the_secret_life_of_walter_mitty

General Studies of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Yao Hongqin,Sources of Information:, Short Story Criticism CNKI Gale Understanding Fiction 当代西方文艺理论,Major Approaches to the Story:,Inter-textual StudyPsychoanalysis StudyThe Study of Symbolism Feminism Study Social-Cultural Study,I. Inter-textual Study,Major Arguments: a). Mitty is a descendant of Rip Van Winkle and Tom Sawyer in serving to orchestrate the theme of conflict between the individual and society, and he dream-wishes qualities customarily exhibited by the legendary frontier hero.(Carl M. Lindner ),b). Mitty is made into a comic character by the shabby quality of his fantasies, fantasies understood as the means of withdrawal and covert means of aggression, which would seem confirmed by a glance at three analogous stories by Thurber: The Lady on 142, The Catbird Seat, and The Curb in the Sky,B. a) Comparison between other works of James Thurber The Lady on 142 The Catbird Seat The Curb in the Skyboth of these protagonists are full of fantasies,and are regarded as little men, and have badrelationships with women,b). Comparison with the works of other writers Rip Van Winkle (Washington Irving) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain) Lord Jim (Joseph Conrad) both of these protagonists want to escape from the real world, and share perhaps similar way of thinking,II. Psychoanalysis Study,A. From the Freudian perspective: According to Freud in The Interpretation of Dreams, dreams are symbolic fulfillments of wishes that cant be fulfilld because theyve been repressed. Often these wishes cant even be expressed directly in consciousness, because they are forbidden, so they come out in dreams-but in strange ways, in ways that often hide or disguise the true wish behind the dream.,B. Many critics have seen Mittys fantasies as a triumph of affirmation. Robert E. Morsberger suggests that through his fantasies Mitty triumphs over a sense of inadequacy and a nagging wife, and Charles S. Holmes suggests that in fantasy, Mitty finds the means to reshape outer defeat into inner victory.” Robert H.Elias maintains that in the fantasies Mitty achieves a victory, even if qualified, that contributes to self preservation.,III. The Study of Symbolism,Coitus Interruptis: Sexual Symbolism in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ( by Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet)From the perspective of sex: Mitty suffers from a marked sense of sexual inferiority for which he needs to compensate, that each of his heroic postures is rendered in terms of exaggerated phallic potency, and that the fantasies taken together represent a continuous attempt at orgasm.,IV. Feminism Study,a). In his stories and cartoons, Thurber often portrayed women, especially wives, as dominating and menacing creatures, breaking the spirit of the men in their lives. b). Mrs. Mittys actions can be seen as quite understandable and even praiseworthy. It is not inconceivable that Mitty, the architect of so many intricate fantasies, unconsciously chose for himself a wife like Mrs. Mitty.c). Mrs. Mitty, another Eve, relegated to the realm of the physical, having less of a mind than her mate, is viewed as the ultimate cause of his predicament when she attempts to secure a more powerful role for herself.,V. Social-Cultual Study,a). The forces that induce Mitty to daydream include the development of urban, industrial society. (by Carl M. Lindner )b). Mittys inability to deal with life is the natural result of the modern worlds stresses on the individual. c). Thurbers story has its roots in American cultural tradition. His chief character, Walter Mitty, has forerunners in native folklore and fiction. d). What Thurbers story can show us, while it delights us with its c