The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Irony

Manly Walter (Situational Irony)

In his fantasies, Walter Mitty is a strong man who has control over his life and who is free to do whatever he wants to do. In reality however, he is controlled by his wife, a person who is much stronger than he is and who exhibits a much stronger character than Walter. Mitty's real life is the opposite of the one his fantasies imagine, giving these fantasies an ironic contrast with reality.

Marital Incompatibility (Situational Irony)

Walter Mitty is married to a woman referred to in the story as Mrs. Mitty. Despite being married, the two seem quite distant, and at times Walter seems incapable of recognizing his own wife.

Putting on the Gloves (Situational Irony)

Mrs. Mitty reminds Walter to wear his gloves and tells him that he is no longer a young man and needs to take care of himself. Walter objects and plans to remove the gloves as soon as he is out of his wife’s sight, but decides against it and ends up putting them back on instead, contrasting ironically with his defiant plans to remove them.