eng

Shuq Aljahani

Dalva Church

ENG 142-4

10/9/15

Men and Masculinity in the Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The short story “The secret life of Walter Mitty” written by James Thurber talks about a man by the names Walter Mitty, who fantasizes about being an extraordinary man in contrast to his real self (Thurber 1). He does this fantasizes through his daydreams. In his daydreams, he takes the roles of powerful and bold individuals who are more decisive in their life but ironicaly of him in real life.

Men who fantasize about their life lose sight of their reality, which leads to them questioning their masculinity.

Men who fantasize are not happy with their lives. Walter lives in fantasies to escape the bitter reality of his life dominated by the wife. Mitty is not satisfied with his life because he does not live up to his desired qualities masculine ideals as presented in his daydreams (Thurber 3). Males are normally socialized to be more active than females in the society. That quality not reflected in the stature of Mitty as a man because it his wife who has a say in almost everything. She is overly controlling over her husband. For example, when she commands that he reduces the speed limit, "Not so fast!" She yelled at Mitty” (Thurber 7). In this scenario, Mrs.Mitty symbolically limits Mitty's independence and masculinity by ordering him to reduce the speed. However, the opposite happens in his fantasy where the commander is the one who demands to faster . Men who fantasy tend to run away from their reality because they are unable to confront the issues in their lives. Mitty fantasizes that he is in control of the hydroplane and showcases his skills as a pilot. By daydreaming that scene, he is simply using a defensive mechanism to repress his thoughts of his controlling wife. Many people use fantasizes to avoid the harsh realities of their life. Mitty as a man is expected to be able to confront his problems. Instead he is passive and inept in so many ways. The fantasy dreams reflect a contrast of what is a typical male masculinity such as skilled, bold, decisive, confident, and someone who is respected in society.

Mrs.Mitty is the sole reason for her man's unhappies Foster. Men who fantasize hid from their realities because they are unhappy. Mitty is unable to be happy because his wife hurts his ego. According to Foster, human beings try to protect their egos based on sexual drives where he says, "…ego is one of the major defenses" (Foster . 43). A man would want to be a man just like a woman would want to be recognized as a woman. a rift between men and women in many. In Feminist criticism, women try to feel represented in a male dominated world or patriarchal society. It is said that "A woman is referred as the "other" in a patriarchal society," (Brizee et al par.63). The quest for women to be felt is so evident in the short story where Mitty's wife has managed to dominate the husband in all aspects. In doing that, she has exposed the weakness in her man's masculinity. The man does not have independence and is dictated to by the wife.

Women are normally socialized supposed to take care of their men and support them psychologically. There is no couple awareness between them as witnessed when Mrs. Mitty suggests that he goes for a medical check-up, and yet he is just psychologically affected(Thurber 7). Mitty's wife is so inconsiderate by leaving him in the cold while she goes to get something at the drugstore. That is ironical of her and yet she claims that he is sick. That is not how a sick person is supposed to be treated. The woman in the short story is so nagging that she prevents Mitty from doing what he loves to do. That is depicted where she reminds Mitty to purchase a pair of overshoes as much as he does not need them. In response, he races the car engine as a sign of annoyance. He is also forced by the wife to wear the gloves as much as he does not want to. He cannot talk back at her because he fears the wife's controlling attitude. It is a sign of weakness in him for not being independent and decisive as a man. Men are expected to lead the pack especially in terms of skills. That is ironical of Mitty, who cannot even pack the car properly. He symbolizes men in society who are not up to the task of tackling certain issues in society. That is why women have lost respect for them and are now leading the pack. It also affirms that men are not born masculine but rather socialized to be one as seen through the lens of feminist criticism (Brizee et al par. 66). Sex is just an aspect of biology, but the way human beings are socialized is what determines their personalities and approach to life issues. Mitty only fantasizes male masculinity but does not live to that billing. He is living a lie and, therefore, brings shame to the male folk in society. Power relations expect that men are more powerful than women, and whenever that imbalance is created, conflicts would be inevitable. Mitty envies or resents the young men who possess the skills that he does not have, more so the masculine skills.

Mitty's plan to wear a sling is a symbol of shame that confirms his self-acceptance as less masculine as perceived by the wife. It shows his internalization of the wife's beliefs about him. The modern man is emasculated by the modern woman as Mitty is subordinated to his wife who remotely controls him and even scolds at him for his incompetence. Gender studies put it that there is a quest to have equality of sexes where none dominates the other. Women have been very vocal in that particular front, and men see that as a threat to their masculinity.

Conclusion

Mitty escapes from reality and hides in the fantasies of his dreams. His real life is ironical of the fantasies he experiences. He is portrayed as incompetent by the overbearing wife. The short story also depicts the wife as nagging and controlling woman who dominates over the husband. His life is boring and stressful that he has to dash into the fantasy world to repress the thoughts and events of reality. From the literary theory and school of criticism in particular Gender Studies, the short story is a reflection of the modern day society. Women are rising to challenge men in all aspects of life. At the same time, men are also losing the battle to affirm their positions as masculinity demands. The theme masculinity demands that men rise to the occasion by stopping to fantasize and instead competently take action so as to earn respect from women. The short story is a worth reading piece of literature that mirrors the current society.

Works Cited

Brizee, Allen., Tompkins,Case.,Chernouski, Libby.,& Boyle, Elizabeth. Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism. Purdue OWL, 2015.

Foster, Thomas. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines. EBook.

Thurber, James. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Penguin Books, 2013. ISBN 0141395303

Thurber, James. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The Creative Company, 2008. ISBN 1583415866