Lamb to the Slaughter – Roald Dahl.

Sub-genre:                  Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Point of View:            Third Person Omniscient

Devices used:              Dramatic Irony, Situational Irony, Verbal Irony & Black Humour.

Dramatic Irony: the author causes a character (acting as the author's mouthpiece) to speak or act in a way contrary to the truth. This technique highlights the literal facts by portraying a fictional person who is strikingly ignorant of them.

Situational Irony: a factual truth highlighted by a character's complete ignorance of it or his belief in the opposite of it. Such situations are deliberately used to emphasize facts and to taunt humans for not being aware of them — when they could easily have been enlightened.

Black humour is the use of the grotesque, morbid, or absurd for darkly comic purposes. Black humor became widespread in popular culture, especially in literature and film, beginning in the 1950s; it remains popular toward the end of the twentieth century. Joseph Heller’s novel Catch-22 (1961) is one of the best-known examples in American fiction. The short stories of James Thurber and the stories and novels of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. also offer examples. The image of the cheerful housewife suddenly smashing her husband’s skull with the frozen joint of meat is farcically quite disturbing.

Dark Humour Examples:

The image of the cheerful housewife suddenly smashing her husband’s skull with the frozen joint of meat intended for his dinner is itself darkly humorous for its unexpectedness and the grotesque incongruity of the murder weapon.

There is a morbid but funny double meaning, too, in Mary’s response to her grocer’s question about meat: “I’ve got meat, thanks. I got a nice leg of lamb from the freezer.”

She did indeed get a leg of lamb from the freezer, and after she used it as a club, she found herself with a rather large portion of dead meat on her living-room floor.

Also darkly funny is the grocer’s question about what she plans to give her husband “afterwards,” that is, for dessert. From Mary’s point of view, Patrick has already gotten his “just desserts,” and there will be no more “afterwards” for him!

The ultimate example of dark humor in “Lamb to the Slaughter” is, of course, the spectacle of the policemen and detectives sitting around the Maloney kitchen table, speculating about the murder weapon while they unwittingly devour it.

Setting

The setting is symbolic: Its domestic primness implies Mary’s having bought into a rather boring version of middle class happiness.

Symbols

The frozen leg of lamb is also symbolic and indeed constitutes the central symbol of the story. The piece of meat is already a token of violence: an animal traditionally viewed as meek and gentle slaughtered for carnivorous consumption.

The notion of a lamb, moreover, resonates with biblical symbols, such as the scapegoat mentioned in Leviticus, the ram that substitutes for Isaac in the tale of Abraham and Isaac, or Jesus himself, “the Lamb of God.”

But Dahl’s story reverses the connotation of these biblical images.

Summary of the Plot

Dahl commences with a picture of static coziness in a middle-class, domestic setting. Mary Maloney, six months pregnant, waits for her policeman husband Patrick Maloney to come home from work. The scene emphasizes domesticity: ‘‘the room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn.’’ Matching chairs, lamps, glasses, and whisky, soda, and ice cubes await. Mary watches the clock, smiling quietly to herself as each minute brings her husband closer to home. When he arrives, she takes his coat and hangs it in the closet. The couple sits and drinks in silence—Mary comfortable with the knowledge that Patrick does not like to talk much until after the first drink. So by deliberate design, everything seems normal until Mary notices that Patrick drains most of his drink in a single swallow, and then pours himself another, very strong drink. Mary offers to fix dinner and serve it to him so that he does not have to leave his chair, although they usually dine out on Thursdays. She also offers to prepare a snack. Patrick declines all her offers of food. The reader becomes aware of a tension which escapes Mary’s full notice.

Patrick confronts Mary and makes a speech, only the upshot of which is given explicitly: ‘‘so there it is. . . . And I know it’s a kind of bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasn’t any other way. Of course, I’ll give you money and see you’re looked after. But there needn’t really be any fuss.’’ For reasons which Dahl does not make explicit, Patrick has decided to leave his pregnant wife.

Mary goes into shock. At first she wonders if she imagined the whole thing. She moves automatically to retrieve something from the basement freezer and prepare supper. She returns with a frozen leg of lamb to find Patrick standing by a window with his back to her. Hearing her come in, he tells her not to make supper for him, that he is going out. With no narrative notice of any emotional transformation, Mary walks up to him and brings the frozen joint of meat down ‘‘as hard as she could’’ on his head. Patrick falls dead.

She emerges from her shock to feel panic. Do the courts sentence pregnant women to death? Do they execute both mother and child? Do they wait until the tenth month? Not wanting to take a chance on her child’s life, she immediately begins setting up an alibi. She puts the lamb in the oven to cook, washes her hands, and tidies her hair and makeup. She hurries to her usual grocery store, telling the grocer, Sam, that she needed potatoes and peas because Patrick did not want to eat out and she was ‘‘caught . . . without any vegetables in the house.’’ In a moment of truly black comedy, the grocer asks about dessert: ‘‘How about afterwards? What are you going to give him for afterwards?’’ and she agrees to a slice of cheesecake. On her way home, she mentally prepares herself to be shocked by anything tragic or terrible she might find.

When she sees her husband’s corpse again, she remembers how much she once loved him, and her tears of loss are genuine. She is sincerely distraught when she calls the local police station—the one where Patrick has worked—to report what she has found. Mary knows the policemen who report to the crime scene, and she casts Sergeant Jack Noonan in the role of her comforter. A doctor, police photographer, fingerprint expert, and two detectives join the investigation, while Noonan periodically checks on Mary. She tells her story again, from the beginning: Patrick came home, was too tired to go out for supper, so she left him relaxing at home while she started the lamb cooking and then ran out for vegetables. One detective checks with the grocer, who confirms Mary’s account. No one seems to seriously consider her a suspect. The focus of the investigation in on finding the murder weapon— which must be a large, heavy blunt instrument. The detectives ask Mary about tools, and she professes ignorance but says that there may be some out in the garage. She remains in a chair while the house is searched.

Noonan tries to persuade Mary to stay somewhere else for the night, but she refuses. She asks him to bring her a drink and suggests that he have one too. Eventually all of the police investigators are standing around, sipping drinks, tired from their fruitless search. Noonan notices that the oven is still on and the lamb has finished cooking. Mary thanks him for turning the oven off and then asks her dead husband’s gathered colleagues–knowing that they have worked long past their own mealtimes—to eat the dinner she had fixed for Patrick. She could not eat a thing, she tells them, but Patrick would want her to offer them ‘‘decent hospitality,’’ especially as they are the men who will catch her husband’s killer.

The final scene of the story concerns the policemen eating in the kitchen and discussing the case while Mary listens from the living room. The men agree that the killer probably discarded the massive murder weapon almost immediately, and predict that they will find it on the premises. Another theorizes that the weapon is probably ‘‘right under our very noses.’’

