Marriage, Gender, Materialism, Technology into I'm Going Play and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - Essay Example

? Marriage, gender, materialism, and technology August 14, Marriage, gender, materialism, and technology Bernard's play “I'm Going” and Thurber's short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” describe their ideas regarding men and women and their marriages. Their stories are examples of comedic treatments of marriage, but with underlying cutting satire of what it means to be married and to “become” a man or woman in their times. This paper compares and contrasts the content, form, and writing style of Bernard and Thurber using personal analysis and research. The stories have similar content, where they both see marriage as a trap for men and women's dreams and they use similar themes on reality versus actuality, women as shallow individuals, and symbolism for conflict, but Bernard also uses racing as a symbol against marriage; there are also different themes, because Thurber includes technology, and differences in characterization, since Mitty desires to escape reality and mortality altogether; Bernard and Thurber use different forms, because Thurber utilizes a short story, while Bernard expresses his ideas through a play; and finally, they have the same comedic approach to their themes. Bernard and Thurber explore the same themes of marriage, where marriage entraps women and men and disables them from pursuing their dreams. “I'm Going” employs the issue of hobbies to examine how men and women differ in what pleasures them. The play shows traditional, gender-segregated hobbies. Henry is enamored with horse racing, while Jeanne enjoys dancing, and without Henry's knowledge, hat trimming. Marriage, however, is a trap that keeps protagonists from doing what they want. Walter wants to “be” different personalities, who are beyond his own capacities. This leads one article to argue that Thurber explores another escape, escape from mortality: “...freedom from mortality itself, from death” (Cheatham, 1990, p.609). Henry wants to spend money on his horse racing hobby, which Jeanne detests. She does not want Henry to spend lavishly on his vices, even if it gives him joy. Mrs. Mitty also abhors that Walter is not paying attention to what she says or requires him to do. For instance, she does not want him to “go more that fifty” (Thurber), when driving. But Walter wants everything that his wife does not approve of: daydreaming, driving fast, not buying overshoes or using gloves. While his wife reminds he is not “young” anymore, he wants to assert his “mental” youth, though not aggressively. These husbands cannot seem to be who they want to be, or do what they want to do, because their wives keep on criticizing and stopping them. If they were not married, they would have had greater freedom to spend their money and time any way they please. The stories also parallel on the causes of miseries of men, where women are not the sole sources of men's miseries, and instead, the men causes the women their miseries too, which, as a consequence, “affect” men. Mrs. Mitty is often seen as an “enabler-scapegoat” for her husband, because she is a nagger and she seems to be the primary cause of Walter's “secret life” (Mann, 1982, p.351). Mann (1982) argued, nevertheless, that the “tightly controlled structure” of the story points to another thesis: That Walter's fantasizing is not a product of Mrs. Mitty's overbearing attitude, and that Mrs. Mitty's behavior is a mere response to her husband's inattentiveness to her and his own welfare. Mrs. Mitty seems to be the logical scapegoat for Walter's miserable existence, but it is not the only probable cause of Walter's fantasizing needs. In reality, Mrs. Mitty is also concerned of Walter, who always slips into his dreams, neglecting attention to himself and his wife in the process. As a result, Mrs. Mitty has to nag him to gain his attention and, indeed, to take care of her husband. Jeanne also seems to be such a typical emotional woman. She cries when Henry tries to leave her, and she also appears to be selfish. A closer look of their interaction shows, on the contrary, that it is Henry who wants to keep Jeanne in the house all along. He does not want her to have fun on her own or with other people, which makes him the selfish one. Thus, the way these husbands treat their wives also create miserable lives for the latter, and so their actions and behaviors can also be construed as a reaction to their husbands' lack of caring for their own distinctive needs and goals in life. Because their husbands try to control them, they also have to devise strategic ways of gaining control in their lives. These stories are also similar in how they depict the difference between actuality and reality. Henry thinks he controls his wife, but he does not. He believes he has manipulated her into allowing him to go to the race with little resistance by playing the “jealous husband” game. He tells her: “I'll have a talk with him!” (Bernard). He is referring to this new male acquaintance of his wife. Later, he cajoles her into believing how much he loves her more than his races: “See, I'm willing to sacrifice my whole afternoon for you. I do it willingly, joyfully” (Bernard). But he says all these to manipulate his wife and persuade her to stay at home. The situational irony is that he is the one who is fooled. The moment he leaves the house, Jeanne says: “Oh, and go at once to my room and bring me my box of ribbons and those old hats. What fun I'll have trimming hats!” Apparently, she is the poser after all! She deceives her husband into believing that she wants to go with him so bad, when in reality, she has other plans. Her