Comparison of Walter Mitty Story and The Story of an Hour

Introduction to Literature The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Story of an Hour

Share many a like factors and several differences. The major points involved in these stories demonstrate love with in a relationship of marriage but in different ways. Both women share a common bond of tolerance and absence towards certain things in their marital life. The men tend to share similarities from their wives being who they are as women and being concerned about their husbands well being. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Story of an Hour share many a like factors and several differences.

The major points involved in these stories demonstrate love with in a relationship of marriage but in different ways. Both women share a common bond of tolerance and absence towards certain things in their marital life. The men tend to share similarities from their wives being who they are as women and being concerned about their husbands well being. The men in literary works are similar because they both have women in their life whom care much about them. Although displayed through different actions it is very evident that both these women are deeply in tune with their other half.

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During the study and exploration of the traits and characteristics of each person, the stories give the opportunity for great evaluation of the pros and cons of caring and affection with marital traits. While each relationship is maintained and appreciated in dissimilar ways loving acts of kindness are continuously shown. The men in literary works are very different but they both have women in their life whom care much about them. Although displayed through different actions it is very evident that both these women are deeply in tune with their other half.

Exploring the traits and characteristics of each person, the stories give the opportunity for great evaluation of the pros and cons of gender and marital traits. While each relationship is maintained and appreciated in dissimilar ways loving acts of kindness are continuously shown. Each of the literary pieces are written and described from different points of view. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is written by a man, James Thurber in omniscient third person point of view. This allows the narrator to tell and describe his own thoughts of the character as the story proceeds.

The Story of an Hour

With Mrs. Mitty it’s not so much the same, her thoughts are given with her own words in plain form. With The Story of an Hour it also written by a woman, Kate Chopin in third person point of view also, but it is considered to be known as third person limited omniscient. “This is a point of view when the thoughts and feelings of only one of the characters are related through the narrator. An external narrator who takes a detached approach to the action and characters, usually to create a dramatic effect, and does not enter into their minds is using an objective point of view. (Journey into Literature 2010) The story is told from only one character thoughts through the whole story. Although the story has more than one character the reader understands the concept with only the main characters thoughts and emotions. The Story of an Hour is considered to be a work of poetry according to the book Journey into Literature while The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a short story. I would have to agree that both of the writings are short stories and neither one should be considered poetry. The title alone lets the reader know this is story and not poetry.

Both stories are short and made up of a series of short paragraphs, each of these pieces of work are descriptive in the writing style the author has chosen. They both give great detail and lots of information. Poetry can have all the same elements but poetry may consist of the reader gathering a perception of the message being relayed. These short stories give insight to every step, feeling, and emotion as the stories unfold. The author gives a play by play of who is involved, what happened, why it happened, how it happened and what the final outcome is or was.

In The Story of An Hour since all events occur in only one hour there is not much time for major flashbacks, or history of characters. Most thoughts in the story are brief but very literal in explanation; although short a clear understanding is still valid. With The Secret Life of Walter Mitty does not happen in one hour but during a couple of hours out of the day. The same situation applies in this story not much time to elaborate on things of the past or how they got that way, but it does give enough great detail to determine the role and habits of the characters involved.

The Secret Life of Walter

Each story ends differently with certain breaking points throughout each piece of the literary works. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has no climax to the ending but instead the story ends just as it started. Mr. Mitty begins with a daydream and the story ends the same way with a day dream. This is an ordinary man who embarks and embraces doing extraordinary things in his own mind. His mind flutters with fantasies, that let him become whoever he likes at that moment. In my opinion this could be connected to the relationship he has with his wife. Mrs.

Mitty can tend to a bit bossy and over bearing at times which could put Mr. Mitty in a bad place. His solution to the issue could be to zone out and find a place in mind to escape the pressure of reality. Mrs. Mitty can be seen as the person in the relationship who often takes the leadership role, but we have to conclude at what cost. She is simply a woman who knows the type of man she has been married to for sometimes and knows his qualities. It may appear she is being hard on him, but she is only doing her wifely duties by keep keeping her husband on track.

In Mitty’s habitual daydreaming he often considers and imagines himself a completely different person, than he really is in everyday life. He has become of importance in most cases, a hero, someone who matters. Once the day dreaming is over and Mrs. Mitty, who is always there to bring him back to reality, he returns to being just a regular forgetful and very passive husband. Mitty seems to want to be better and do better but he knows this cannot be accomplished alone. So even though he dislikes the way his wife shows her feeling towards him at times, he accepts it knowing it is beneficial to him.

A perfect symbol used would be the window, which Louise looks out as she is deep thought about the circumstances she is now faced with. The window represents freedom, almost like a clear view of what takes place. “But when Mrs. Mallard hears the shocking news, she undergoes a profound transformation that empowers her with a "clear and exalted perception"  (The Explicator 2011)Mrs. Mallard is trying to hold it together as she gazes out of a window all while telling herself be free. She felt something major was about to happen but she was unsure of what it was.

