Before analyzing this short story and getting to the heart of things, let's talk about the theme and what it really means. Initially when we think about theme, we might think that it is the summary or plot of a story (Clugston, 2010) when it is not. The topic itself is more complex than that; a theme is the representation of the idea behind the story. "What does this mean?" you may ask; Well, a theme isn't what happens in the story, the theme tells you what the story is about. Everyone's answer as to what a theme is may vary slightly due to individual interpretations. The story I choose to analyze is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This tale is about a man named Walter and his annoying wife; Even more so Walter and how he reacts to his wife and deals with his daily interactions with people. I think the idea behind this story was to imply that whenever you want to free your mind from worries or problems it's okay to get lost in thought. Walter was very good at fantasizing about doing this while driving a car as illustrated in the story in the first chapter (Clugston, 2010). Not to be confused with plot which tells what happens in a story, theme cannot be defined as one word. To find the answer to the question: what is the theme? The question must be asked: how (Clugston, 2010)? Two literary elements in this story that help contribute to the theme are the plot and the character Walter Mitty. Story plot is defined as a dynamic element in fiction, a sequence of interconnected and contrasting actions and events that typically reach a climax and lead to a resolution (Clugston, 2010). WALTER'S THEME In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty the plot revolved around Walter and his vivid daydreams...... middle of paper... or even the character radically altered the theme of this story or changed it completely. In conclusion, the theme of a story is the purpose behind the story, not the summary or moral of the story. All stories, short stories and even movies have themes. You can usually point out the theme of something after reading or watching it. Plot and character are just two of the many literary elements of a story, there are many others such as setting, tone or point of view. Next time you read a book or watch a movie, try underlining them. It can be very fun and enjoyable. WALTER'S THEMES Reference Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Works Cited Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.