plans are almost spoiled, but she gets what she wants anyway, because she knows how her husband thinks that he “knows” her. Thurber's story shows the “deflating disparity between Mitty’s heroic ability and stature in his five daydreams and his hesitancy, servility, and ineptitude in real life” (Prinsky, 2004, p.1). Mitty’s first fantasy involves being a captain of a hydroplane in a cataclysmic ice storm, but his wife destroys his dreams, when she orders him to slow down. For his second fantasy, he turns himself into a published, famous medical specialist and surgeon. This dream is capsized once more by the “double subordination, to his wife and to the family doctor” (Prinsky, 2004, p.1). His wife uses a patronizing tone, when she says to him: “It’s one of your days. I wish you’d let Dr. Renshaw look you over” (Thurber). This is far from his fantasy, where Dr. Renshaw is nothing compared to his medical experience and expertise. Evidently, there are differences in the strength and confidence between the real and daydreamed Mitty. In his third daydream, Mitty becomes the defendant in a murder trial, and he stresses that he could not have killed the man because he is in a sling, but he can do it otherwise using his better arm. Afterwards, he even punches the district attorney, who attacks Mitty’s woman. The reality, however, shows him as an incompetent driver who cannot park right and remove his tire chains, while the younger parking attendant and the garage mechanic do these tasks with ease. Walter hates these younger folks, because they make him look like a weakling and a fool, which he truly is. Hence, the story and play remark on the differences between appearances and dreams/self-images of Henry and Walter. Thurber and Bernard also depict the same views of gender, where women are shallow individuals, at least to some extent, from the husbands' viewpoints. Henry describes the costs and hullabaloos of having his wife come along with him at the race: “Now if you go with me, I must get a special carriage, and that costs twenty francs” (Bernard). This indicates that Jeanne is fond of comfort. Furthermore, Henry says: “And then, if you go I must put on my best clothes- these are old moth-eaten ones” and he is afraid that Jeanne will only ruin her “pretty dress” (Bernard). Thurber also indicates that Mrs. Mitty goes to the parlor regularly and likes looking good with their usual “weekly trips to town” (Thurber). These statements underscore women as materialistic individuals fond of comfort and beautiful things. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” examines the theme of technology. The different machines in this story emit the same sound, “pocketa-pocketa,” which stresses their “technological presence” (Prinsky, 2004, p.2). Mitty, in his fantasies, want to attain greater “control” over these machines and their operators (Blythe & Sweet, 1986, p.111). He wants to control airplanes, which indicates his control over his automobile, which he can hardly do when his wife controls the speed meter and the police wants him to follow traffic rules. He also controls a “huge, complicated machine” as a doctor (Thurber), because he also seeks to undermine Dr. Renshaw's ability as his doctor. Furthermore, it seems that even a simple technology as the hotel’s revolving door seems to “mock” him, because as he leaves, it creates a “faintly derisive whistling sound” (Thurber). Indeed, the more Walter wants to master technology in his dreams, the less capable he becomes in real life. As a result, he hates technology even more and would rather live in his dreams as a master of these technologies. There also differences in the characterization of the male protagonists. Henry only wants to briefly escape his life, but it seems that Mitty desires to escape reality and mortality altogether. Henry wants an “innocent amusement” (Bernard) to escape his humdrum, married life. He remains connected with other people, nevertheless, such as when he says “I know the doorkeeper and I can always find some friend to drive me around” (Bernard). He has friends who can help him. Walter, on the contrary, shuns the need for human relationships, because he would rather fantasize about his world and identity. In this world, he is the perfect man, a Superman in a sense, with no need for others. Mitty deliberately puts himself in “isolation,” which harms his social and psychological growth (Cheatham, 1990, p.610). Mann (1982) also argues that it is possible to see that without Mrs. Mitty, Walter would have killed himself, since his fantasizing leads him to driving too fast and not taking care of his health: “...Mitty is dangerously existing on the edge of insanity and/or suicide...” (p.357). Hence, Henry seems to be more logically balanced than the anti-social and over-fantasizing Mitty. “I'm Going” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” employ the same symbolism of the storm as a representation of the tempestuous condition of their relationships. Before Henry leaves, he complains about the weather and thunderstorms that happen at the end of the day: “... it's superb until noon, then it's cloudy and a little rainy- or else there's a big thunderstorm” (Bernard). The same storm exists in Henry and Jeanne's marriage. It starts beautiful then starts to get all tempestuous, as time unravels itself. They also start their day with “calm,” but ends with stormy discussions. Henry and Jeanne have a short discussion over their own “goings,” which almost prevents them from completely “going.” Walter also talks about the storm in his first daydream, which he wishes to conquer. For him, this storm is a mainstay in his marriage too, because he has to constantly keep struggling with his wife's