1. the secret life of walter mitty quotes of reality 2
Post on 24-Dec-2015
215 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
1
The Secret Life of
Walter Mitty
Quotes & reflections
2
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Quotes of Reality
3
"WE'RE going through!" The Commander's voice was like
thin ice breaking. (p. 210)
The story begins in Walter's mind. This
is good evidence for the argument that
dreams and not reality dominate the
plotline.
4
The pounding of the cylinders increased: ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa. (p.
210)
Notice how elements of reality are
incorporated into Mitty's dreams. In this
case, he reinterprets the sound of the
car as the sound of the hydroplane.
5
"You're tensed up again," said Mrs. Mitty. "It's one of your
days. I wish you'd let Dr. Renshaw look you over." (p.
211)
After this line, readers might suspect
that Walter Mitty is mentally unstable.
Or, it could just be that his wife is
overreacting.
6
"Obstreosis of the ductal tract. Tertiary. Wish you'd take a look at him." "Glad to," said Mitty.
(p. 211)
Mitty even makes up words and terms
in his imaginings – his dreams always
have the tinge of kid-like fantasy.
7
Walter Mitty took the gun and examined it expertly. "This is my Webley-Vickers 50.80," he
said calmly. (p. 212)
This is an absurdly large gun, of course
– again we see that Walter's fantasies
are absurd; he doesn't know much
about the lifestyles he pretends to live.
8
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Dissatisfaction Quotes
9
Walter resents the way those around him see him; his
dissatisfaction with reality has a lot to do with his image.
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. (p. 212)
10
This is what so bothers Mitty about the real world; others don't understand
him and misconstrue his actions.
"Puppy biscuit," said Walter Mitty. He stopped
walking and the buildings of Waterbury rose up
out of the misty courtroom and surrounded him
again. A woman who was passing laughed. "He
said 'Puppy biscuit,'" she said to her
companion. "That man said 'Puppy biscuit' to
himself." Walter Mitty hurried on. (p.
213)
11
In Mitty's mind, even the doors are making fun of him!
They went out through the revolving
doors that made a faintly derisive
whistling sound when you pushed them.
(p. 214)
12
The narration again seems to be under Walter's influence – it is
Walter who emphasizes the difference between what Mrs. Mitty
says and what she does.
"Wait here for me. I forgot something. I
won't be a minute." She was more than
a minute. (p.214)
13
Does Walter end the story on a note of victory, or of defeat?
Then, with that faint, fleeting smile
playing about his lips,he faced the firing
squad; erect and motionless, proud
and disdainful, Walter Mitty the
Undefeated, inscrutable to the last.
14
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Men and Masculinity Quotes
15
Mitty always makes a point of including beautiful women in his
fantasies.
. . . "It's the millionaire banker,
Wellington McMillan," said the
pretty nurse. (p. 211)
16
Mitty glamorizes men who are close to important people.
"We're having the devil's own
time with McMillan, the
millionaire banker and close
personal friend of Roosevelt."
(p. 211)
17
Mitty imagines himself as a decisive man who can take charge. In his mind, these
are ideal male qualities.
"Quiet, man!" said Mitty, in a low, cool voice. He sprang
to the machine, which was now going pocketa-pocketa-
queep-pocketa-queep . He began fingering delicately a
row of glistening dials. "Give me a fountain pen!" he
snapped. Someone handed him a fountain pen. He
pulled a faulty piston out of the machine and inserted
the pen in its place. "That will hold for ten minutes," he
said. "Get on with the operation. (p.211)
18
In real life, people don't allow Mitty to do things for himself, but in fantasies people
treat him differently.
"If you would take over, Mitty?"
Mitty looked at him and at the
craven figure of Benbow, who drank,
and at the grave, uncertain faces
of the two great specialists. "If you
wish," he said. (p.212)
19
Mitty fantasizes that he is both skilled and unapologetic. His alter-ego can stand
up to others instead of submitting to them.
"With any known make of gun," he said evenly,
"I could have killed Gregory Fitzhurst at three
hundred feet with my left hand." Pandemonium
broke loose in the courtroom. A woman's scream
rose above the bedlam and suddenly a lovely, dark-
haired girl was in Walter Mitty's arms. The District
Attorney struck at her savagely. Without rising from
his chair, Mitty let the man have it on the point of
the chin. . (p.212)
20
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Marriage Quotes
Notice the contrast between Mitty's
fantasy and his reality. His dreams
compensate for what bothers him about
his marriage.
"The Old Man ain't afraid of hell!" . . .
"Not so fast! You're driving too fast!" said Mrs. Mitty. "What are you driving so fast for?" (p.211)
21
22
Walter and his wife don’t understand
each other. They have reach to the point
where they seem like strangers.
He looked at his wife, in the seat
beside him, with shocked
astonishment. She seemed grossly
unfamiliar, like a strange woman who
had yelled at him in a crowd.
(p.211)
23
Mrs. Mitty sees Walter as an incompetent and clumsy man. She makes others view
him the same way.
Once he had tried to take his chains off,
outside New Milford, and he had got them
wound around the axles. A man had had to
come out in a wrecking car and unwind
them, a young, grinning garage man. Since
then Mrs. Mitty always made him drive to a
garage to have the chains taken off.(p. 212)
24
This story is a part of Mitty's typical life.
Walter Mitty began to wonder what the
other thing was his wife had told him to
get. She had told him, twice before they
set out from their house for Waterbury. In
a way he hated these weekly trips to
town--he was always getting something
wrong. (p. 212)
25
This is the first time that Walter actually tries to stand up to his wife
– and to no avail.
'I was thinking," said Walter Mitty. "Does
it ever occur to you that I am sometimes
thinking?" She looked at him. "I'm going
to take your temperature when I get you
home," she said. (p. 214)
26
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Identity Quotes
27
"We've been all through that," she said, getting out
of the car. "You're not a young man any longer."
(p.211)
Mitty's true age plays a role in establishing his character.
The characters he embodies in his fantasies don't show the same
signs of aging (memory loss, loss of coordination) that Walter does.
28
Oh," said Mitty, handing the man the ignition key. The attendant vaulted into the
car, backed it up with insolent skill, and put it where it belonged. (p.212)
The narration slips under Mitty's influence – the word "insolent“ reflects Walter's state of mind.
29
"Any special brand, sir?" The greatest pistol shot in
the world thought a moment. "It says
'Puppies Bark for It' on the box," said Walter Mitty. .
(p.213)
Walter's imaginary character is strongly contrasted with his real
character.
30
'I was thinking," said Walter Mitty. "Does it ever occur to
you that I am sometimes thinking?" She looked at
him. "I'm going to take your temperature when I get you home," she said. (p.214)
Walter's potential is limited because of his wife.
top related