Themes

Betrayal

‘‘Lamb to the Slaughter’’ tells of at least one betrayal: Patrick Maloney’s unexplained decision to leave his pregnant wife. This violation of the marriage-vow is obviously not the only betrayal in the story, however. Mary’s killing of her husband is perhaps the ultimate betrayal. Her elaborately planned alibi and convincing lies to the detectives also constitute betrayal.

Identity

Dahl plays with the notion of identity both at the level of popular psychology and at a somewhat more philosophical, or perhaps anthropological, level. At the level of popular psychology, Dahl makes it clear through his description of the Maloney household that Mary has internalized the bourgeois, or middle class, ideal of a young mid-twentieth century housewife, maintaining a tidy home and catering to her husband; pouring drinks when the man finishes his day is a gesture that comes from movies and magazines of the day. Mary’s sudden murderous action shatters the image that we have of her and that she seems to have of herself. Dahl demonstrates, in the deadly fall of the frozen joint, that ‘‘identity’’ can be fragile. (Once she shatters her own identity, Mary must carefully reconstruct it for protective purposes, as when she sets up an alibi by feigning a normal conversation with the grocer.) In the anthropological sense, Dahl appears to suggest that, in essence, human beings are fundamentally nasty and brutish creatures capable of precipitate and bloody acts. Then there are the police detectives, who pride themselves on their ability to solve a crime, but whom Mary sweetly tricks into consuming the main exhibit. Their identity, or at least their competency, is thrown into doubt.

Love and Passion

At the beginning of ‘‘Lamb to the Slaughter,’’ Mary Maloney feels love and physical passion for her husband Patrick. She luxuriates in his presence, in the ‘‘warm male glow that came out of him to her,’’ and adores the way he sits, walks, and behaves. Even far along into her pregnancy, she hurries to greet him, and waits on him hand and foot—much more attentively, it appears from his reactions, than he would like. Patrick is presumably motivated to leave his wife by an overriding passion for something or someone else. Mary’s mention of his failure to advance at work, and his own wish that she not make a ‘‘fuss’’ about their separation because ‘‘It wouldn’t be very good for my job’’ indicate that it may be professional success that he desires. His treatment of his wife does not suggest that he loves her.

Passivity

The concept of passivity figures in the story. The first pages of the story portray Mary’s existence as almost mindlessly passive: she sits and watches the clock, thinking that each minute brings her husband closer to her. She is content to watch him closely and try to anticipate his moods and needs. Patrick’s predictability up to this point is part of this passivity. The two are living a clockwork life against which, in some way, each ultimately rebels. Passivity appears as the repression of passion, and passion finds a way to reassert itself.

Justice and Injustice

The question of justice and injustice is directly related to the question of revenge. ‘‘Lamb to the Slaughter’’ narrates a train of injustices, beginning with Patrick’s betrayal of Mary and their marriage, peaking with Mary’s killing of Patrick, and finding its denouement in Mary’s deception of the investigating officers. Patrick acts unjustly (or so it must be assumed on the basis of the evidence) in announcing his abandonment of Mary, for this breaks the wedding oath; Mary acts unustly, in a way far exceeding her husband’s injustice, in killing Patrick, and she compounds the injustice by concealing it from the authorities.

Commentary

“Lamb to The Slaughter” may be an easy read to understand its literal meaning, but one needs to go little further than this to derive the true meaning the story has to convey. In order to understand their meanings that lie concealed in the title’s depth, the reader should be sensitive to scan the crux of the story. Otherwise, one may get easily misled.

The theme of deception is in fact introduced in the title itself. ‘Lamb to The Slaughter’ is not to be understood as the usual gentle lamb which is taken to the slaughter house, but as the lamb with immense potential to slaughter its butcher.

The protagonist of the story, Mrs. Maloney is an ideal wife who loves her husband from the core of her heart and counts every single second of his presence to be precious. She is no doubt a lady with lamb-like character with gentleness, docility, devotion and homeliness, but she is also the most jovial person as long as she is with Patrick, her husband. She is also projected as a person who can do anything for her husband’s sake.

Contrarily, as deception unfolds its menace she is naturally forced to drive to the other side of her human nature. She is extraordinarily alerted when she realizes that her true love for him is taken too far to be treated as of no value. Gradually her passion of anger, frustration and disappointment blindfold her to commit the most deadly scene that she could never imagine otherwise. The dreadful action takes place within a flicker of time.

It is the total deception of Patrick that leads to this gruesome act in the house that had no forebodings in the past. It is this inhuman character of her dear husband that shakes her faith and totally blinds her to wildly avenge for his deed. Understanding the magnitude of the matter, most women in her situation would go into that degree of frenzy.

The theme of deception takes its double fold, when Maloney embarks on revenge. She not only shocks her husband to death but the readers too, when she turns out to be like a tigress with her strategic forays.

Once she realizes that she is into an affair there is no going back for her. So she wittily plans to deceive everybody involved in the matter. There is no exception for the detectives. Why should she trust others when she knows her most trusted person failed to hold accountability. In that regard she even succeeds in making the detectives eat away the whole meat club which is the testimony of her crime that would have darkened the rest of her life.

At the end, Mrs. Maloney becomes a good deceiver as she successfully deceives many besides her husband who deceived her at first, hence the title, ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’.

Justification of the Title:

The story ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ is a story that presents human characters with all its vices and virtues, with all its positive and negative qualities blended together. The story begins with Mary Maloney, six months pregnant and a very affectionate and devoted wife eagerly waiting for her policeman husband Patrick Maloney. She is an exemplary housewife maintaining her house neat and clean and willingly doing everything for the comfort and happiness of her husband. Every day she eagerly waits for the return of her husband. Thus we can comfortably say that she symbolises a lamb – an innocent and gentle creature. But when she realizes that everything was over from her husband’s side and that he has decided to leave her and break their marriage she immediately decides, out of extreme frustration and anger’ to slaughter her husband. After killing her husband she does not feel sad, nor does she regret her action. Rather she cleverly makes a perfect alibi to save herself from all the consequences of her crime and she becomes successful too. Thus the title of the story is very appropriate and suitable.

From other point of view too, the title appears to be very suitable. Patrick Maloney, the husband, too can be considered to be a lamb. As people often kill a lamb without any fuss or warning so he has been slaughtered by his wife without any warning or fuss. Therefore the title, once again, seems to be appropriate. However we should not forget that keeping his monstrous actions in mind – his decision to leave his wife when she is so caring and loving and at the time when she is six months pregnant – it is difficult to associate him with such an innocent creature as lamb. Thus his association with lamb could be valid only for his slaughter like a lamb.

And lastly we should not forget that a lamb (leg) has been used in this story as the tool, as the weapon for the murder and hence from this point of view too, the title of the story is very much appropriate.

