Friday, September 16th, 2011
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” Handout
Brendan Norris
David Cope
John Secord-Eden
Ryan O'Leary
Uzair Rahim
Vocabulary
Term
Definition
Auxiliary
Providing additional help or support
Bedlam
A scene of uproar
Derisive
Expressing ridicule or contempt
Haggard
Looking exhausted from fatigue
Inscrutable
Difficult to understand
Insinuatingly
To suggest something in an unpleasant way
Overshoes
A shoe worn over a normal shoe
Pandemonium
Wild and noisy disorder or confusion
Rakishly
Having a dashing, jaunty, or slightly disreputable appearance
Characters
Walter Mitty
• Round – The authors gives this character depth.
• Protagonist
• Daydreams
• Wants to be brave and feel in control
Mrs. Mitty
• Flat – Little depth is given to this character.
• Forgetful – Forgets something at the hairdresser's
• Inconsiderate – Leaves Walter Mitty waiting a lot
Setting
Time period: Late 1930s (Start of WW2)
Location:
In the city of Waterbury in the United States.
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Plot
The protagonist has five daydreams while he is shopping in the city. Each one is paired with a
trigger and closure from Walter Mitty's real life.
• His first daydream was as a Commander flying a hydroplane. The trigger which caused his
daydream was speeding on the roadway. This dream ends when his wife screams,
“Not so fast!”
• He drops his wife off where to get her hair done. She convinces him to where his
gloves while driving, but he is resentful.
• His second daydream occurs while he removes his gloves and drives past a hospital.
He believes he is a surgeon with latex gloves performing a highly dangerous surgery
on a famous person. This one ends when the parking-lot attendant yells at him for
driving in the wrong lane.
• The third daydream starts when Walter Mitty is trying to remember what he needs to
buy. The imagination translates this to the District Attorney telling him to “Refresh [his]
memory” during a murder trial. This dream ends when he remembers what he needs to
buy: “Puppy biscuits”.
• Walter Mitty travels to the pharmacy to buy the puppy biscuits. Afterwards, he goes to
the hotel to wait for Mrs. Mitty.
• World War Two magazines capture Walter Mitty's attention and trigger his fourth
daydream. This time, he is “Captain Mitty”, in a war dugout. The dream ends when his
wife returns.
• While Walter and his wife were leaving, Mrs. Mitty forgets a handkerchief at the
hairdresser's and needs to find it. Walter Mitty stays behind. The clouds start to rain
and he pushes up against a wall to stay dry.
• In his final dream, he stands up against a wall and faces a firing squad.
Point of View
The story is written in third person limited.
Conflict
Person vs Person (Walter Mitty vs Others)
Since Walter Mitty is continuously daydreaming, it creates dangerous driving conditions
and awkward situations. This annoys others, such as his wife, the parking-lot attendant and a
woman on the street. In the case of his wife, she is shocked and yells at him for overspeeding. Mrs. Mitty goes to the extent of believing Walter Mitty should see his doctor.
On the flip side, the harsh comments he receives increases his desire to dream about
a less harsh life. This creates a type of circular reasoning.
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Theme
Statement: One can use their imagination to escape the harshness and dullness of one's life, but
their imagination will become interrupted since one's true life takes precedence.
Walter Mitty daydreams to escape his harsh and dull life by making him the “hero” of the
story. Each dream gets interrupted (except, potentially, the last) during the climax. The reason
is that Walter Mitty's true life takes precedence.
Literary Devices
Allusion
“The Old Man ain't afraid of Hell!”
Onomatopoeia
“The pounding of the cylinders increased: ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketapocketa-pocketa.”
Simile
“The Commander's voice was like thin ice breaking.”
Irony
“Obstreosis of the ductal tract. Tertiary.”
“Coreopsis has set in.”
Content Questions
Q. What time period did “The Secret life of Walter Mitty” occur closest to?
a) 19th century
b) WWI period
c) WWII period
d) Modern day
e) In the future
A. (Highlight) c) WWII period
Q. What was Walter Mitty's final daydream?
A. (Highlight) His final daydream is facing a firing squad.