Department of English

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

(1939)

James Thurber

(December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961)

Notes

683  Webley-Vickers 50.80: As a gun, it is a figment of Walter Mitty's and James Thurber's imagination.  See The Firing Line discussion thread.  Apparently, in real life, the Webley Vickers is a classic motorcycle.  See pictures.

Study Questions for James Thurber's “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”

Some things to think about as you read and reread.

• Is Mrs. Mitty a good wife?  Is Walter Mitty a good husband?  What is the problem?

• Examine the interweaving of Walter Mitty’s reality and fantasy.  What things are real, what are made up?  How are they enmeshed in each other?  How are fantasies triggered and created?

• Who and/or what are Walter Mitty’s antagonists?

Review Sheet

Characters

Walter Mitty –  

Mrs. Mitty –  

Setting

Plot

Discussion

Sample Student Reading Responses to James Thurber's “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”

Under construction.

Response 1:

Key Terms to Date

characterization vocabulary

plot vocabulary

Reference

Kinney, Harrison.  James Thurber: His Life and Times.  New York: Henry Holt, 1995.

Home  |  Introduction to the Study of English Fiction  |  Literary Terms  |  English Help  

Last updated November 27, 2008