THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
This article The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Torrent discusses the story, The Secret life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
THE STORY IN SHORT:
Walter Mitty, the protagonist of the story is driving his wife to town for an appointment at a beauty parlour. He was an incompetent man but his outstanding power of imagination made him unique. While driving his wife, Mrs. Mitty to town he imagines himself as the commander of a Navy hydroplane.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
He fancies that the plane is in trouble but the members of the crew have complete faith in his ability. Mitty even imagines one of the members saying that he would bring them out of the crisis. He is not even afraid of hell. Mrs. Mitty’s voice brings him back from his reverie as she warns him not to drive so fast.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
Walter Mitty halts the car in front of the building where his wife drops down to do her hair. She reminds to get the boots while she sets her hair in the parlour. Mrs. Mitty also advises him to put on his gloves but Mitty takes them out off immediately after his wife departs. Walter Mitty now drives around the streets aimlessly for a time. On his way to the parking lot, he drove past the hospital.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
At this place he goes down his second reverie. The second dream of his had its seed sown in his wife’s suggestion of visiting Dr. Renshaw. In this dream Mitty fancies himself, helping several famous physicians save a millionaire by fixing a complicated machine which nobody in the knew how to fix. He even visualizes that he finally acts as a surgeon.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
The attendant of the parking lot pulled him back to reality. Mitty is annoyed by the humiliation at the parking lot and the failure of his memory. He now mocks at the attendant by muttering to himself that they think they know everything.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
He then recalls how his chains got wound around his axles when he tried to take them off. It was sometime in the past, outside New Milford. At that time a man came in a wreaking car and unwind them. He suddenly remembers about the boots and started searching for a shoe store.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
Coming out into the street, Mitty now wonders the other thing which his wife had asked him to get. Kindled by the shouting of a news boy about the Waterbury trial, Mitty now sets off for his third fantasy in which he is on a trial for murder.
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
In the trial, he minutely recalls and bravely admits that he has killed Gregory Filzhurst, despite the efforts of his attorney to prove him innocent.This time he was aroused to reality by his subconscious murmuring of puppy biscuits and the laughing of a passing woman. Mitty immediately hurried on to take some puppy biscuits from the clerk.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
Now it was almost time for Mrs. Mitty to come out of the parlour. As she prefers Mr. Mitty to wait for her, he sits himself down on a big leather chair in the lobby putting the boots and the puppy biscuits down on the floor. Here in an old copy of Liberty he sees the pictures of bombing planes and of ruined streets and enters into his fourth reverie.
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
In this fourth reverie he fancies himself volunteering heroically to undertake a risky task of bombing the ammunition dump. In the mean time Mrs. Mitty arrives and he feels something striking his shoulder.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
Turning back he finds his wife yelling to announce her search for her husbandin the hotel. She scolds him for hiding himself in that big leather chair queries him about the contents of that box.Her husband reminds her of the boots she had asked him to buy and they finally moved to the chemist’s shop.
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
But before they reach the chemist’s shop, Mrs. Mitty makes it clear to her husband that she is going to take his temperature when he gets home as she felt from his strange behaviour that he might be sick.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
On reaching the chemist’s shop, Mrs. Mitty suddenly remembers of forgetting to take something and thus asks her husband to wait for her husband to wait for her till she returns. At that time it was raining. Mitty stood against the store lighting up a cigarette and smoking. Now he enters again into his dream. He now dreams imagines that he is facing the firing squad, standing straight and still, proud and contemptuous.
THE CHARACTER SKETCH OF WALTER MITTY:
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY TORRENT
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
Walter Mitty, an incompetent, henpecked urban man was blessed with an extraordinary power of fanciful imagination. He gets himself indulded in reveries to escape his real life. The theme of success and failure is examined through his inability to live a fulfilling external life, which causes him to retreat to an internal life full of images of conquests.
MITTY IMAGINES HIMSELF AS A SURGEON
Walter Mitty is neither exciting nor successful in his everyday life. In fact, the world he lives in, seems hellish to him. Hence, he loves to be in the delicate world of reverie, from which his wife’s nagging voice brings him back to his sole life.
