The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Scarlet Ibis Essays

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Scarlet Ibis Essays The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Scarlet Ibis Paper The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Scarlet Ibis Paper Even the slightest difference in one’s mental state can lead to the ultimate demisedeath. Throughout literature many characters experience mental disturbance. These conflicts lead to personal issues, which unfortunately leads to the character’s death, mentally or physically. These end results can be expressed in the short stories concerning the characters Walter Mitty and Doodle, both start to realize in their own ways how big the world is and what else there is to be explored. Both experience hardships, and death eventually claims one as its next victim.Walter Mitty from â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter† Mitty and Doodle from â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis† display two completely different archetypes; Walter Mitty exhibits the archetype of an outcast while Doodle displays the characteristics of an innocent scapegoat. However, they both share mental handicaps which causes mental anguish, and having family members that inhibit their dreams. Walter Mitty expresses the archetypal trait of an outcast him himselfnot expressing his true feelings. He has left a deep pit of misery and shame. If someone were to give Walter a free ticket to explore the world realistically as he does in his dreams he just might deny that ticket. Walter does not try to change his life; he seems to of rather just give up and do what he has always done, go along with the flow, do for others and not himself.As Walter Mitty picks Mrs. Mitty up from the salon she starts to taunt him about the â€Å"overshoes† and doggie biscuits; Walter says â€Å"I was thinking, does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking† (Thurber 2). As Doodle having archetypal characteristics of an innocent scapegoat, he lies upon that line of being a pure child. In the story â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis† Doodles life was taken in the midst of a storm instead ofhis brothers. Having such a tragic accident occur on his brothers watch made Doodles troublesom e brother feel sorrow for all the hatr