him a lot.

Answers

b - What is Mitty’s real character like, in contrast to the characters in his fantasies? Name at least three things.

1 - forgetful           (vergeetachtig)

2- Indecisive        (besluiteloos)

3 - Submissive    (onderdanig)

4 - weak                  (zwak)

Answers

 In Walter Mitty’s story, is the narrator a reliable or an unreliable narrator? Explain your answer.

 

- Unreliable, as Walter's day-dreaming means the
reader has to work out what is happening.  Everything

that happens is seen from Walter's 1st person

perspective.  His day-dreaming also distorts the truth,

making it hard for the reader to know what is real!

Answers

b - Reading this short story, do the first lines show you that you are dealing with a reliable or an unreliable narrator? Explain your answer.

Yes - he is day-dreaming.

No - the first few lines don't let the reader

know that Walter is day-dreaming

Answers

c - The narrator does not show us the thoughts of Mrs Mitty. How do we know what she is thinking? Give an example.

Yes - the story switches to a 3rd person

'reliable narrator' to let us know what she is
thinking and doing.