A prevalent habit of human kind is to pretend to be someone we are not – to mask our true selves. This is sometimes possible through false identities. In the case of Walter Mitty in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, he makes it possible to live the life he longs to live. This is achieved through numerous dream sequences in which he takes on new personalities and mannerisms. The qualities that are apparent in most, if not all, of his day dreams are demanding, repetitive, skilled and confident. Walter Mitty's speech, as well as his actions, demonstrate the distinctly opposite personalities he has in his real life and his dream life.
             One feature Walter Mitty is lacking in real life that is predominant in his dream sequences is being demanding. He takes charge of a situation and does not hesitate to exhibit his authority. In his first daydream he says, "I'm not asking you, Lieutenant Berg, ... We're going through!" (88) He lets the lieutenant know who is in charge and verbally expresses it. This is quite different from his real life where he follows the commands of his wife so intently. This comment to the lieutenant is the kind of thing he'd like to say to his wife if he had the courage in real life that he only possesses in his invented life. Another example of this demanding quality is found in Walter's second dream, when he is an accomplished doctor in a tense operating room scene. The 'anaesthetizer' begins to malfunction and the nurse is distressed. Mitty takes control of the circumstances and begins to make his commands. "Quiet, man!" "Give me a fountain pen!" "That will hold for ten minutes, ... Get on with the operation." (89) In just a short time frame, Mitty tells the interne what to do, makes a demand for an object, expertly fixes a defective machine and dictates the doctors to get on with the operation. This rash, spontaneous...