On The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in Light of Formalistic Approach

牟李園

【Abstract】The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a short story written by American writer James Thurber who has been considered the best humorist since Mark Twain. In the light of formalistic approach, through the analysis of the organic structure and characters, the paper tries to reveal the inner logic and theme of the novel.

【Key words】The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; formalistic approach; inner logic; theme

1. Introduction

Formalistic analysis can be regarded as a text-centered approach which emphasizes a close reading of text itself rather than some other external factors such as the autobiography of author or historical background. “Usually such kind of intensive reading starts with the understanding of words including both the denotative and connotative meanings”. While at the same time, the relationships of different levels and different parts also should be analyzed. Bit by bit, the inner logic will be grasped and the theme will also gradually emerge. However, this is not happening in any set sequence and it just happens when something specific catches our attention which can be a strange image, a repeated sentence and even a punctuation.

The short novel The Secret Life of Walter Mitty written by James Thurber provides rich materials for formalistic analysis, because it holds a clear binary opposition structure which is expressed through different opposite pairs. Though the novel seems a little fragmented, it is closely connected by an inner logic which helps to establish the overall form of the work. In the following parts, organic structure, character and them these three aspects will be discussed in order to show how the author arranged various elements to prominent the theme and to achieve the accomplishment of a work.

2. The Organic Structure

2.1 The contrast between reality and fantasy

At the first time of reading this novel, it is difficult to catch its developing line because it was arranged fragmentally. But after a close reading of the text, it can be found that the novel is organized by combining reality and fantasy. Then how can we identify and distinguish these two parts?

2.1.1 Punctuation

First, we can go from a tiny part—punctuation. In this novel, the author first used “…” to give readers a hint. The first paragraph is ended with a “…” while in the following four paragraphs, the“…” can not be found. Then the sixth paragraph is started with a “…” and the seventh is ended with a“…”. With the development of the novel, it can be found that the “…”either starts or ends certain paragraphs. Through the appearing pattern, we can see that “…”here acts a role of distinguishing one part from another. Then which part is fantasy and which one is reality? What about their relationship? In order to answer these questions, the following aspects can be analyzed.

2.1.2 Word

Here, word mainly refers to some terminologies and descriptive words. Terminology always can give a professional and authentic impression. However, in this novel some terminologies just leave readers an obscure and ridiculous impression. Just take a few terminologies for an instance. In the sixth and seventh paragraphs, Mr. Mitty became an excellent surgeon and some specific terms about medicine appeared, such as “obstreosis”, “streptothricosis”, and “coreopsis”. “Obstreosis” has been expected to describe a kind of disease, but in fact such a word just is an imaginative one of Mr. Mitty. And about the term “streptothricosis” which is supposed to be about human disease, actually is a kin infection occurs in animal. Through the analysis of these two “terminologies”, we can suspect that Mr. Mitty is not an excellent surgeon.

Mr. Mitty always use some vague descriptions. For example, Mr. Mitty used “a huge complicated machine” and “a row of glistening dials” to describe some specific machines. And “pocheta-pocketa-pocketa” was applied to describe the sounds produced by all the machines no matter the machine is a medical one or military one. Such descriptions just give readers a vague impression which shows that maybe Mr. Mitty didnt know the machine either.

Through the above analysis, it can be confirmed that those paragraphs begun or ended with “…” are fantasy and those left paragraphs are the real life of Mr. Mitty. How about the relationship between the reality and fantasy? Is the fantasy a portrayal of the realty or something else?

2.1.3 Sentence types and tones

This relationship can be analyzed through the change of sentence types and tones of our protagonist—Mr. Mitty. In his fantasy, the talk of Mr. Mitty contains imperative and question sentences and his tones are decisive, calm and masculine. For example, in the first fantasy, Mr. Mitty made command in order to get through a hurricane: “Switch on No.8 auxiliary! and ‘Full strength in No.3 turret!”, these two sentences show the decisive and clam tones of the speaker—Commander Mr. Mitty. And in the second fantasy, Mr. Mitty became a surgeon, and just answered the nurses report with a “Yes?” and then asked “Who has the case?” which show the pride and superior tones of the excellent surgeon Mr. Mitty. When there was something wrong with the anesthetizer, Mitty just said “Quiet, man!”, “Give me a fountain pen!” which hold a calm and confident tone.

