Read this excerpt from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."

Question

Walter Mitty stopped the car in front of the building where his wife went to have her hair done. "Remember to get those overshoes while I’m having my hair done," she said. "I don’t need overshoes," said Mitty. She put her mirror back into her bag. "We’ve been all through that," she said, getting out of the car. "You’re not a young man any longer." He raced the engine a little. "Why don’t you wear your gloves? Have you lost your gloves?" Walter Mitty reached in a pocket and brought out the gloves. He put them on, but after she had turned and gone into the building and he had driven on to a red light, he took them off again.

Question
How does the contrast between Mitty's view of himself and the reader's view of Mitty affect the story in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"?
Responses

It injects tension in the story, as readers wait to see whether Mitty's wife will realize that her husband is unhappy.
It injects tension in the story, as readers wait to see whether Mitty's wife will realize that her husband is unhappy.

It builds suspense in the story, as each of Mitty's fantasies places him in more and more danger in reality.
It builds suspense in the story, as each of Mitty's fantasies places him in more and more danger in reality.

It adds humor to the story, since Mitty acts out all of his fantasies among people who have no idea what he's doing.
It adds humor to the story, since Mitty acts out all of his fantasies among people who have no idea what he's doing.

It creates sympathy for Mitty since readers recognize that his fantasies show how he'd like to be, not how he actually is.

Answer 1

The best response is:

It creates sympathy for Mitty since readers recognize that his fantasies show how he'd like to be, not how he actually is.

This contrast between Mitty's view of himself—filled with dreams of adventure and heroism—and the reader's understanding of his mundane and often pitiful reality generates sympathy for his character. While he fantasizes about being a brave pilot, skilled surgeon, or other heroic figures, he is actually portrayed as a somewhat meek and subdued individual, which highlights his dissatisfaction with his life and deepens the reader's emotional connection to him.