The window is symbolic to knowing there is an outside view but not really being certain of it is out there. The story even explains to us that she was “drinking in a very elixir of life though that open window” (Kate Chopin (1894) Journey into Literature 2010). Being connected with the window as a symbol this statement alone can bring us to the conclusion she was experiencing a feeling leeriness and had mixed emotions. The symbolic themes in the story of Mitty would consist of overshoes he gloves, and the tire chains. They all represent Mrs. Mitty's control factors with her husband.

She reminds him to purchase the overshoes in a demanding way. She also expresses her feelings about him driving the speed limit when she advises him to slow down to 40 from 55. In addition, she requires him to take his car to a garage to have the snow chains on his tires removed. In Kate Coplin's story, there is a climax involved. There was something coming to her, and she was waiting for it. She did not know exactly what it was, but she felt deep in her spirit and soul. She was beginning to realize that something was approaching and was about to take over her. As she fought the feeling with all her might, it could not be avoided.

The Story of an Hour displays

When she abandoned herself, a voice whispered, “Free, free, free!" The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes (The Explicator 2003). The Story of an Hour displays its love within a marriage through a wife’s heartbreaking and compelling thoughts after she has learned of her husband’s death. Louise and Brently Mallard are the couple that defines this love story. She is a very fragile woman who is also sickly, which makes the news even harder to cope with. As her life flashes before her and she is in deep thought about her husband, whom she no longer can share with, peace becomes of her.

She wonders if she can make it or how she will go on with the sudden change. Her expression is shown as she ponders and gazes out of the window about a life she once knew. “There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. ” (The Story of an Hour Journey into Literature 2010) At this point it is obvious all her life she imagined having her husband there through it all.

The mood at this time gives the impression she may feel herself slipping away but still trying to hold it together. Had this woman not been so deeply in love and concerned about her husband of course none of this would have e affected her the way it did. At one point in time she sits in a chair allows her head to drop back and just thinks. These are both example of pure and true love. We know that both stories were created and developed as short stories but they differ in the kind of short story they represent. The Story of an Hour is very serious and somewhat tragic story.

It could also be considered a drama based on the fact that it is about love and the loss of a beloved spouse and death. The author wrote this work in the form of suspense and teasing. While Mrs. Mallard has an emotional epiphany, it challenges the reader to wonder if she is going to make it. The reader could draw the conclusion that maybe she won’t make it without her husband, and the story could end in two deaths instead of just one. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is far from a tragedy; it's actually the complete opposite. This story takes on more of a comedic role than anything.

The author takes a creative and playful approach with this particular story. The mind-boggling of Walter can be quite humorous once you get more involved in the story, especially if you read it more than once. Another part I found funny was when Mr. and Mrs. Mitty would snap at each other when one of them was voicing their opinion about something. For instance, if Mrs. Mitty caught Walter drifting away in his mind, she would remind him of his daily tasks. Instead of Walter looking at it as if she was showing her affection by keeping him on the right path, in his mind, he viewed it as if she was fussing or nagging.

In actuality, had she not reminded him of certain things at certain times, it probably wouldn't get done. It reminds me of an old couple, which they were, where both parties think they have it all figured out and don’t really need the other one. In this case, they both need each other; Mrs. Mitty more than likely would have nothing to do if she didn't have to watch her husband all day, and Walter would spend all his time in another life if Mrs. Mitty wasn't by his side. It's just pure old-fashioned, sweet, and romantic love that has grown over time.

In my opinion, it's cute and sweet. The example of love demonstrated in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is not the same. While the affection is still there, Walter Mitty and his wife, Mrs. Mitty, do things a little differently. Mrs. Mitty takes on more of a caretaker role in this union. Walter has the habit of becoming sidetracked extremely easily. Daydreaming is known to be his source of how his mind wanders and drifts away from real life. "Mitty daydreamed of a more exciting life as he went about his errands. He became a war hero, or a doctor, or an excellent marksman.

Conclution

His daydreams, however, were always interrupted by his wife, bystanders or other realities of life” (Bismarck Tribune2010) His wife constantly has to remind him of things that need to be done, which he hates by the way. His wife projects her love towards her husband in more of mother son type relationship. She knows what he needs and also knows he is very hard headed about getting it done. "Remember to get those overshoes while I'm having my hair done," she said. ” I don't need overshoes," said Mitty. She put her mirror back into her bag. "We've been all through that," she said, getting out of the car. You're not a young man any longer” (The Secret life of Walter Mitty Journey into Literature 2010) This conversation between Mitty and his wife describes his feelings towards his wife continuously giving him instructions to abide by. At times he may not like it but her thoughts and devotion are strictly out of love. Just as any relationship if one party does not care then nothing will be mentioned or done to diffuse the situation. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty shows a marriage in which the wife is dominating, and controlling, Mitty, is very passive, and submissive, and under his wife's thumb.

The Story of an Hour shows a marriage in which the wife feels as if she may not make it without her husband, who is obviously supportive and much needed. In one story the husband is needed an in the other the wife is needed. Regardless to who needs who the unions cannot be complete with one missing piece. Mitty nay have not admitted it or showed it but with Mrs. Mitty he would be lost and living in a fantasy world. Mrs. Mallard admitted and expressed that needed to her husband to survive, for in the end it was his passing and presence for the reason as to why she died. .

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