Walter Mitty is a character in a 1939 short story by James Thurber entitled “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” If you have never read it, give it a whirl because it’s pretty funny.
I have thought about that story and I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a bit of Walter in all of us. Maybe not to Walter’s extreme, but there is a fragment in all of us.
Milquetoast
You see, it’s like this, Walter is a bit of a milquetoast. Actually, he could be the definition of a milquetoast. His mother tells him what to do. His future bride tells him what to do. His male friends intimidate him. He is never quite sure about what he should do. I believe I need say no more on this subject.
But Walter also has a fantastic imagination. It seems that a certain noise or an event near him throws him into a private world of fantasy but, soon, he is abruptly forced back into real life. It’s been a long time since I read it but, suddenly, he would become an amazing man. One time, an RAF pilot. Another time, a noted and daring surgeon. Sometimes, a naval hero. I think you get the idea here.
Daydream
Now, back to most of us. And note here that I’m not saying that most of us are milquetoasts. I’m just saying that most of, on occasion, daydream.
I am sure that most men, at one time or another, be it age 14 or age 40, have daydreamed about rescuing a beautiful damsel in distress. Or maybe seen a war movie and imagined yourself saving your entire company from disaster? Or maybe Sergeant York, capturing 132 Germans? If not those, something akin.
Oh, yes, I mustn’t forget the ladies. Haven’t you ever daydreamed of being a Florence Nightingale? Or maybe a Clara Barton? Or maybe an Amelia Earhart? How about a Marie Curie? Fess up, ladies. If not those, some other brave and heroic woman.
So, as I said when I started, there is a bit of Walter in all of us.
Think about it.
