The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" portrays a marriage in which the wife is domineering, controlling, bossy, and in short, "wearing the pants." Her husband, Walter Mitty, is by contrast passive, submissive, and under his wife's thumb. One point of view is that Thurber's portrayal of Mrs. Mitty is sexist; perhaps he's putting down ALL women as bossy and unloving. Another perspective is that Mrs. Mitty is simply a caricature of one type of woman.