However, in the reality, the sentence types and tones are very different. Mr. Mitty talks little and always just speaks one word or even keep quiet. For example, when Mrs. Mitty asked him not to drive so fast, he just answered with one word “Hmm?” which expressed his absent-mined and timid. And in parking lot, an attendant asked him to leave the key and he just answered “Oh” with an obedient tone.

2.1.4 The contrast of characters in reality and fantasy

By a general analysis of the sentence types and tones, it can be found that the fantasy of Mr. Mitty forms a sharp contrast of the reality. In his fantasy, he could be a brave and decisive commander and order the Lieutenant to put the Navy hydroplane into full power to go through the hurricane. While in reality, he was blamed by his wife for his “fast” speed, and just became an obedient and a timid man. In his second daydream, Mr. Mitty became a skillful, reliable surgeon. In reality, Mr. Mitty was very clumsy and even couldnt park his car in the right place. Mr. Mitty continued to daydream and this time, he imagined himself as a courageous and rebellious crack shot that attracted and protected a young girl. But the truth is Mr. Mitty was laughed by a woman because his murmuring of “puppy biscuit”. He actually was a man who followed his wifes order to buy puppy biscuit. The brave Captain Mr. Mitty was the fourth imagined character who prepared to sacrifice him to finish a military mission. While in reality, Mr. Mitty was hiding in an old chair to wait his wife and he just was like a child who needs the supervision and care from a mother.

Trough the analysis of sentence type, tones and concrete content, we can see that there existed a great gap between the real Mr. Mitty and a series of imagined ones. Such a contrast sometimes seems a little funny and ridiculous but more important is its ironic function. The irony not only exposes the double personality and confusion of Mr. Mitty but also forms a tension and helps to construct the organic structure of the novel.

2.2 Coherence

As to form an organic structure, an inner logic or interrelationship is necessary. We know that the novel described a one-day-trip of Mr. Mitty, and thus the development of the plot can be traced through the spatial movements, certain events and inner activities of Mr. Mitty.

The story is begun and ended with fantasy that is aroused and broken by reality. The fantasy of commanding a Navy hydroplane came from Mr. Mittys real experience of driving his wife to Waterbury. And while he was dreaming of going through a hurricane with a full power, his wife broke his fantasy by blaming his fast speed. Then Mr. Mitty left his wife and drove to the parking lot during which he passed a hospital and imagined himself as an excellent doctor. But he was wakened from the dream by the shout of a parking-lot attendant, because Mr. Mitty couldnt park his car in a right place. Now we know, all the way to the parking lot, Mr. Mitty had been dreaming of being a doctor. Leaving the parking lot and after buying the overshoes, he realized that he also had to buy some other things that he couldnt remember. As he wondering the “whats-its-name”, a shot of “Waterbury trail” dragged his mind away. The scene switched into a court in which the crack shot Mr. Mitty, abused the District Attorney as “You miserable cur!” Here, the daydreaming was broken, because the word “cur” reminded Mr. Mitty one thing he had to buy—puppy biscuit. So Mr. Mitty returned to reality murmuring “puppy biscuit” and walked to a shop. After that, Mr. Mitty went to the hotel waiting for his wife. Here, pictures of booming planes and of ruined streets on an old copy of Liberty brought his mind to a brave captain who was ready to fly alone to complete some military mission. This time, the scold of his wife wake him again, the blonde in his dream turned into Mrs. Mitty. In the last scene, outside the drugstore, Mr. Mitty smoked and waited his wife, and an executed criminal on who “took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away” occurred in his mind. This imagined Mr. Mitty was “inscrutable to the last”, just as the real Mr. Mitty.

After an overall analysis, it can be found that the author use related scenes, events or even a single word to connect the reality and fantasy tightly and logically together which made the novel a coherent and logic one.

3. Characters

In this novel, Mr. Mitty and Mrs. Mitty are two major characters. In the above analysis, Mrs. Mitty seemed to always play a role of scolding Mr. Mitty and dragging him out of his fantasy. And through the analysis of the following aspects, we can get a further understanding of these two characters.

