Essays on James Thurber

Question 2.

In reading the stories “Hills like White Elephants” and “The Unicorn in the Garden”, the authors Ernest Hemmingway and James Thurber have introduced strong symbolisms. The first aspect to strike when reading both these stories is how the characters themselves are symbolic of life and death. In “Hills Like white Elephants”, the girl Jig, symbolizes life. She is the one who wants to have a baby. She wants to break away from the life of staleness where all she and her husband ever do is “look at things and try new drinks”. Instead she wants to welcome life – a baby (which she ...

Literature tells us about human lives. However, there is a strong connection between different literary works even though they might exhibit diverse qualities. Some of the basic cannons of literature include attributes such as speech, language, grammar, similes, as well as figurative language (Lean, 1968). Even as literary works follow common conventional rules, writers and poets have the capability to use the rules to create pieces of work that resonate so well with the human life. Clugton once said that “when one allows reading to unlock the imagination, the connection sets stage for intellectual engagement” (Clugton 2010: pP.a). Imagination in poetry ...

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is the most well-known story by one of the renowned humorists in the United States, James Thurber. When the story was published, readers began to acknowledge and recognize Walter Mitty as an archetypal American figure. Walter Mitty has become a renowned character in American fiction as well. No doubt, the main reason that “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” became so popular was because Thurber made it possible for readers to identify with Mitty since most people often find their lives disappointing and ordinary, and so they enter a more interesting world by using daydreams. ...

James Thurber’s short story ‘The Catbird Seat’ shows Mr. Martin’s character as a very cunning one, even though at the start of the story, he’s portrayed as a thorough gentleman who works efficiently and meticulously. The author Thurber has really described and expressed the true human nature very profoundly in the story. The protagonist of the story Mr. Martin was known in F & S for his commitment and sincerity towards work. He was the “most efficient worker neither drinks nor smokes”, was very punctual and “cautious and painstaking” at work. His daily routine was also very properly ...

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”

Versus “The Necklace” James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” are two significant stories that portray alternate gender roles and the means to cope with those roles. James Thurber’s piece describe a man in the not so common feminine role, while Guy de Maupassant’s piece describes a woman in the usual feminine role. The stories were created in different historical periods, in various states of the relationships and in completely different settings. While the characters of these pieces experience different fates and the stories’ plots have dissimilar endings, some ...

Theme: Gender Roles and Marriage

Thesis Statement: The ‘Secrete Life of Walter Mitty’ is a luminous piece of literary work by James Thurber and the Story ‘I’m Going’ is written by Bernard Tristan. Gender roles and marriage is the common theme of both the stories. Authors have constructed their stories around family framework with lots of humor. Both stories have different characters, different places and different surroundings. common aspects, described by Authors in their story which is thinking process of male, female and marriage life. This paper discusses ‘secret life of Walter Mitty’, ‘I’m Going and further talks about several related aspects ...