The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Essay Introduction
James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” first published in 1939 in *The New
Yorker*, follows Walter Mitty, a mild-mannered man whose ordinary life is interrupted by
elaborate fantasies in which he becomes a heroic and confident figure. While traveling
with his wife in Connecticut, Mitty repeatedly escapes into imagined scenes of adventure,
military command, medical expertise, and personal courage. These fantasies contrast
sharply with his forgetfulness, domestic frustrations, and dependence on others in his
everyday life. Through the contrast between Mitty’s imagined identity and his ordinary
circumstances, Thurber uses humor and exaggeration to explore escapism,
dissatisfaction, and the gap between how a person experiences himself internally and
how others perceive him.
