In The Creative Process, James Baldwin describes the artist's purpose: “to illuminate that darkness, to blaze paths through that vast forest, so that, in all our doings, we shall not lose view of its purpose, which is, after all, to make the world a more humane dwelling place” (Baldwin 874). Author James Thurber fulfills his responsibility as an artist in his stories, which deal with themes of dissatisfaction, identity, and the battle of the sexes. Through the use of strong character development in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", "The Unicorn in the Garden", and "The Catbird Seat", James Thurber illuminates his observations on the social ills of the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIn his short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," Thurber uses the protagonist Walter as a means of commenting on dissatisfaction with everyday life. In the story, Walter Mitty is an imaginative man trapped in a high life and finds himself immersed in fantasies of a Navy commander, high-profile surgeon and British pilot. Thurber's use of characterization is very indicative of Walter's personality. For example, in her unhappy marriage, Mrs. Mitty treats Walter as if he were incompetent and inferior; their conversation boils down to snide remarks and condescending comments like, “you're not a young man anymore… Why don't you wear gloves? Have you lost your gloves?" (Secret Life). This lack of autonomy in his marriage is a major source of insecurity and, ultimately, forces Walter to resort to a fantasy world in which he becomes the intrepid male figure who can never be in real life.Through the use of character development in his comic tale, James Thurber conveys a much greater message about the tragedy of resorting to fantasy to escape the frustrations of real life, Thurber uses the husband's character development to convey belief in specific gender stereotypes In this fairytale tale a husband sees a unicorn in his garden and alerts his wife who promptly rejects his request and mercilessly calls the police and a psychiatrist to. take the husband away. When these rescuers arrive, they detain the wife and interrogate the husband who in revenge denies the wife's claims. The husband's character is initially very deceptive, and only when he denies everything to the police does the reader understand his true intentions. Thurber presents an interesting plot twist when the husband points out the absurdity of seeing a unicorn with the phrase "The unicorn is a mythical beast" (Unicorn). Ironically, the wife uses this very phrase to dismiss her husband's initial claim that he saw a unicorn in the garden. Through this implicit characterization, the husband is revealed to be not only sane but also vindictive towards his wife. By hiding her husband's real intentions and revealing his true personality only at the end, James Thurber conveys his true beliefs: men and women are not destined to live together happily ever after. There are many parallels between James Thurber's "The Unicorn in the Garden". and "The Seat of the Catbird"; while the latter is based more in reality than fantasy, both stories utilize themes of gender stereotypes and the battle of the sexes. Thurber introduces the protagonist, Mr. Erwin Martin, as he is stealing a pack of cigarettes, and it is quickly revealed that he is planning the murder of Mrs. Ugline Barrows, a rough but powerful colleague. On the way home, Martin outlines a detailed plan in his head; from this the reader can deduce that it is.