ENG4U1 Hibba Khan Mr.Nawab G Major Assignment 1 November 5th 2015 The Comparison between “Killings” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” Humans are complicated creatures, one are unpredictable and you never really know what one will say, do, or how one will react. It is defined by his or her identity. “Killings” by Andre Dubus and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber both clarify the concepts of shadows and personas. “Killings” is designed to emphasize the significance of self that is put on for a specific reason, while “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” portrays ones truest self that might by shunned by society; both stories convey the reader that the main characters had a specific purpose in their life that they needed to …show more content…
accomplish. In order to understand the conflict between shadows and personas, it is necessary to discuss the protagonist’s life, what they have came across, and finally, how this impacted them. To start off, in the “Killings” Matt Fowler the main character, for him he acts as the crystal of emotions that keep running from his relatives and through him in the aftermath of Frank’s homicide.
Him and Ruth have been together for thirty-one years and have a relationship that allows them to cut specifically to the heart of the matter. Ruth’s nervousness and agony towards Franks death triggered on Matt’s entire experience of being a parent, he reviews the efforts that he has made to keep his family safe, secure and alive from the time his kids were born to the time they were adults. It is certain that the readers do get the feeling that what Matt is encountering is the feeling of disappointment in the unexpected passing of his child. In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” the main characters Walter Mitty isn’t anything special because in reality his wife bosses him around a lot. “He looked at his wife, in the seat behind him, with shocked astonishment. She seemed grossly unfamiliar, like a strange woman who had yelled at him in a crowd (Thurber, 1) “. Mitty also cannot do basic mechanical things and he is somewhat absent minded. It is quite certain that he is not a good driver and people around him appear to be yelling at him or giggling at him for no reason. It also shows that there is a major interference between Mitty and his wife, they don’t understand one another to the point where they appear to be …show more content…
outsiders. Furthermore, when talking about the “killings” by Andre Dubus the story begins with Matt Fowler burying his youngest son Frank. In Matt’s life he feels expanding weight to the reaction of Franks homicide. Matt and Ruth realized that, regardless of what happens, regardless of the amount of good may lie ahead, their lives will never again be the same. Their marriage, as is normal in the result of an extraordinary catastrophe, has gotten to be strained. In fact, Dubus gives pieces of information that propose the marriage has been dispossessed of energy for quite a while, even well before their child’s downfall, as when Matt considers and Ruth’s relationship throughout the years. “Living with her for thirty-one years and still not knowing what she talked about with her friends (Dubus, 83)”. Matt works with a particular type of misdirection when he wants to execute Richard. While he and his wife, Ruth, share their distress and dissatisfaction they don't talk about points of interest for murdering Richard. Matt ingests this inspiration from his wife. He arranges the demonstration furtively with Willis. When he forgets to run with Willis for a nightcap, Matt trusts that Ruth comprehends what the two men are going to do. In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” when Walter wants to make up for his failings in the reality world that he has overcome in his daily life. He makes a whole “fantasy life” for himself: a breakthrough of dreams in which he is a capable and a reliable man that is appreciated by everyone around him. What makes him extraordinary is his creative energy. While Walter experiences a day of ordinary tasks and errands, he escapes into a series of whimsical fantasies, each triggered on by some ordinary reality. While he is driving his car, he imagines that he is commanding “ a Navy Hydroplane” through a terrible storm, “the crew, bending to their various tasks in the huge, hurtling eight-engine Navy Hydroplane (Thurber, 1)”. When he rides past a hospital, he imagines that he is the world’s famous surgeon who is saving the VIP’s life. When he hears a newsboy shouting about a trial, he imagines that he is a crack shot being investigated in the court. As he wait for his wife to be don from the hairdresser, Walter sees pictures of German planes and imagines that he is a British pilot who is willing to sacrifice his own life for his nation and the last dream that he imagines is that he is courageous and a bold man who is going to be shot by a firing squad. Nevertheless, in the “Killings” because the protagonist of the story is Matt Fowler later on he also turns out to be the antagonist, which has a goal and also opposes the protagonist. Matt Fowler felt supported in hijacking and murdering Richard Strout; in any case, having fulfilled his last demonstration of retribution he still does not discover peace. The main message in the story is that despite the fact that Matt Fowler avenges for his child's passing, he finds no peace and is haunted by a feeling of guilt and total alienation. Retribution and revenge for the death of a loved one, however, an exceptionally characteristic human sense, is not generally the response to the loss of the individual. “He told her the rest, but the words had no image for him, he did not see himself doing hat the words said he had done; he only saw himself on that road. We can’t tell the other kids,” she said. “It’ll hurt them, thinking he got away, But we mustn’t.” (Dubus, 91-92). In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” Mitty gets himself disappointed with his ordinary, consistent life, and the part of inactive spouse. Mitty hates the way individuals treat him as a confuse man when he indeed imagines himself to be something much more remarkable. "Walter Mitty" paints a photo of the kind of regular disappointment we all have felt at some point felt our lives – surely we are excessively standard, our lives are exhausting, and our skills are excessively typical. Regardless of whether Mitty's way for dealing with such dissatisfaction, into a world of imagination. “Since then Mrs. Mitty always made him drive to a garage to have the chains taken off. The next time, he thought, I’ll wear my right arm in a sling; they won’t grin at me then. I’ll have my right arm in a sling and they’ll see I couldn’t possibly take the chains off myself. He kicked at the slush on the sidewalk. (Thurber, 2)”. Walter dislikes the way people around him see him, his disappointment with reality has a great deal to do with his picture. All in all, it has come to know that in both short stories the “Killings” by Andre Dubus and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber have shown us the conflict between Shadows and personas.
