11 min read · Dec 6, 2017
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Dr. Soren Harnow Klausen states, “Happiness is an exclusively categorical psychological state.” According to Charles Gant, Ben Stiller’s 2013 film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, is one of many adaptations of James Thurber’s original short story. Thurber original focused on a man who found happiness in his heroic daydreams while Stiller took a very different approach with the character Walter Mitty. What I’m going to argue is that this most recent adaptation of Walter Mitty argues that happiness is a choice of attitude rather than a choice of action. This perspective on happiness presents something slightly different than many modern attitudes towards happiness, as represented by authors Teal Burrel and Dr. Paul Dolan, who argue that happiness comes from a strong sense of purpose and also by choosing a positive attitude by surrounding yourself by what you enjoy in life. The film wants its audience to understand that happiness is a combination of these two perspectives. Part of what makes Walter Mitty a “feel good” movie isn’t that it merely manipulates our emotions but that it is reminding us that happiness and living a fulfilling life is often a lot simpler than we make it out to be.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is about a man who constantly “zones out” by daydreaming about exciting adventures. He is a negative asset manager for LIFE magazine who discovers that the magazine is heading to the online format in place of print. Walter and his co-workers are afraid of what the future holds. Walter handles the photos taken by the well-regarded freelance photographer, Sean O’Connell. O’Connell sends Walter photos and a wallet thanking him for his work. Negative #25 is an image that Sean intends for the final cover of LIFE called the “quintessence of life”. The image, to Walter’s dismay, is missing and his new boss, Ted Hendricks, is harassing him about negative 25 and his daydreaming. Walter’s office crush, Cheryl Melhoff, helps him use the other negatives as clues to find Sean in hope of finding negative 25 with him. Walter is then thrust into a journey of many “real” adventures in his search for the image and discovers more about life than he expected.
Walter follows the clues to Greenland in search of the wandering photographer. Walter begins to experience real adventures like a last second leap onto a drunk pilot’s helicopter, punching a shark, and surviving a volcanic eruption. Still a step behind O’Connell, Walter returns home at the request of his boss only to be fired when it’s discovered he does not have negative 25. Walter ends up at his mother’s home where he finds one of his clue images match his mother’s piano. She relates to Walter how O’Connell visited her and was very interested in Walter’s work. Walter sets off again to find the photographer and finish what he started.
When Walter finally finds Sean on top of a mountain in the Himalayas, Sean explains he is trying to photograph the Snow Leopard. They spot the animal and view it through the camera. Walter asks Sean when he will take the picture. Sean’s response is a lesson for all to hear,
“Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.”
Walter then learns the location of the lost image was with him from the beginning, in the wallet Sean sent to him (which Walter threw away). Luckily, his mother saves all his “knick-knacks”. Walter’s journey concludes with a changed man in his attitude toward life. His journey not only changed his economic status but gave him a new perspective on how he was going to live.
An Ordinary Life: The Process of Quintessence
The focus for so much of this film is the whimsical daydreams of a funny, somewhat awkward little man. However, the main argument isn’t that you can make dreams a reality, the film argues that an ordinary life can actually be extraordinary from a certain point of view. The argument made is that happiness is a choice of attitude rather than a choice of action. The main character, Walter Mitty, goes on an adventure of a lifetime, only to find what he was looking for was with him to whole time.
The argument is supported by establishing credibility for our protagonist, Walter Mitty. It is credibility in the form of familiarity and connection to the audience. The first scene we see is Walter on his home computer struggling to send a “wink” to his office crush, Cheryl Melhoff. Walter is frozen in front of the screen for a few clenching moments before finally making the decision to press the “wink” button, which will alert Cheryl of his interest in her. The humor of the moment and the frustration we feel from Walter gives the audience a familiarity with him. Next, we get the first example of Walter’s daydreaming as he misses his train to work. The goals of this introduction are met very well in getting the audience to feel a connection with Walter Mitty, an ordinary working man who dreams of adventure and love, who’s everyday life hits him in the face with mockery at every opportunity.
The film relies on some slapstick-like comedy which can take away from the more serious tones of the story, yet they purposely force you to feel for the characters. Stiller seems to enjoy making the audience feel awkward as a tool to lower your expectations for the character. These comedic stretches introduce us to Walter’s mind and show us that Walter is not fully enjoying his day-to-day life. As the plot develops, Stiller shows how Walter begins to overcome his daydreams by actually embarking on a real venture to find Sean O’Connell. The contrast between Walter in the first third of the movie compared to Walter near the end is fascinating. Stiller made Walter relatable and unremarkable at the beginning so we could be happily surprised at the changes Walter goes through. First, Walter’s happiness came from an external source (his dreams) and then we see his happiness come from within himself (no dreams) as he acts with confidence.
Another example of how we are made to connect with Walter is when we learn of his personal challenges in life. Our emotional response is a big tool Stiller uses as the story develops. We witness Walter’s literal journey and more subtly view his inner journey of self-discovery. Walter begins to realize why his life felt so mundane and ordinary as he starts to analyze his life. A scene from the movie shows this when Walter is visiting a Papa Johns restaurant in Iceland, while speaking with Cheryl. He explains to her how he used to skateboard and have a mohawk as a young man. His father greatly influenced and supported Walter’s sense of adventure. When his father died, Walter explained, he shaved his mohawk, got a job (at Papa Johns of course) and began providing what he could for his family. This piece of the story almost seems out of place after we have just witnessed Walter wrestle a shark, longboard down a volcanic slope and escape a volcanic eruption no less.
