In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber, the main character Walter Mitty is a shy submissive man who frequently daydreams. His daydreams consist of dangerous situations of which he is the daring protagonist respected by everyone, the opposite of his real life. Then shortly after starts his fantasy, he wakes up to the real world and gets flamed by his wife. Nobody respects him, because he is just an old man yearning for a life that he never will have.
Mr. Mitty’s daydreams are adventurous. He plays a hydroplane pilot, a bomber, and a criminal about to be executed. As stated earlier, his dreams are polar opposites of his real life. Through Mr. Mitty’s ambitions, Thurber is trying to convey that humans always strive to acquire what they do not have. In his dreams he is always a capable man who is cool and is in control of every situation. In real life, he is a man who gets bossed around by his wife. In his time period, this would be considered very shameful.
In conclusion, Thurber expresses the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side by showing Walter Mitty’s dreams. He is a shy man with big fantasies which are opposites of his life. Thurber is trying to say that humans always want what they do not have.