It is important to talk about the fundamental individuals life, what they have been through, and lastly, how this affected the characters. In the “Killings” it showed us that Matt’s youngest son Frank passed away and wanted revenge from the murderer in the ending when he accomplished his plan to kill Richard Strout he felt guiltiness and regret. In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” Mitty is an ordinary person just like everyone else in the real world. He has some complications between him and his wife and the people around are usually mean and greedy. He escapes into a series of five whimsical fantasies. From these five dreams that he has imagined Mitty has a very innovative creative
energy.
In the short story, “ The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty” written by James Thurber, it describes a man who while in the midst of everyday life, floats off into daydream that often cause him more trouble than it is worth. His wife, Mrs. Mitty, on the surface does not seem like a well-rounded character. It always seems her life’s mission is to demean Walter and to always use her overbearing nature to nag him. However, there may be more to this character than what meets the eye. I believe that Mrs. Mitty is actually a well-rounded character in the fact that she only acts the way she does only for her husband and his well-being.
Even though The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was written in two different mediums, there are many similarities and variations between the two. The movie and short story both tell the reader his daydreams he experiences. The movie is more suitable because it's easier to comprehend what's happening. The movie is written in a modern time period rather when the short story was taking place in the 1930s. For this reason , the movie is stronger than the written version. For example, in the movie, it shows how he works at Life and is under pressure of finding negative number twenty-five from his boss. (Stiller). On the other hand, they're alike because Walter is also under constant pressure from his wife to stop daydreaming. His wife is always telling
...t is the Rorschach test of what is inside of a person. One work can touch or go unnoticed by its audience; it projects their “secret lives” (159).
The secret Life of Walter Mitty was both an intriguing short story and film that contained symbolism all throughout. Although the short story and movie were quite different in terms of the story, the symbolism that was shown delivered the same effect. In the movie, symbolism was shown in the scenery, beards and images. While on the other hand, the short story used the Over shoes and gloves, Walters actions and sounds to direct the authors message. Walters’s imagination is the one constant in each respective piece, which helped deliver the same message in the two, but very different, stories of the Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
In James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” Walter Mitty faces the every day challenges of the real world. Thurber uses surreal dreams to allow Walter Mitty to escape these challenges. The main two characters are Mr. and Mrs. Mitty. Mr.Mitty finds himself in the middle of action packed dreams until someone or something brings him back to reality. Walter Mitty escapes through his fantasies because he lacks the strength to face reality and the courage to express his real feelings and opinions.
Life is about finding yourself, each other, and being true to one’s self. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an extremely original and creative story written by James Thurber. The movie, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, starring Ben Stiller, conveys a daydreamer escaping his typical life by disappearing into a realm of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. In both the movie and the book, the title character retreats into fantasy as an escape from his mundane reality because in the real world, he is ordinary, insecure, and passive. In the short story, Walter simply retreats into his daydreams and tolerates his domineering wife, while in the movie he actively pursues finding himself.
becomes possible as reality bends. Since the story and the film take place in two different time periods Walter’s daydreams are bent into different periods and twisted in different ways. The plots of Walter Mitty’s life in 1939 compared to his life in 2013 are very different, but it’s his character to start off with and his dreams in which we find similarities.
“I think of it now as a kind of mask, not an animated mask that expresses the essence of an inner truth, but a mask that falls like dead weight over the human face...” (Griffin 349). This quote directs our attention to how Griffon feels about the “mask” and begins to allow us to look at secrets from another perspective. A “Mask”, in Griffon’s example, is a barrier of secrets and lies concealing the truth of a person. Griffin talks about Heinrich Himmler and the secrets that he hides within himself. Throughout his childhood Himmler’s life was hidden, overshadowed by a mask or barrier formed by his upbringing and culture, his perspective of himself was skewed as he takes who he is and puts it deep away within himself. Hiding in fear and guilt- he told no one until the voice he heard from his father became the one he used on himself- chastising him until his being was at war with itself. Griffon discusses how Heinrich causes an emotional build up that results in the loss of his own emotions or a “void”, because of his secrets that have formed a barrier between him and the outside world, as a result of his upbringing and ideals. Griffon relates with him on an almost emotional level- or rather the lack thereof. “But at this moment in his life Heinrich is facing a void. I remember a similar void, when a long and intimate
He imagines and persuades himself that his life is in fact very different in number of contrasting ways. His daydreams, in a similar fashion to The Poor Relation are about his regrets, and his unachieved aspects of his life. Walter Mitty’s dreams are based on impossible scenarios such as him becoming a world class surgeon or “the greatest pistol shot in the world”. These thoughts stretch reality as they are so ridiculous. Walter Mitty aspires to live his dreams, showing that he has a far larger imagination than that of poor relations. This shows that Mitty is much more confident and open-minded than the Poor Relation and is willing to make an effort in life whereas the Poor Relation seems to have given up on his hopes and dreams. This is why his daydreams are of such an insane manor, because he is more enthusiastic and hopeful to make his dreams a reality compared to the Poor Relation.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” So how does someone find their own identity in society? Everybody knows people such as Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, and Thomas Edison, but how do normal civilians individual identities, help shape the way people are today. In the story The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allen Poe, depicts a revenge story that results in the end of the life of Fortunato, but he is the only one to blame. Poe shows how pride drove the motive for Fortunato along with many others in the 19th century.
