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In "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber, why does Walter Mitty choose to daydream?

Walter Mitty leads a life that is probably a lot different than the one he thought he would lead at a young age.  He is a devoted family man who probably has a nice desk job, but he desires more adventure in his life.  In the opening scene, he imagines that he is a captain responsible for getting his crew through a storm.  In reality, his wife jolts him back to reality by asking him about his fast driving and telling him to wear his gloves.  In another scene, he is a world-renowned surgeon who is saving lives with fountain pens, when in reality he is annoying a parking lot attendant with his distracted nature.  Mitty likes his fantasy life because it lets him remember what it is like to have masculine dreams of saving the day and being a hero--he feels that this does not exist for him in real life.  

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