James Thurber, one of America's best-known humorists, is best known for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." The story was first published in 1939 in the New Yorker magazine, for which he worked, and received much praise. Although Thurber had not received much education, he had a talent for hiding the themes of his stories, which some critics considered "dark", under humorous plots. In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” Thurber uses his comedic persona and settings, along with other elements of his stories, to fully express his views on society. Although the story seems funny, Thurber hides a message: society has become boring. James Grover Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio, on the eighth day of December 1894 to Charles and Mary Fisher Thurber. Thurber's mother Mary, like most of Thurber's female characters in her stories, was domineering and was said to take "control of people and things and order the lives of those around her" (Gale). At a young age, Thurber began his writing career working for his high school newspaper. After high school, he continued his studies at Ohio State University. He entered the university in 1913 where he "worked on the university's literary and humor magazines, Ohio State Lantern and Sun-Dial" (Gale). Thurber, unfortunately, did not complete his studies and left Ohio State University in 1918. Thurber explained that he could not pass a required botany course due to an eye injury he suffered as a child while playing William Tell with his brother major (Gale). . The arrow that struck one of his eyes contributed to the total blindness he would eventually suffer in 1951. Additionally, the injury kept him out of the Army, limiting him from positions of masculinity. After… half of the paper… their minds. James Thurber was a gifted man, even without a full education. It could perhaps start a revolution in society that people never imagined they could achieve. Works Cited Gale, Steven H. "James (Grover) Thurber." American Short Story Writers, 1910-1945: Second Series. Ed. Bobby Ellen Kimbel. Detroit: Gale, 1991. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 102. Literary Resource Center. Network. May 20, 2014.Ring, Trudy. Essay on “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”. Short stories for students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 42. Print. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." Short stories for students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 183-90. Print.Thurber, James. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." Anthology of American Literature: Realism in the Present. Ed. George McMichael. New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1985. 1466-70. Press.