Walter Mitty lives in the era of world war two, this was a time of danger sickness, gangs and drug dealing. This is why Walter imagines being in the navy, being a surgeon saving the life of a V.I.P and being a crack shot that is cross examine on trial. When Walter hears a newsboy shouting about a trial he envisions himself on trial as a skilled marksman, who is cross examine on the count of murder. In the dream the judge asks Mitty if the weapon is his and Mitty replies by saying “this is my Webley-Vickers 50.80” (Thurber). Clearly, the setting that Walter Mitty lives in influences the way he daydreams and overall impacts the identities he chooses. Alice is in her teen hood where teenagers try to find out what identity suits them and will ultimately reflect upon them for their entire life. However Alice faces, the media who claim her to be “a new development in the story of girl x”. The controversy came up because Gail’s mother Mrs. Jarred believes that her daughter is still alive, she does not want to believe that her daughter is gone, thus putting more pressure on
Life choices define who one truly is, whether they are right or wrong. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, an adventure film of dreams and confinement, these choices are explored in depth by the director Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller shows us a plethora of unique topics throughout the story, such as the influence of people and the longing for others. As the movie progressed onwards, the protagonist, Walter Mitty, transformed. Eventually Walter becomes a dynamic character and develops a greater sense of self awareness. His transformation was largely in part due to the influence of those around him. Peer pressure can be a great factor in interpersonal growth. Ben Stiller discussed the impacts of others on one’s life choices through Walter Mitty’s
...Mitty to escape the life that he is discontent with. However, his daydreaming does not solve the main problem for Walter Mitty. In the short story, he has trouble with his lack of confidence. The only way he can solve this problem is to try to do something that has meaning where he could be successful in. In the movie, Walter Mitty main problem is that he does not take initiative. However, he is able to overcome this weakness with the influence of his coworker, which he likes a lot. While daydreaming may not always be a way to bring accomplishment to real life, it does serve as a reminder of some of the future goals and ambitions, which has an important role in the movie. Walter Mitty's character continues to be a reminder that daydreaming is something that everybody does to escape reality every once in a while and he will be happily looked back on for years to come.
We are introduced with Walter Mitty dreaming about being a pilot in a navy hydroplane in mist of a hurricane. Later, the setting changes to a man in a car driving his wife to salon. His wife reminds him to achieve overshoes while he runs errands. With the shoes in his hands, He forgets another errand he needed to do which could be the conflict of the story. He then daydreams of being in a court and on trial where he remembers he needs to get puppy biscuit. He goes back to the hotel with the overshoes and puppy biscuit. His wife seems to get annoying to Walter Mitty because he outbursts saying, “Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?”. Then the couple goes to a drug store because Mr. Mitty forgets to get something. Outside the drug store smoking a cigarette, Walter Mitty dreams about death by standing in front of a firing squad, still bold and strong. The two main characters involved in the story are Walter Mitty and Mrs. Mitty. Other minor characters introduced in Walter Mitty’s day dreams include: Lieutenant Berg and Dr. Remington from New York. Other characters mentioned in the story were Dr.
Walter Mitty dissociates himself from his mundane world and into a more interesting fantasy life. In the reality, he is your everyday average, submissive old man with mild marital problems. In his diverse fantasies, he is a resilient character challenged with decisive scenarios with physical attributes he lacks in his own reality. Mitty is unhappy with his unexciting and uneventful life, and as a coping mechanism for this reality faced by many people every day, he retreats into his fantasy world. Walter Mitty seems to have some form of cognitive problem. Because of his dwindling relationship with his wife and his poor self-image, he is unhappy with life, and may very well have depression. There are more than 15 million people in the United States today who have been diagnosed with a type of depression. Depression can be caused by nothing at all, or, in Mitty’s case, by a lack of joy in one’s life. For Walter Mitty, his lack of joy also stems from his strained relationship with his wife and his poor self-esteem. Depression can also cause an inability to focus, which Mitty has trouble with as well. Walter Mitty may also have Attention Deficit Disorder too, because he has trouble completing simple tasks and has difficulty concentrating, and he constantly and consistently daydreams, which are triggered by his routine