Need something quick for your unit on the Hero’s Journey? I’ve got you covered with this semi-recent movie: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Why Walter Mitty?
This unexpected gem landed in my lap a few weeks back and at first I had low expectations. For one thing, I knew just from the trailer it didn’t fit the short story. At all. For another, I haven’t heard any chatter about it from the teaching community online. Perhaps they’ve been boycotting too due to the deviation from the original story? Hard to say for sure. All I know is that my students thoroughly enjoyed this PG movie–I’m talking “voluntarily put their phones down and sat quietly to watch” enjoyed this movie.
Here’s why:
- They relate to the main character, Walter. In the original short story he’s not as relatable for the students and the language is much older, often inaccessible depending on your students’ skill and ability level. This movie version? The students see themselves in this hero who feels lost in a sea of everyone else. Perfect for my teenage students.
- There’s enough action to keep them engaged. Sure, some of it is Walter’s fantasies, but it’s engaging regardless.
- My students understood the humor and it helps to keep things light in the classroom. ELA material can be brutally depressing; this movie is not.
Why the Hero’s Journey?
This year I spent a lot of extra time writing narratives (which I don’t regret for a single minute) and suddenly it was late May. My Whirligig unit? Impossible to implement in the few short weeks remaining. My only option to teach Hero’s Journey was to use a movie. While the list of potential movies fitting the Hero’s Journey criteria is endless, my list of approved movie options is not. Hence I took a chance on Walter, and boy am I glad I did.
Status Quo
The first 20 minutes of the movie lend itself perfectly to identifying the status quo for Walter Mitty. He’s a simple kind of guy and everything you need to know about him (initially) reveals itself in a nice little package. He even has elaborate daydreams so students can infer what his hopes and dreams are.
Call to Action
A literal call to action? Check. Figurative calls to action? Check, check. I love that this movie is accessible to my kiddos who struggle while still offering a challenge for the ones who don’t. Everyone wins and everyone gets something out of it. Here’s the literal call to action in the gif below. I ask my students to come up with two more, but I refer to them as pushes, as in events that push the person to leave their comfort zone.
More Hero’s Journey Examples
I can’t. Students will find this blog post and then they’ll (often poorly and without my signature sass) regurgitate what I’ve written here while passing it off as their own. I know, they can do that with AI, too, but I’d rather not be a part of it. Honestly, if you watch the movie I think you’ll see all the ways Walter Mitty uses the Hero’s Journey as a basic blue print for its story, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Extension Lessons
On top of Hero’s Journey, there are a myriad of other things you can do with this movie if you have the time to really deep dive into it. Here’s a quick run-down.
Space Oddity Song Analysis
Not only is this song referenced throughout the movie, but some of the characters have conflicting ideas as to what the song is actually about. It’s ripe for analysis. I replay the brief sections of the movie where the song is referenced and then have students summarize each character’s interpretation of the lyrics before they do their own analysis. At the end I have them decide if the song is a good fit for the movie given the tone and overall message of both the song and the movie.
Symbolism
All is not what is seems in the world of Walter Mitty. Seemingly ordinary events or objects hold a much deeper meaning. As with the call to action, some are obvious enough that almost every one of my students was able to identify one independently while others take a little bit of prodding and investigating. This makes hunts for symbolism one of those perfect activities where there is a low floor and high ceiling in terms of accessibility.
Setting Analysis
Depending on what state you teach in, standardized tests will sometimes ask how setting contributes to the theme of a piece of literature. It’s a tricky one to teach since not all literature lends itself well to this (meaning there’s an easy connection you can make to help ease your students into it). But Walter Mitty to the rescue once more. I’m focusing again on the beginning of the movie, but the shots are done so perfectly to portray Walter’s feelings of isolation and lack of individualism. Look at the scenes in his apartment (lack of personality), his apartment building (every door looks identical), and him sitting at the fountain and various other places around the city where he’s portrayed as a tiny isolated speck with the use of a long shot rather than a close-up.
Get the Worksheets
No time to create worksheets? I have Hero’s Journey (with a bonus theme and symbolism page) and the song analysis already put together and available at my TpT store. Click HERE to check it out 🙂