However, the awkwardly touching scene provides a glimpse of Walter’s journey within himself. Due to this insight into Walter’s past we are able to feel sympathy for his character and for his position in the plot. The director, Ben Stiller, (who also plays Walter Mitty) provides the audience with a credible character who can not only be seen as an underdog but as a responsible and respected individual. The strategy of connection is built upon throughout the story as we embark on this journey with Walter.
Ben Stiller’s version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a beautifully subtle analysis of finding self-confidence and happiness. His argument is made through veils of quirky comedy and many emotionally connecting strategies. The audience is made to feel that Walter Mitty is nothing extraordinary, like many of us feel everyday. Stiller argues for happiness coming from within at the end of the movie. Walter doesn’t look at the image he has sought after the entire movie, he simply goes after what he wants (Cheryl). His self-confidence in who he is and wants is rewarded by the last cover of Life magazine; it shows Walter performing his ordinary job. The “Quintessence of Life” comes full circle in Stiller’s subtle message of “beautiful things don’t ask for attention”. Walter Mitty chooses to be happy with his ordinary life instead of dreaming of an extraordinary one.
Making Dreams a Reality or Reality a Dream? An Analysis of Happiness and Purpose
How do we find purpose and happiness in our lives? Is it by fulfilling our dreams or realizing dreams can be lived through an everyday attitude? In an article titled Why am I here?, author Teal Burrell argues, “Just because life is ultimately meaningless doesn’t stop us from searching for meaning while we are alive. But all who find it seem to stumble across the same thing — a thing psychologists call “purpose”.” However, Professor Paul Dolan defines happiness as, “experiences of pleasure and purpose over time.” My argument is more similar to Burrell’s where I argue that happiness comes for a strong sense of self-identity and purpose rather than from seeking extraordinary experiences. By analysis of all material, a clear common denominator is attitude toward life.
Burrell’s article is an exploration of how purpose is beginning to gain ground as a scientific study. He argues that happiness and purpose are different, yet “people with a greater sense of purpose live longer, sleep better and have better sex.” Burrell examines that purpose is mostly defined as a sense of direction and long-term goals that one can center their life around. That direction and goal gives life meaning and shapes our daily actions. Burrell points out that in 2012 the United Nations commissioned the first-ever World Happiness Report, now an annual report on the need for happiness. He offers strong evidence in the health benefits found in those with a greater purpose. Included in his arguments are statistics showing those who report greater purpose over the age of 50 were 30 percent less likely to die over the span of a decade; conditions included heart disease, stroke and alzheimer’s.
Professor Paul Dolan is thought of as a “happiness guru” in the research community. He details where his ideas began in his book, Happiness By Design; he revealed that his stammer of speech was a hinder to his life. He dreaded any form of public speaking. Eventually, he worked with speech therapists and other experts helped him overcome the impediment by focusing on one skill: his attitude. Dolan described his light bulb moment, “when he realized that happiness was determined by how you allocate attention.” He continues to explain that once he stopped paying so much attention to his stutter — and realizing that others didn’t even notice it — it rarely bothered him. Your attitude toward your life is determined by yourself and how you decide to spend your time. Dolan explains that happiness will come to those who focus on people and things they like. It sounds too simple, but he simply states, “Spend more time with people you like, get outdoors a bit more, listen to some music, have some new experiences, help other people…do any or all of those things and you’ve transformed in the sense that you’re going to be happier.” Basically, Dolan is saying that we should stay positive and seek for more positive people, experiences and activities. When we focus on positivity instead of avoiding being miserable, we can usually attain that state, with a bit of luck.
“Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.”
Walter Mitty’s journey to find the all-too-important “Quintessence” image leads him to discover what was with him the entire time. At the conclusion of his story, Stiller shows us that Walter has found happiness in who he is and his new-found attitude towards life. He now has confidence to confront his former boss, pursue his crush Cheryl and accept his family situation (choosing to invite Cheryl to the lowly church production of Grease that his sister stars in). Bringing all of these ideas together, I believe my position of happiness as a choice of attitude rather than action is stronger than before. These other sources add another perspective to my argument but I believe they strengthen my position: those who attain a strong sense of purpose and identity will feel satisfaction over those who seek extraordinary experiences. Satisfaction is synonymous with happiness.
Conclusion
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a great argument for finding happiness in your attitude towards life. Self-identity and purpose lead to happiness more than any extravagant adventure in itself could. Ben Stiller provides a funny, yet moving story that can shed light on attitude to anyone who feels they are not doing enough in their life. All of us can feel like Walter Mitty, lost in the mundane cycles of our everyday lives and this story offers a way to overcome it. Walter’s journey includes many adventures that Walter had only dreamed of but in the end, it wasn’t the adventures that brought Walter happiness as Dolan had suggested in my analysis. Instead, those adventures provided a structure for helping Walter gain confidence in his own purpose. By the end of his journey he knows who he wants to be and what he wants to get from his own life. This falls in line with Burrell’s notion that a strong sense of purpose leads to more happiness. The combination of Walter’s adventures (something he has always wanted) and his new found confidence in his purpose and identity led to an increase of his overall happiness.
A comical scene shows us a completely different character. After Walter’s incredible journey, he needs a friend to vouch for him while being detained at the Los Angeles airport. Todd, from EHarmony, comes to his rescue and is blown away by who Walter is. Walter asks Todd what he thought of him when they began their communication. Todd’s response helps Walter realize what his adventure has done for him. “I pictured you as this little gray piece of paper, but now I see you and it’s like Indiana Jones decided to become the lead singer of The Strokes or something.” The feedback helps Walter to realize he can be that guy. It just took some action that led to more and more confidence. However, his journey became easier as he changed his attitude. His choice of attitude influenced his actions. Supporting the conclusion that happiness is a choice of attitude more than a choice of action.
“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”