condescending attitude. Thurber uses another symbol, nevertheless, that is not present in Bernard's play, because the “pocketa-pocketa” symbolizes technology. It represents the onomatopoeic sound of machines, and it also suggests that technology “confines” Mitty, as if he is in a pocket (Prinsky, 2004, p.2). He wants to control technology, but he cannot do it, because of his lack of skills and confidence. The technology then controls him under its pockets, where it gives the people who have knowledge about it the power to also control Walter. Bernard also uses “race” as a symbol for escape for married men. A race is brief and exciting, like an affair, unlike marriage that is long and binding, as well as boring and repetitive for the husbands and their wives. These stories employ different forms, because Thurber uses a short story format, while Bernard utilizes a one-act play to examine a slice of married life and its effect on the married couple. The short story allows Thurber to express the unsaid fantasies of Walter and the words that cannot be expressed in a play. He further uses a narrative style, through a short story form, with abrupt daydream breaks. These daydreams seem like Walter is relishing his past, when all these actions are products of his imaginations. Bernard uses a single-setting and act play, where everything happens inside the home, and yet the rest of the untold happens outside it. It shows that married people have different lives and personalities without each other. They are happier when they are apart and away from their “cage” of marriage. The one-act play emphasizes that even a slice of married life is enough to describe the amusing differences between reality and fantasies and differences in gender roles. Bernard and Thurber both use humorous writing styles to satirize social and express their perspectives on marriage and gender roles. Bernard uses verbal irony to depict the condescending attitude of Henry toward his wife. He describes her as “a very reasonable...very practical,” when he believes that she is a “stubborn little minx” (Bernard). He says she is practical, but complains that he spends more, when he is with her. He also makes her feel loved, when he feels angry with her assertiveness too. Furthermore, it is interesting that Henry makes Jeanne feel that she is manipulating him into going without her. Since he thinks that Jeanne will be seeing another man, he would rather have her “alone and neglected” (Bernard). There is verbal irony in how he says these words, because it is supposed to make him feel sad for doing it to his wife, but he would rather have her “alone and neglected” (Bernard) than go crazy thinking, where she might be. In essence, he is the one who wants to control his wife, and by doing so, his wife has become sullen and is forced to find ways to pursue her own pleasures in life, especially “trimming hats.” Thurber satirizes his own character's fantasies also through verbal irony, when he describes one scene as: “The greatest pistol shot in the world thought a moment. 'It says 'Puppies Bark for It' on the box.'” He undermines what Walter thinks of himself as a skilled marksman, when he can barely remember the things that his wife wants him to buy. Situational irony is also present in these stories. Henry and Walter think they are superior to their wives in one way or another. Henry imposes his will on his wife and wants her to rather feel “alone and neglected” (Bernard) for his own selfish reasons. But Jeanne is superior to him, because she will leave the house and do as she pleases. Walter also feels superior to his wife. He tells her: “Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?” (Thurber). This is his way of saying that his wife does not understand him at all. When Walter says “Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last” (Thurber), this shows that he will remain helpless to his wife. She will remain an influential factor in the real life of Walter Mitty. “I'm Going” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” share the same themes of marriage and gender roles, but with some differences in symbols and treatment of technology. Furthermore, Bernard uses a play, while Thurber employs a short story, to express their views on gender and marriage. They employ humor in satirizing the tug-of-war between men and women and the reality of authority, where men seem to be in power, but women are the actual ones who hold power over their lives and their men. Hence, their stories entail the hidden female power, which manifests itself through sometimes negative ways, like nagging, and yet, they also try to balance their needs and dreams with their traditional gender role of taking care of their husbands. For the more these women remain meek and traditional, the more they challenge their gendered realities as well. References Bernard, T. (1935). I'm going. Retrieved from http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924027316219/cu31924027316219_djvu.txt Blythe, H. & Sweet, C. (1986). Coitus interruptis: Sexual symbolism in 'the secret life of Walter Mitty. Studies in Short Fiction, 23 (1), 110-113. Retrieved from Literary Reference Center. Cheatham, G. (1990). The secret sin of Walter Mitty? Studies in Short Fiction, 27 (4), 608-610. Retrieved from Literary Reference Center. Mann, A. F. (1982). Taking care of Walter Mitty. Studies in Short Fiction, 19 (4), 351-357. Retrieved from Literary Reference Center. Prinsky, N. (2004). The secret life of Walter Mitty. Masterplots II: Short Story Series, 1-3. Retrieved from Literary Reference Center. Thurber, J. (1939). The secret life of Walter Mitty. Retrieved from http://www.all-story.com/issues.cgi?action=show_story&story_id=100 Read More