The Greatest Man In The World / The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (1939) - Plot & Excerpts
I think this is one case where you can say the movie is better than the book, but I still liked it a lot. I didn't know it was a short story. But I like how it perfectly sums up Walter Mitty and it's just enough to make me understand and accept the story for what it is and what it means. War daydreams aren't my favorite but I still liked it because reading the little history at the end made it all 10x better. Walter Mitty, in any other person's eyes, is an ordinary guy, married to a rather controlling woman who has her share of annoying idiosyncrasies. But through Walter's eyes, he is anything and everything. A misplaced energy manifesting different forms; a daredevil, fear-nothing war pilot, a millionaire surgeon-- all so that Walter can escape his life. Throughout the story, his daydreams bleed into reality, and we follow him along a usual day of running errands and attending work. After he gets home, and waits for his wife (only to have her boss him around and follow her usual routine) he zones into another daydream depicting him at the receiving end of a firing squad. This story shows that our mind, just as much as the physical world, is capable of being where we live. A man so bogged down with his life he chooses to live inside of himself rather than experiencing real things. In the end, nothing changes for Walter, and his mind stays his reality, and his wife his biggest nuisance. :footnoteIn the 2004 movie, "The Final Cut" , Robin Williams (the main character) shows one of his acquaintances the memories of a girl, that were inconsistent with reality. She saw fish swimming outside of her car and other things that must have been from inside of her mind.Walter Mitty would probably have had one of those memories-- where he became so involved with his daydreams that that's what he lived in. (Just thought I'd share that)
What do You think about The Greatest Man In The World / The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (1939)?
So accurate. Love it. Says so much about humans. I can totally see myself.
—Natz
A fun and relatable short story. Very well written with great imagery.
—Nisi
11/4/14 - Free audio book download from audible.com
—blasby123