IMPORTANT CHARACTERS:

Mary Maloney: Mary Maloney is the central character or the protagonist of this story. In this story her character is the one that presents all the aspects that may be associated with a human character. Her character has been developed very skillfully in this story by the author to bring out all the possible aspects of a human character. She is gentle and a loving housewife who is six months pregnant and eagerly waiting for her husband in the evening. She exhibits all the qualities of a caring and loving housewife. She maintains her house neatly, she enjoys and longs for the company of her husband, and she is willing to do everything to comfort and please her husband. Till this point she is such a nice and lovable character. But then the shocking decision or her husband to end their marriage changes her completely. She appears to be an innocent victim in the hand of her husband. But then everything changes. The victim turns out to be a clever and smart villain. Immediately she decides to take revenge and kill her husband by hitting him on the head with a frozen leg of a lamb. After the killing she does not feel any sadness or regret. Rather she crafts a clever alibi, for the sake of herself and her unborn child, to deceive the police investigation and she accomplishes this task with clinical precision. Thus we find all the human aspects and qualities such as love, faithfulness, anger, frustration, revenge and deception have been blended in one character of Mary Maloney.

Patrick Maloney: Patrick Maloney could very well be described as a villain in this story who ultimately ends up to be the final victim by being ruthlessly slaughtered. He is senior detective and husband of Mary Maloney. More than this nothing much has been said about him in this story. But by analysing the incidents of this story we can say that he is not as much in love with his wife as she is with him. Moreover he appears to be unkind and unreasonable too, otherwise he would have chosen some better time to leave his wife and end up their marriage. His wife is six months pregnant when he tells her about his decision to leave her. This proves him to be irresponsible not only for his wife but also for his unborn child. However he is not a seasoned villain as he assures her to keep on helping her financially even after the break. This only proves that he had some sense of responsibility left in him and whatever had happened between the two was just a case of failed marriage. Further he also appears to have underestimated his wife. He had never thought that his wife could be so revengeful and that she could even kill him. Ultimately he happens to be a character that appears in the story like a villain but ends up as a victim.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

‘Mary Maloney appears to be a very faithful and affectionate wife in the beginning of the story.’ Analyze/elaborate this statement with appropriate supporting argument.      

Or

Describe Mary Maloney eagerly waiting for her husband in the evening at home.

Mary Maloney loved her husband dearly and always enjoyed his company. As usual that day too she was eagerly waiting for her husband in her drawing room. She had already made the necessary arrangement and had set the room neatly for his drinks upon his return from duty. She was sewing but at the same time she was often and anxiously looking outside expecting her husband to reach any moment. Even though she was pregnant for six months she did not show any sign of lethargy or laziness while setting the room for her husband. This clearly shows that she was a loving and affectionate wife eagerly waiting for her husband to return home after his duty as a police detective.

What was unusual about Patrick Maloney that day?

Patrick Maloney appeared quite tired and exhausted when he reached home in the evening. There was no sign of excitement to come back home and be with his loving and caring wife once again. He took his first drink in hurry and declined his wife’s offer for the second; rather he himself took his second drink which was quite unusual. He was also appearing tense and unsound. He did not talk with his wife enthusiastically. He also appeared to be in a hurry. These things were quite unusual about him that day.

What was it that shocked Mary Maloney and how did she react to that shocking information?

Though nothing has been revealed clearly in the story about the shocking information but from the happenings in the story we can very clearly guess that Patrick Maloney had told her about his intention to leave her and end their marriage. Initially she simply could not believe what she had heard. She wished that all that she had heard was a nightmare and everything would be alright once she got up. She tried to divert the talk and his attention from the topic by making so many offers of eating something but he declined every offer and very clearly expressed his intention to leave her and go out that evening itself. By then she had already come back to the drawing room from the grocery with the frozen leg of lamb with her intention to cook. At that moment he was standing near the window and looking outside with his back towards her. Once again he expressed his intention very clearly. She, then, reached behind him, swung the frozen leg of lamb with her both hands and with all her might and hit him hard on the back of his head. This powerful blow ultimately killed him instantly. 

 In what way their Thursdays used to be different from other days?

How did Mary create the alibi for her?                                Or

How did Mary handle the situation after killing her husband?

After realizing that she had killed her husband, Mary Maloney behaved like and experienced and seasoned criminal in the story. She did not panic at all. Rather she started preparing a strong alibi for her defence against the investigating authority. Firstly she put the murder weapon – the frozen leg of lamb – into the oven for cooking, thereby destroying the weapon used for murder. Then she rehearsed in front of mirror to appear normal and to talk normally. After thorough rehearsal she took her bag and went for shopping. There she deliberately talked about her husband being tired and her intention to cook a nice supper at home rather than going out as they used to go every Thursday. By doing this she created a very strong testimony to prove that she was out for shopping at the time of murder. Then coolly she came back from the market and called the cops informing them about the murder. Upon the arrival of the cops she told that she had gone for the shopping and when she came back she found her husband dead in the drawing room. The shopkeeper testified her story to the cops and in this way she was proved out of any doubt for the crime.

“And in the other room Mary Maloney began to giggle.” Why?

Mary Maloney had offered the lamb chops to those policemen who were there to investigate the murder of her husband. While eating they were discussing about the weapon used for the murder. One of them said that the weapon used must be around somewhere below their nose oblivious of the fact that they were all busy eating the weapon used for murder and the weapon was really under their nose. When Mary heard this she started giggling at the ignorance of those policemen and also at her own shrewdness and success in hiding her crime without leaving any chance of finding the evidence in the form of murder weapon even in distant future.

How does the author use the symbol of ‘lamb’ ironically in this story?

Biblically ‘lamb’ is the symbol of peace and innocence. It is such a gentle and innocent animal that violence cannot be attached with it. But in this story the author has used the lamb as the weapon for murder and it becomes a symbol of violence, murder, death, and something that is dangerous and dreadful. This is how the author has ironically used the symbol of peace and innocence as the weapon of murder and an instrument of death.

Further the lamb chop offered to all the investigating policemen and their discussing about the weapon of murder while eating the same presents a very fine example of dramatic irony and black humour.

·         What Point of View is "Lamb to the Slaughter" told from and why is that important?

"Lamb to the Slaughter" is told from the point of view of Mary Maloney. This choice to tell the story from the point of view of the murderer is an interesting choice and one that largely defines this story. The reader knows only what she knows. At times, such as the end of the story, this means that the reader knows more than the other characters, especially in relation to the leg of lamb. On the other hand, the reader is not given access to the reasoning behind Patrick’s decision to leave. This makes it far easier for the reader to be on Mary’s side when she makes questionable decisions.

·         What influence does Mary's pregnancy have on the Story?

Early in the story, the reader discovers that Mary Maloney is pregnant. This understanding is important to the story on a number of levels. The most basic is that it helps the reader to understand just what it is that her husband is doing by leaving her. This makes the story more ambiguous in morality by making the reader associate with the woman more. In addition, it almost certainly helps keep her from being suspected. The motherly instinct of protection is invoked by this understanding as anyone can understand the instinct of a mother protecting her child and the fear of execution is vital to making Mary a more positive character.

·         Why are the exact words Patrick says when leaving Mary left out?

