The Reasons For Walter Mitty's Daydream

Part I of Essay
Most people daydream from time to time when they are bored. Daydreaming often gives a pleasant break from dull reality, and it lets people pretend to be or do things they could not in real life. Walter Mitty, the main character in James Thurber's story "The Secret Life of ....

Part II of Essay
.... back from this daydream by his wife's voice, as she says, "'Not so fast! You're driving too fast! . . . What are you driving so fast for?'" Here the reader sees the sharp contrast between the daydream and real life. In the daydream, Mitty has the full respect and admiration of the passengers of his imaginary hydroplane. In real life, his only passenger, his wife, scolds him for not driving properly. This contrast between the competent man of the daydream and the incompetent man of real life is repeated over and over. Each repetiti ....