What is the central idea of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"?

Walter Mitty’s life is a juxtaposition of boring normalcy and extraordinary fantasies. Mitty goes into his fantasies to escape the real world: he dreams of being a Captain, a Commander, a famous surgeon; in reality, he nearly forgets to buy the items his wife asked for and is shown to be unaware of the world around him while daydreaming. Having suddenly remembered to buy puppy biscuits, a realization that prompted yet another daydream, Mitty “stopped...

Walter Mitty’s life is a juxtaposition of boring normalcy and extraordinary fantasies. Mitty goes into his fantasies to escape the real world: he dreams of being a Captain, a Commander, a famous surgeon; in reality, he nearly forgets to buy the items his wife asked for and is shown to be unaware of the world around him while daydreaming. Having suddenly remembered to buy puppy biscuits, a realization that prompted yet another daydream, Mitty “stopped walking and the buildings of Waterbury rose up out of the misty courtroom and surrounded him again.”

Central to the story is the relationship between Walter Mitty and his wife. The inequality is inherent within the story: she is given no first name and is portrayed as overbearing, while Mitty is nearly always referred to by both names, which often d high status. Mitty finds himself irritated with her frequently:

“I was thinking,” said Walter Mitty. “Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking?”

Note his use of “ever” and “sometimes”: Mitty is frustrated with his wife and reacting in a passive-aggressive manner. Just moments later, fueled by shame and boredom, he pictures himself turning to face a firing squad, once more the hero in his own story.

One can hardly blame Mrs. Mitty for nagging her husband: he proves himself to be nearly incapable of staying on track when distracted by daydreams. He tangles the chains when he tries to take them off the car, drives into the “Exit Only” lane, and appears frustrated at the thought of his wife reprimanding him for failing to do the shopping properly.

The conflict between husband and wife fuels the disparate gap between Walter Mitty's daydreams and reality, but ultimately the continual intrusion of the real world shows that perpetual daydreaming is impossible.