In the middle of the conversation between Patrick and Mary, the narration changes for a single paragraph at the very climax of the conversation. Patrick leads into the conversation with the hope she won’t blame him too much. It then says that he told her, though not exactly what, and ends with him saying that he will take care of her. This change in narration is disconcerting and in large part that is the point. This helps the reader to understand the disorientation and detachment of Mary.

In addition to this, by not telling the reader exactly what happened, it gives far more power to the reader in the interpretation of her later actions. By not knowing exactly what he said, it lets the reader decide if Mary’s actions in the rest of the story are justified or not.

·         Why is Patrick's profession important?

Patrick is a police detective. This bit of information is vital to the story in a number of ways. As a story in which the reader is supposed to empathize with the murderer, having the victim be a vital and trusted member of society creates even more conflict in the mind. In addition to this, it plays with two basic ideas that the police will look for a killer more vigorously if an officer is killed, but also that she knows the officers who will investigate the crime. This means that they are more likely to be comfortable with her. Also important is the understanding that Mary is likely to have an escape of being arrested for the crime. As the wife of a police detective, she has almost certainly heard many stories about crimes that he has solved and how he has done it. Finally, this creates many other suspects that could have committed the crime because as a police detective he has many enemies.

·         What is the Dramatic Irony in "Lamb to the Slaughter"?

There are a couple of moments of dramatic irony in "Lamb to the Slaughter." These are cases in which the reader understands more than the characters. The most clear of these occurs near the end of the story. Mary has called the police and the detectives are in her house. As they are eating the lamb of leg, one of the officers says in relation to the murder weapon that it is “probably right under our very noses.” This statement is literally true though the officer who says it has no idea what he is saying.

·         What is the Origin and Meaning of the Title "Lamb to the Slaughter"?

The original use of "Lamb to the Slaughter" is found in the Bible. This phrase is located in both Jeremiah and Isaiah. It refers to someone who goes innocently and unconcernedly into a dangerous or life threatening situation. In the story "Lamb to the Slaughter," it has a number of meanings though.

The first clear meaning is one that is a form of dark humor. The lamb in this case is actually a murder weapon. This twists the meaning of lamb to the slaughter into something that is not a metaphor but what actually happens.

While the first meaning is clear, the metaphorical use of the statement is still valid and in fact there are two people who go into a situation like lambs to the slaughter. The first of these is the murder victim who, while knowing he is going to do something uncomfortable, has no idea what is going to happen to him. The second though is Mary herself. It is the shock because she doesn’t know what is coming and that shock is what drives her over the edge.

·         Why does Mary insist the Police eat the ‘Leg of Lamb’?

In the story, Mary asks the detectives to eat the leg of lamb she had made for her husband, and even when they turn it down, she insists that they eat this. This insistence is important beyond simply the idea that it is the murder weapon. By having the detectives eat the lamb, they have destroyed the evidence which will make them look stupid even if they later understand. This will discourage them from thinking of it as a weapon. In addition, because she ensures they have seen the murder weapon rather than hiding it, she defies the expectations as most criminals hide the weapon.

Woman Unknown – Rabindranath Tagore

Sub-genre:                 Traditional Realistic Fiction

Point of View:            First Person Narrator

Theme:                       Standing up for one’s right, the conflict customs and traditions pose on individual freedom

Technical Devices Used in the Story:

Prologue: It is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that relates to the significance of the main plot, and other miscellaneous information.

Flashback: It is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point to explain events that were part of the rising action. It helps readers to take stock of the denouement and critically analyse the outcome of the story.

Epilogue: It is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work. The narrator or the writer speaks directly to the reader commenting on the present state of affairs to bring the piece to a close, or the narration may continue normally to a closing scene.

Themes of the story:

This beautiful story written somewhere in 1930s by Rabindranath Tagore basically intends to expose some of the ugly practices and the dark sides of otherwise so refined Indian culture and tradition. Dowry has been a perennial and one of the ugliest practices in the Indian culture. Thus, the story deals deeply with the horrifying impacts of dowry system on individuals as well as society.

Besides the rising of women to uphold their rights against all odds in a strongly male dominant society could be identified as the next most important theme in this sotry.

And finally bringing out some of the negative impacts of arrange marriage on individuals as well as society could also be identified as a minor theme in this story.

Justification of the Title:

This story is a story of an eligible bachelor Anupam waiting for his marriage and a girl kalyani who is supposed to marry him. The whole story moves around these two characters and comparatively Kalyani – the woman unknown in this story – has been presented as a stronger character than the boy or any other. But she remains unknown throughout the story and we do not know much about the girl or her character until we reach to the end of the story. Thus the title ‘Woman Unknown’ is very much appropriate for this story.

Important Characters in the Story:

ANUPAM: Anupam is the central character of this story, or in other words, he is the protagonist of this story. He is highly educated and an eligible bachelor waiting for his marriage. He does not have any bad habits and he is a very obedient son who cannot disobey anybody. He is very timid and shy who is easily dominated by others. He does not even have the guts to stand against the injustice or undesirable behaviour. Everything for him is decided by his guardian and uncle.

KALYANI: She is the woman unknown in this story. We do not know much about her till the later part of the story when the protagonist and his mother had a chance encounter with her in the train. But once we meet her we know that contrary to common Indian women she is very different. She is educated, confident, and bold. These characteristics have been exhibited by her in the train when the station master comes asking to vacate the compartment for some Englishman. She symbolises the changing status of woman in the Indian society. Though initially we find her father taking all the decisions regarding her life but once she is awakened she refuses to accept others’ decisions and she decides for herself and decides firmly.

ANUPAM’S UNCLE: After the death of Anupam’s father his uncle becomes the guardian of the family. For the family he is very responsible and takes up all the responsibility of the family successfully. He ensures that family property is well looked after and Anupam gets good education. He is very meticulous and careful about the wealth of the family and its growth. But these characteristics become too strong in him and make him suspicious of everybody else. He suspiciousness was proved when he demanded to check the gold given in dowry by his own goldsmith. In other words we can also say that he was very miserly and cunning. He was expert in marriage negotiations and ensured that Anupam got the best deal in terms of dowry.

A Brief Analysis:

“Woman Unknown is the story which unfolds the dark side of an Indian culture in marriage that weaves around social status and its pride. Marriage, despite its sacred meaning, makes women pay the price for it, if it doesn’t work well. In that case, if men lose, they lose very little/less.

“Unknown Woman” is also a history of a young Indian man and a woman who are caught and trapped in the hell fire of so called family pride and prejudice in the name of marriage. The arrangement and disagreement over dowry system is the thing that causes hassles in such a marriage. It is always the bride and her family who have to bear the unpleasant burden of marriage. This is all due to the culture which upholds man at a higher level than woman. 

