The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Function of the Fantasies 11th Grade
Walter Mitty has a miserable life. He is clumsy and cowardly. He is also always pushed around by his bossy wife, yelled at by a police, and laughed at by people who take the chains off his tires. He has a pretty hard life. This is why he is always fantasizing about being a respected, well-known person. It gives him a chance to escape from the harsh reality. Some of his fantasies are being a commander, saving the day as a doctor, and not needing a handkerchief to cover his eyes when he is getting executed. In Walter Mitty’s Secret Life, he is brave, strong, manly, respected, and heroic.
In the plane fantasy, Walter Mitty is the commander. They’re going through a storm and Lieutenant Berg says they can’t make it, that the storm is too strong. But Commander Mitty, the strong, the brave, pushes on. “ ‘Throw on the power lights! Rev her up to 8,500! We’re going through!’ The pounding of the cylinders increased: ta-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa.” This shows how Mitty keeps going, is very sure of himself, and knows he can make it through, even though he is flying through a terrible storm. He started giving orders and, “ The crew, bending to their various tasks, looked at each other and grinned. ‘The Old Man’ll get us...
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