In the story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, daydreaming plays a very important role in giving the short story its “feel.” Walter Mitty, a married man, daydreams out of nowhere, which makes him appear to be like like a person going insane. Walter’s daydreams are triggered by events that happen around him, such as if he hears a certain word or sees a certain object.
The feel that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty gives to the reader is that Walter is either dissatisfied with life, or is going crazy. His seemingly random daydreams make the reader uneasy, feeling that he is an unstable man.
The feeling of instability of Walter is shown greater when the story reveals he has a wife. The reader is left to wonder, how dies his wife deal with this? Does Mitty ramble about when daydreaming? If so, how does his wife put up with this? Another unsettling fact uncovered when Walter daydreams about being on the receiving end of a firing squad. This may say that he is either depressed or doesn’t care about being extreme.
All in all, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a puzzling story that leaves the reader to worry and imagine about Walter and his future. Thoughts such as, how may this get him into trouble? Stories like these what makes them so enjoyable, even hours after reading.