The most unusual thing happens, when the bride’s father whose vision is augmented by education takes a U-turn in calling off the marriage ceremony. He does this as he sees the steam of inhumanity smolder and rise from the groom’s family. It is the education and wisdom that make him see the differences between darkness and light. If education doesn’t permit one to see such differences then its whole purpose is a sheer failure. If that is the case with education, then better not acquire it. But we see that is not the case with Shambunath. He does what he wants to do because he knows one should not become the victim for the sake of safe guarding culture and tradition. What he realizes is that one can comfortably give up or deny anything that embodies evil or bad nature. Foreseeing such things as pride, greed, inhumanity and brazenness in the groom’s family, Shambunath gives up his daughter’s marriage despite social pressures. He can’t give his daughter’s hands to the family who places its pride on status rather than on the principles and ethics of a good relationship.

On the other hand, ‘Woman Unknown’ is the portrayal of a woman who struggles to break social norm that sets a stereotypical role for her. Unlike her counterparts, she pictures herself to be strong willed and able to implement her own wish. In that case, we know that she has chosen not to marry but to devote her life time energy for the welfare of girls and women in her native land. She has seen the bleak future of women that can only be removed by education. She knows without education darkness would perpetuate in the life of most women in her society.

Kalyani also represents modern woman whose thinking horizon is widened by the power of education. Education is no doubt powerful in empowering personality with the power of logic at present but it also enables one to look ahead of life and courageously embark on the career that would help other women from falling into the trap. Kalyani herself and numerous other Indian women have fallen prey to it since India was born.

The story also presents the conflict in an Indian system of joint family, where power is consolidated in the hands of a single authoritarian male member. Apart from him no one can take the decision. Such a system when understood properly makes Anupam realize the thing that cripples his own right to think and act logically in life. Like Kalyani, he too is a dynamic character empowered by the wisdom of education to make him see the flaws that exist in his family. Thus, he breaks all barriers of custom and culture and decides to go on his knees to confront Kalyani and seek her hand in marriage. But will she bend?

‘Woman Unknown’ also makes us understand the true quality of ‘true love’. Anupam, after much trial realizes that his love for the Woman Unknown is far from fabrication. This is the very reason that strengthens him to give up his uncle and approach Shambunath.

Despite his true love for her, he never gets shattered when he understands that Kalyani wouldn’t marry him. Instead, he too chooses to remain unmarried for the rest of his life. He takes this ultimate decision because he has found a special place for her in his heart. Therefore, he will not need a second place to live in. Thus, we can attribute his love for Kalyani as the spiritual achievement which is far superior to that of physical one.

Some Important Questions and Answers:

1. Explain the term, ‘a highly eligible bachelor’.

In the Indian context the term ‘a highly eligible bachelor’ refers to a young and unmarried man who is good, educated, belongs to a rich family and is free from some bad habits that a young boy can have. In this story Anupam is one such young man who possesses all the above mentioned qualities and that’s why he has been commended as a highly eligible bachelor.

2. Give a brief account of uncle’s ‘certain fixed notions about marriage’.

Anupam’s uncle was a very shrewd calculative and cunning in money matters. He wanted a family who was rich enough to pay him a handsome dowry but at the same time he did not want a family richer than him either in terms of wealth or social status as he felt that he would not be in position to dominate the bride’s family. He believed that bride’s parents and family members should be always humble in from of groom’s family; they should not show any pride in their behaviour. He also felt that it was not obligatory for the groom’s family head to be humble or show too much respect to bride’s family members.

3. What do you find remarkable in Sambhunath Babu, the bride’s father?

Sambhunath babu was a man of middle age and he was handsome enough to stand out even in a crowd. But the most remarkable fact about him is that he was a man of few words but strong conviction. He was also a man of self dignity and that’s why he could not bear the insult meted by Anupam’s uncle.

4. Describe uncle’s shrewdness in the whole affair.

By nature uncle was very shrewd and cunning. He was a miser and had no trust on anybody else. He proved his shrewdness during the negotiation and finalizing the dowry. He made everything clear to the bride’s father – the amount in cash, the quantity of gold and etc. Not only this, he even took his own goldsmith to confirm the purity of gold before the actual marriage ceremony took place.

5. Why did Sambhunath babu send the bridegroom back without marriage?

Just before the marriage Anupam’s uncle demanded Sambhunath babu to bring all the jewellery for checking its purity. Sambhunath said it was not required as his daughter had put on all the jewelleries. But uncle did not agree as he did not want to take any chance. Moreover he was already apprehensive observing the miserliness of Sambhunath in the arrangement made for the marriage party. Sambhunath took it as an insult and a breach of trust. He was hurt very badly and hence he decided not to give the hands of his daughter to a family who did not trust him and send the marriage party without any marriage.

6. Give a brief account of the reactions of Anupam’s family after they came back without marriage.

Anupam’s family and especially his uncle was very furious about Sambhunath’s behaviour. They had not thought that a bride’s parent can break off the marriage. His uncle even thought of dragging them to court for defamation. Even Anupam was very angry and he thought that one day the bride’s father would come begging for their forgiveness and would request them once again to marry his daughter.

7. Why did Anupam’s mother feel uneasy about the woman unknown in the train?

The girl’s boldness and frankness, according to mother’s point of view, was out of accepted proportion according to Indian culture. Moreover her buying chana and eating without any hesitation in front of them all was unexpected from a girl. Owing to these facts the mother felt quite uneasy about the girl.

8. ‘The story ‘Woman Unknown’ depicts the status of woman in the Indian society and their struggle to rise and assert their presence in a more dominating way’. Explain.

The whole story categorically reveals the different facets of Indian culture and tradition. It basically deals with the culture of traditional marriage in the Indian society. It clearly reveals how the arrange marriage in India materialise and what are the problems that may arise in the process. It also highlights the vice of dowry and its consequences in the Indian society.

Traditionally the women’s position used to be non-significant in the whole process of marriage. In this story too Kalyani, the main protagonist, does not have any say in her marriage. But once the marriage is broken she shows her independence by taking her own decision to devote her life for the service of motherland and educate young women. Women’s independence and resurrection has been asserted more emphatically when she refuses Anupam’s proposal of marriage at the end of the story despite her father’s willingness. By rejecting Anupam’s marriage proposal she is symbolically asserting that Indian women would no more be ruled by the male and they would no more submit themselves to the whims and dominance of male dominated society.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty -James Thurber.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a humour which employs the use of ‘Stories within a Story’ style in a mix of fantasy and realistic fiction. The story introduces Walter Mitty, an average American Male, who escapes his mundane life by resorting to elaborate fantasies. Anyone who has ever day dreamed can relate to Walter. Indeed, the name Walter Mitty has become synonymous with a person who enriches his private life with daydreams while working or listening to everyday conversations. The story focuses on escapism from mundane life into the world of fantasies triggered by stimuli. The story portrays stereotypical male and female roles for e.g. the timid husband, the hero, and the over – bearing wife.

Conflicts in the Story:

Internal:         Mitty in the real world versus Mitty in his fantasy world.

External:       

·         Mitty versus his wife

·         Mitty versus society especially his struggle to follow conventional social norms.

Technique Used:

·         Stories within a story

Advantages:

ü  Builds suspense.

ü  Provides variety to the readers.

