Mitty is a meek, mild man with a vivid fantasy life: in a few dozen paragraphs h e imagines himself a wartime pilot,

an emergency-room surgeon, and a devil-may-c are killer. The character's name has come into more general use to refer to an i neffectual dreamer, appearing in several dictionaries.[2] The American Heritage Dictionary defines a Walter Mitty as "an ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs".[3] The most famous of Thu rber's inept male protagonists, the character is considered "the archetype for d reamy, hapless, Thurber Man".[4] Although the story has humorous elements, there is a darker and more significant message underlying the text, leading to a more tragic interpretation of the Mit ty character. Even in his heroic daydreams, Mitty does not triumph, several fant asies being interrupted before the final one sees Mitty dying bravely in front o f a firing squad. In the brief snatches of reality that punctuate Mitty's fantas ies the audience meets well-meaning but insensitive strangers who inadvertently rob Mitty of some of his remaining dignity.