3.1 Sentence type and portion of discourse

Through the above analysis, we have known that in reality, Mr. Mitty talked little and was an obedient and timid man. Then what kind of person is Mrs. Mitty? We can get more information from the talk between Mr. Mitty and Mrs. Mitty. Their talk first began with the order of Mrs. Mitty “Not so fast! Youre driving too fast!” and a question sentence “What are you driving so fast for?” while Mr. Mitty just answered with one single word “Hmm?” The punctuation “!” and the imperative and question sentences fully express the bossy and mighty of Mrs. Mitty. About Mr. Mitty, the single word answer with a punctuation “?” exposed his absence and obedience. In the following talk, Mrs. Mitty talked a lot while Mr. Mitty just keep silent until he was asked to buy overshoes, he expressed his will that “I dont need overshoes”. However, his only expression was denied by Mrs. Mitty and at last, he still bought the overshoes. Their next talk happened when Mrs. Mitty finally found out Mr. Mitty in the hotel. She scolded and asked him with a series of questions which were answered only with a few words “things close in” and “Overshoes”.

By analyzing the sentence type and potion of discourse, we can find that Mrs. Mitty used lots of question sentences and took a large portion in the whole discourse which not only expressed her nagging, bossy features but also showed her high position in the family. And in the discourse between Mr. Mitty and Mrs. Mitty, Mr. Mitty just spoke five sentences in which two sentences only contain one single word. Mr. Mitty thus took a very little portion of the discourse which shaped a henpeck and an absent-minded husband image.

3.2 Image

3.2.1 Glove

The glove occurs in different scenes not only in reality but also in fantasy. From the perceptive of Mrs. Mitty, glove is a kind of symbol of his bossy. She asked Mr. Mitty “why dont you wear your gloves? Have you lost your gloves? ” and then Mr. Mitty reluctantly put the gloves on. While for Mr. Mitty, the gloves are a bond from his wife and a symbol of his timid. So he just sought comfort from his fantasy. In his fantasy of becoming a surgeon, he removed his gloves slowly and when he did an important operation, he “drew on thin gloves;” thus, the gloves in fantasy was a symbol of confidence, leisure, skill and reputation which from a sharp contrast with reality. Such an irony fully exposes Mr. Mittys weakness and escape from reality.

3.2.2 Mirror

The image mirror occurred before Mrs. Mitty had her hair done. “She put her mirror into her bag”, this description hints that Mrs. Mitty always took mirror with her and was cared with her image which can reflected Mrs. Mittys positive attitude towards life. Whats more, looking in mirror also shows Mrs. Mittys attitude towards herself—she accepted what she was. Unlike Mr. Mitty who couldnt accept the real self and sought exit in fantasy, Mrs. Mitty just faced the reality directly and lived her life positively.

3.3 Relationship

Obviously, Mr. Mitty seemed to be governed by Mrs. Mitty, but it can not be denied that he also was supported and cared by Mrs. Mitty. When he indulged himself in fantasy, it always was Mrs. Mitty that woke him up and let him face the real life. Overshoes and gloves also can be regarded as Mrs. Mittys care for Mr. Mitty., because from some details, we can find Mr. Mitty really need overshoes and gloves. And in the last, Mrs. Mitty still remembered to take a temperature of Mr. Mitty who seemed be cared like a child.

4. Theme

The organic structure and shape of characters all serve for the prominence of the theme. The combination of fantasy and reality makes the novel fragmented which also expresses the pointlessness and nihility of our protagonist—Mr. Mitty. And Mr. Mittys action of daydreaming exposes his cowardice and his escape from reality. Through the analysis of the novel, we can see there is no concrete description about Mr. Mitty. Readers dont know the appearance, profession, age or race and other concrete things about Mr. Mitty and Mrs. Mitty, and the author just through some inner mind activities, discourses and actions gives reader a vague and general impression. There, maybe Mr. Mitty can be regarded as a general character and a representation of people in a certain period. Therefore, the pointlessness, nihility, escape are features not only about Mr. Mitty but also abut a society and people living in the society.

5. Conclusion

Focusing on text itself, formalistic approach offers an objective way to analyze literary works. Based on formalistic approach and from organic structure, character and theme these three aspects, it can be found that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with a strong inner logic and coherent structure, gives prominence to the profound theme—the escape trend and nihility of people in the society.

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