ü  Makes the story interesting.

ü  Shows a change in character.

Disadvantages:

ü  Creates confusion.

ü  Readers may lose track of the story.

ü  Spoils the flow and enjoyment of the story.

The story is told in third person narrative.

Writing in third person is the most common way of telling a story.

Third person is the workaday point of view, the one that calls the least attention to itself. This is an advantage: it keeps the reader focused on the story more. Stories are carried by a Third Person

View point than by any other, and it's usually the best option to look at first, before considering other techniques.

The story tells what "he", "she," or "it" does. The third-person narrator's perspective can be limited (telling the story from one character's viewpoint) or omniscient (where the narrator knows everything about all of the characters).

Theme: Escapism from a mundane life. Portrays the stereotypical male and female roles.

The five day dreams of Mitty.

1.      The pilot of a US Navy hydroplane – Commander Mitty: Walter Mitty is driving too fast so he thinks he is a Naval Commander. Mrs. Mitty brings him back to reality. The noise (pocketa- - -) is repeated in most of his day dreams. Mrs. Mitty is characterized mostly through her interaction with Walter and his jolting back to reality. She is going to the beauty parlour and Walter is going to get overshoes. Doctor Renshaw is Walter’s doctor. Mrs. Mitty wants him to go and have a checkup as he is acting strangely. Walter drives around a while and passes a hospital. Then he begins to fantasize that he is fixing a machine in the hospital - a broken piston with a fountain pen.

2.      A surgeon- He is a famous doctor. The parking lot attendant jolts him back to reality. The attendant makes fun of him and embarrasses him. He said that next time he would wear his right arm in a sling and sure he does in his third fantasy. Then he leaves to get the overshoes. He had forgotten the item that Mrs. Mitty had wanted him to get.

3.      An assassin: on the street he hears the newsboy shouting about Waterbury trial; and fantasizes that is a famous assassin on trial for murder. Finally during the fantasy he remembers the puppy biscuits and said it loud. A woman passing on the street laughed at him because he was talking to himself. He goes in the A & P and buys the biscuits whose name he had forgotten. All he remembered was the label ‘Puppies bark for it’ on the box. His wife would be finished in 15 minutes, so he goes to the hotel where he meets her and begins to read an ‘Old copy of Liberty’ probably published during World War II.

4.      A Royal Air Force pilot – RAF Captain Mitty: He dreams that he is a courageous pilot in the war. His dream is shattered by the arrival of his wife who begins to nag him about hiding from her and not putting his over shoes. She thinks he is ill because he is acting strange. She is going to take his temperature when he gets home. She has forgotten something and darts off for the drug store to get it.

5.      Fearless Mitty – Person fearlessly facing the firing squad: Walter’s final dream is that of facing the firing squad mysterious as to the end without handkerchief and smoking a cigarette.

Stimuli:

1.      The powering up of the “Navy hydroplane” in the opening scene is followed by Mrs. Mitty’s complaint that Mitty is driving too fast, which suggests that his speedy driving led to the first day dream.

2.      Mitty’s is a brilliant surgeon after taking off and putting on his gloves as a surgeon puts his surgical gloves and drives past the hospital.

3.      The court room drama “perhaps this will refresh your memory” which begins the third fantasy, follows Mitty’s attempt to remember what his wife told him to buy and also a newspaper boy using news of Waterbury Trial to sell his newspapers.

4.      Mitty’s romanticized version of British pilots in the early days of World War II is inspired from his looking at an old copy “liberty”, which contains images of a war in which The United States was not yet involved at the time of the story’s publication.

5.      The closing firing squad scene comes when Mitty is standing against the wall.

Summary of the story:

As “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” begins, a military officer orders an airplane crew to proceed with a flight through a dangerous storm. The crew members are scared but are buoyed by their commander’s confidence, and they express their faith in him. Suddenly, the setting switches to an ordinary highway, where Walter Mitty and his wife are driving into a city to run errands. The scene on the airplane is revealed to be one of Mitty’s many fantasies.

Mitty’s wife observes that he seems tense, and when he drops her off in front of a hair styling salon, she reminds him to go buy overshoes and advises him to put on his gloves. He drives away toward a parking lot and loses himself in another fantasy. In this daydream he is a brilliant doctor, called upon to perform an operation on a prominent banker. His thoughts are interrupted by the attendant at the parking lot, where Mitty is trying to enter through the exit lane. He has trouble backing out to get into the proper lane, and the attendant has to take the wheel. Mitty walks away, resentful of the attendant’s skill and self-assurance.

Next, Mitty finds a shoe store and buys overshoes. He is trying to remember what else his wife wanted him to buy when he hears a newsboy shouting about a trial, which sends Mitty into another daydream. Mitty is on the witness stand in a courtroom. He identifies a gun as his own and reveals that he is a skillful marksman. His testimony causes a disturbance in the courtroom. An attractive young woman falls into his arms; the district attorney strikes her and Mitty punches him. This time Mitty brings himself out of his reverie by remembering what he was supposed to buy. “Puppy biscuit,” he says aloud, leading a woman on the street to laugh and tell her friend, “That man said ‘Puppy biscuit’ to himself.”

Mitty then goes to a grocery store for the dog biscuits and makes his way to the hotel lobby where he has arranged to meet his wife. He sits in a chair and picks up a magazine that carries a story about airborne warfare. He begins to daydream again, seeing himself as a heroic bomber pilot about to go on a dangerous mission. He is brave and lighthearted as he prepares to risk his life. He returns to the real world when his wife claps him on the shoulder. She is full of questions, and he explains to her that he was ‘thinking’. “Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?” he says.

She replies that she plans to take his temperature when they get home. They leave the hotel and walk toward the parking lot. She darts into a drugstore for one last purchase, and Mitty remains on the street as it begins to rain. He lights a cigarette and imagines himself smoking it in front of a firing squad. He tosses the cigarette away and faces the guns courageously — “Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last.”

1. What is the setting in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty?

a. Throughout most of the story, Mitty is driving around town with his wife, then he drops her off at the hairdresser while he runs some errands. He first gets scolded at by his wife for driving too fast and then gets yelled by another driver while stalling at a green light. He has trouble parking, and then forgets just what it was he was supposed to pick up at the grocer's while his wife gets her hair "done." In his daydreams, however, Mitty finds himself dominating difficult situations in more exotic settings - in an icebreaker up near the pole, in an emergency surgical unit, in a courtroom, and finally before a firing squad. The contrast between Mitty's real life and that of his imagination is of course the humour of the story.

b. There is a contrast of settings between the boring humdrum suburban existence which Mitty has and his fantastical hero exploits. In reality Mitty is driving his wife to town, then waiting around for her whilst completing the menial tasks he has been set to do:

''Remember to get those overshoes while I'm having my hair done,"

The second setting is as wide as Mitty's imagination which ranges from the depths of a hurricane to the warring skies; the tense operation theatre and the dramatic courtroom. One of the most engaging aspects of the story is facilitated by this distinction in settings.

