Comparative Analysis Of The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty And The Test

‘The Test’ by Angelica Gibbs and James Thurber’s ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ uses character construct to evoke a response from readers. They achieve this by displaying the issue of power disbalance in relationships such as marital relationships and authority relationship. The response from readers would-be anger and pity for the poor protagonists Marian and Walter.

James Thurber constructed Walter Mitty as a weak, passive, mild-mannered and, an ineffectual man who has no power in his marital relationship. The story is set during the great depression of the 1930s in northern United States, Mitty and his wife are having a trip into town Throughout the text we see the power disbalance between Mitty and his wife, who is overbearing, controlling, she berates him and treats him like absent. An example from the text is her first line of dialogue. Whilst Walter is escaping her by daydreaming, she brings him crashing back to reality by barking “Not so fast! At him, while he is driving. Another example from the text is how she keeps insisting he goes to the doctor and how she says “It’s one of your days” already assuming something is wrong with him. Mitty’s responses to her are weak retorts of protests, where he eventually gives in to her orders. Walter is criticised being forgetful but when she is forgets something Mitty says nothing and its very unlikely he will. Even near the end of the text where he asks her if it ever occurred to her that he thinks sometimes, her reaction is to simply brush it off and brings up him being ill again and how she’ll be checking his temperature at home. Mrs Mitty nit-picks everything Walter does the overshoes, snow chains, and how fast he’s driving are all examples of how she wants to control Walter, forcing him to escape into fantasies of him being a man of power. He is ‘The Commander’, ‘The lieutenant’, and ‘The Captain. All of these are positions of power and respect where he is obeyed. His dreams are completely different to reality where in fact he is powerless against his wife. The power in this relationship is heavily tipped in Mrs Mitty’s favour Walter has absolutely no power in his marriage. The response the text evokes from the readers is pity towards Walter’s situation in his marriage. Especially considering how uncommon it was in the decade the story was written. To have the woman in control whereas in fact it was expected to be the other way around with Walter having absolute control in the marriage since he is the man and women were expected to be submissive towards their husbands. Even readers from now finds this relationship toxic neither party in a relationship should be abusive and or controlling to the other.

In 'The Test' Angelica Gibbs constructed Marian as a calm, passive and educated black woman in her late twenties, who works as a servant who is in a position of no power. The story is set in the 1930s in Bible Belt America, a place and time where systemic racism and sexism were commonplace the bottom of the hierarchy being Black women and at the very top white men. The relationship Marian is in is an authoritative relationship with her driving inspector who abuses his power to torment and mock Marian. The inspector spares no time in the text to continuously call Marian out of her name and instead chooses to use the racial slur ‘Mandy Lou’. This is the first example of his disrespect it suggests to the reader that he is neither regarding nor treating her as his equal. Marian remains calm and composed through his insensitive behaviour even when he implies that she just wants a license so she can meet some ‘Youngblood’. What he is implying about Marian is that she is a loose woman who will use her license to sneak out and meet men. He is abusing the power he holds over Marian which is him her passing this test and getting her license. Marian is all too aware of he's intentions, She expects this type of behaviour which is that of a black female a single slip up could mean she fails once again. During their time alone together, the Inspector begins to whistle Swanee River and ask if she is 'Feeling homesick' he makes assumptions that she is from the south. When she tells him no he begins speaking in a mocking southern accent, in reply he says 'You-all ain't southern'. Marian remains calm and doesn't give him any retorts since it could result in him failing her. The inspector does not stop there when she mentions that she got her college degree last year he burst out laughing, he laughed to the point that he could not give instructs and tears come to his eyes. The inspector is fully aware that he can make any remarks about Marian that he wants to that is if she wants to pass. Then she best keeps her composer. In the end, poor Marian breaks and can not take it anymore her foot slipped off the clutch and in a mocking and infuriating tone the inspector comments 'Now Mistress Marian, Remember your degree'. Marian then starts the car with a jerk and says to the inspector 'Damn you' he then made four very black crosses in at random. The reader's response is at first disbelief and anger at the inspector because they just can not believe how rude he is towards Marian and all due to her race and gender. They are given some level satisfaction although not that much. When Marian curses the inspector, she dames him to hell this feels like the inspector got what he deserved.

Both Angelica Gibbs and James Thurber constructed their main characters, Marian and Walter in very similar ways they are both mild-mannered and passive individuals. Who do not have power in their relationships. Each of them is berated and verbally abused by the more powerful one in their respective relationships. they share similar settings with both the texts being in a car.