2. What type of character is Walter Mitty?

Walter Mitty, the main character in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," is a daydreamer. He spends a good deal of his time imagining that he is someone else. His daydreams all have him as a successful, courageous, heroic individual, who is called in to save the day.

"He imagines himself the hero of his fantasies as a navy pilot commander, doctor, sharpshooter, bomber pilot, and noble victim of a firing squad. Mitty is married to a woman who treats him more like a child than a husband. This is due to his immature tendency to escape into fantasies rather than live in the real world."

In real life, Walter Mitty is a bumbling fool who would rather spend his energy dreaming of things he isn't, rather than make a real change in his life. Throughout the story, Walter Mitty changes very little, the only thing that changes are his daydreams. In his final daydream, he imagines himself facing a firing squad. Of course this is another expression of his exceptional courage and bravery. But I always wondered if this daydream didn't mean something more, like maybe he had a secret desire for death to escape his boring, controlled existence under the constant nagging of his wife.

This thought gives some credibility to Mrs. Mitty's concern for Walter Mitty's health. He clearly suffers from some mental disorder in my view.

3. Compare and contrast Walter Mitty in real life with Mitty in his daydream.

In Walter Mitty, the author James Thurber has created an Everyman. Henpecked by his wife and beaten down by life, Mitty is a middle-aged man trying to navigate the challenges of ordinary life, with little success. Nagged constantly by his wife and mocked by others he encounters in the course of his mundane existence, Mitty retreats into a fantasy world of extraordinary events.

In his imagination, Mitty becomes a daring combat pilot, a uniquely skilled surgeon called in to consult on a puzzling medical case, and a brilliant lawyer whose eloquence saves the day in a tense courtroom drama. In all of these fantasies, Mitty is the hero, a sharp contrast to the little failures of his real life.

Indeed, it is exactly that contrast that gives Mitty relief from the humiliation of his day-to-day existence.

4. In the ''Secret Life of Walter Mitty'', in what ways is Mr. Mitty's final daydream a comment on his fate of real life?

In Walter Mitty's final daydream, he imagines that he is about to be put to death by a firing squad. In one sense, this can be seen as an indication that Mitty's fate is to lose his "battle" with his boring, mundane life. He will continue to be dragged on boring shopping excursions by his wife, who will continue to scold him for his forgetfulness.

Mitty's attitude toward the firing squad, however, hints at a different aspect of his fate. Mitty faces the firing squad bravely, refusing to cover his eyes with a handkerchief; he is, at his last moment, "erect and motionless, proud and disdainful." This hints that he will triumph over his boring life, in a sense: he will continue to live an exciting life in his daydreams.

In this sense, Walter Mitty can be seen as an example of an existentialist hero. Existentialism  is a philosophy that looks at people as being lonely, isolated and overpowered by an uncaring world; the most a person can do is to choose a path that is true to his or her own character and not give in to what someone else has chosen for them (a philosophy that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. It is the view that humans define their own meaning in life, and try to make rational decisions despite existing in an irrational universe.) Walter Mitty, in his mild little way, chooses his own path and refuses to give in to the demands of his wife or society at large.

6.      In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," how do the tasks of Mitty's daily life compare to those of his fantasy life?

7.       

In his daily life, Walter Mitty is a bored, hen-pecked husband who has little control about what goes on around him. He runs errands for his wife and then listens to her complaints each and every day. In his fantasy world, he is able to tune out his wife and daydream about exciting activities which he will never be able to accomplish. Whenever things begin to become too stressful, Walter switches to fantasy mode.

In the end, even a firing squad seems to be preferential to his daily grind.

6.      What is the mood in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"?

The mood of a story is also called its tone, the feeling it produces in the reader. The tone of a story is determined by the author's attitude toward the characters and their situation. Does the author take them very seriously, for example, or does the author find humor in them? The tone in Thurber's story is one of gentle humor. Walter Mitty loses himself in the most thrilling, dramatic adventures, and the humor in the story is created by the contrast between Mitty's mental fantasies and his real life daily activities.

In each of his daydreams, Mitty is the hero--brave, daring, powerful, and the center of everyone's attention. This emphasizes how meek and powerless he really is, pushed around by an overbearing wife.

This may make Mitty seem like a sad little man, but Thurber does not emphasize this element in the story. The humorous tone of the story is continued in its conclusion. In Mitty's last fantasy; he stands bravely before a firing squad, scorning death itself, until his wife's voice snaps him back again. The subtle (and funny) suggestion is that for Walter Mitty, facing a firing squad is preferable to dealing with Mrs. Mitty.

7.      What happened in the doctor fantasy? Who wakes Mitty up to reality? What was the cause and effect from this day dream?

In this daydream, Walter Mitty is a very famous doctor. (The daydream is triggered when he drives by a hospital.) He is helping a couple of other famous doctors who are doing some sort of surgery on a very important patient (a friend of President Roosevelt). Not only is Mitty asked to help, he is also called on to save the day by fixing a machine that is breaking down (it gives out anesthetic).

He is woken up from the daydream by the attendant at the parking lot. Mitty has been driving his car into the lot by the exit only lane.

8. Point of view: Through whose eyes do you obtain the view of Mrs. Mitty when it states that she wanted Mr. Mitty to be waiting at the hotel for her?

The story is written in the third person throughout, so we are observing her desires through the narrator. We are told:

She didn't like to get to the hotel first, she would want him to be there waiting for her as usual.

The wish she has to arrive after him and have him waiting indicates that she needs to be in control and that she likes her husband to be at her beck and call; in fact she expects it. She is frustrated when he is there before her, but is obviously not focused on her arrival:

"I've been looking all over this hotel for you," said Mrs. Mitty. "Why do you have to hide in this old chair? How did you expect me to find you?"

Thurber presents her questioning as interrogation to reflect the militaristic settings in which Mitty projects himself. Also, we are given an insight into her nagging, accusatory nature and the way she cruelly belittles her husband:

She looked at him. "I'm going to take your temperature when I get you home," she said.

9. What is the structure of the story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber?

This story vacillates between the everyday humdrum life of Water Mitty, the hen-pecked husband stereotype, and the extravagant adventures he lives in his daydreams. Mitty flits in and out of reality, his daydreams concocted by a stream of consciousness association triggered by the sputtering of his car's exhaust pipe, a pair of gloves, and finally a freshly lit cigarette. In such a way this docile "hubby" gets to be the captain of an icebreaker, a famous surgeon, a defendent in a murder trial and finally a fighter pilot taken captive distaining a firing squad. Mitty's imagination is his "second life," which nurtures his deflated ego and helps him escape the insufferable mediocrity of his existence.

If you do a graph of the plot line of this story, it would look very much like a cardiograph printout, with the steady horizontal line of Mitty's real life intermittently broken by the highs and lows of his "virtual" existence.

10. What is the irony in this story?

There’s a lot of irony in the story. Irony is traditionally defined in modern literature as "the technique of indicating an intention or attitude opposed to what is actually stated." Just about every fantasy Walter Mitty has is irony. His attitude in the fantasy is one of decisiveness while in real life he allows his wife to order him around. In the fantasies he intentionally makes himself the center of attention whether as the captain or on the witness stand, and yet in real life he wants to avoid attention, and when others do pay attention to him, like the person on the street who laughed about him saying "puppy biscuits", it's for ridicule. It's ironic that a man who wants to be so strong and commanding (and who in his fantasies *sees* himself as strong and commanding) is such a wimp.

It isn't especially ironic that poor Walter would escape momentarily from his dull life and nagging wife in daydreams. In fact, we might expect him to do something to relieve his misery. It is ironic; however, that mousy Mr. Mitty can weave such colorful and incredibly detailed romantic adventures. For a man who shows no signs of creativity in his real life, the richness of his imagination is remarkable. It is ironic (situational irony) that in order to engage his talents and enjoy his life, Mitty has to stop living it from time to time.

Another type of irony found in the story is dramatic irony. We understand much more about her husband's activities than does Mrs. Mitty. For example, in the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mitty demands to know why Walter is driving so fast. This is amusing because we know Commander Mitty is driving fast because he is powering a navy hydroplane through stormy winter seas trying to escape an impending hurricane!

11. What symbols are used by the author in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty?

There seems to be two questions here. The key symbols I would see as the gloves and the sling.

Mitty is told he should be wearing his driving gloves and dutifully dons them at her acidic request. However, he removes them once she leaves the car- asserting his own masculinity and ability to choose. Sadly he 'hastily' pulls them back on after being reprimanded by a policeman for driving too slowly.

However, he 'slowly' removes them again when he becomes Dr Mitty, the eminent surgeon.

The gloves represent his power and the fluctuations in his control. Similarly his fantasies around the sling serve a comparable purpose.

Mitty's visions are neither flash forward nor flash back: they appear to be a parallel reality where Mitty has all of the qualities he does not possess in real life. In his imagination he is respected, decisive, admired and powerful. In reality he is henpecked, bumbling and incompetent.

12. What is the exposition in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"?

Exposition is simply the mode of writing to provide information. It is the text of the story that explains the plot. In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," the story opens with a description of a military flight in a storm. The episode is revealed to be a daydream that Walter enjoys while driving his wife to town. The reader quickly figures out that Walter is fantasizing about leading a more exciting life because of the narrative device of interspersing descriptions of the fantasies with the mundane reality of Walter's life.

13. Examine the external conflict from the story concerning Mr. Walter Mitty and Mrs. Mitty.

The external conflict between Walter Mitty and Mrs. Mitty comes from the fact that she is domineering and controlling, and he is too timid to say anything. He daydreams to escape being yelled at by Mrs. Mitty, and Mrs. Mitty yells at him because he is often too distracted to pay attention to real life. Because Mitty is incapable of being the hero in real life, he plays the hero in his fantasies. In the end, we see that there can be no real conclusion to the conflict. Mitty continues to retreat to his imagination, and Mrs. Mitty continues to scold him for doing so.

14. In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" what is the main conflict? Why?

The main conflict is found in Mitty's relationship with his wife. She hovers, nags, controls, and directs every aspect of his daily life; he resents it. We can interpret this as the main conflict for several reasons.

First of all, this is the only continuing conflict in the story and the only one that is rooted in reality. It is introduced quickly into the story, and it is the conflict to which the story returns at the end. Mitty's conflict with his wife provides the frame of the story, with his various, unrelated fantasies making up the rest.

Even his daydreams, however, support the idea that his conflict with Mrs. Mitty is the major problem. Mitty fantasizes in order to escape his life--and his wife--but even in his fantasies; parts of his real life intrude. He can't get away completely. Mitty's final fantasy in the story is both humorous and ironic.

When he is back in his wife's company, she sends him outside to wait for her. As he does what he is told, standing in the rain waiting, he daydreams again, this time about standing in front of a firing squad. This particular fantasy makes Mitty's conflict with his wife very clear; facing a firing squad is preferable to dealing with Mrs. Mitty.

15. Explain the conscious and subconscious mental wanderings of the main character in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

There could be many answers to this question so this is only my personal 'take' on the story. I see it as an early reaction to the pressures of modern living, with all its rush, pressure and stress. Walter Mitty copes with stressful reality by developing a series of fantasy worlds that allow him to retreat from it, albeit for only short periods. It's probably something that we all do, not in quite the same way perhaps, but our daydreams and waking fantasies may well be psychological mechanisms to help us get through 'real' world.

16. What type of story is "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, explain.

James Thurber's most famous story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," is a fantasy escape story. The main character, Walter Mitty, escapes from his normal life in which he is hen-pecked and stressed out by his inadequacies to fantasy situations in which everyone loves him, expresses their faith in him, and where he is the hero. This is Walter's way of surviving and buoying his character and spirit in order to get through life with his very critical and nagging wife.

Although this story is entertaining and funny, it is also a cautionary tale. In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," the author is giving the reader a chance to see a life wasted on daydreaming. In fact, Walter Mitty daydreams so much, that he is emotionally absent from his present-moment living.

"He is constantly being upbraided by policemen, parking lot attendants, and his wife for his erratic, distracted behavior."

Perhaps, if Walter Mitty stopped daydreaming, he could actually become a doctor, navy pilot or sharpshooter. The author is suggesting that Mitty is lazy and disconnected from real life.

Although this is a funny story, especially when you factor in the nagging wife, Walter Mitty is a sorry fellow who has let life pass him by. His condition, constant daydreaming, qualifies him for psychiatric analysis.

"Thurber suggests that this ordinary man who hates the reality of middle-class life and his own shortcomings prefer to live in his imagination." Walter Mitty is headed for a breakdown, and, will end up in a mental hospital at some point in his disappointed life.

17. What are the characteristics of ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’?

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty tells the story of a man who is always daydreaming about being someone else. Any time in his ordinary life, and at any moment, he can be transported by one of his waking dreams, forgetting about what he is doing in his real life, such as driving his car, or shopping for items his wife told him to buy.

Walter Mitty is constantly pulled into a fantasy life where he is a successful and sought after hero. He dreams he is a fighter pilot, a successful and skilled surgeon or about to be shot by a firing squad, all very exciting.

The problem with Walter Mitty is that he spends way too much time in his imagination and not enough time in his real life. In real life Walter Mitty is very inept, incapable of taking care of his own life.

Word Meanings:

A. & P.            : Name of a chain of grocery stores.

Archies: Artillery shells

Aupres de Ma Blonde: A song popular among the soldiers in World War I

Cannonading: Continuous firing of cannons

Carburundum: A trademark abrasive chemical – not something Mitty would actually need

Cur: An ill- bred dog (Also dog)

Obstreosis of the ductal tract: Meaningless medical jargon invented by Mitty.

Streptothricosis: A sore on the skin; medical jargon misused by Mitty.