46 pages • 1 hour read
The Catbird Seat
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Literary Devices
Farce
Thurber uses farcical elements to create the main conflict in “The Catbird Seat.” In a farce, the elements of the story—often trivial elements—are exaggerated to the point where the audience knows how absurd the narrative situation is, but the characters do not. Mr. Martin pronouncing a death sentence on Mrs. Barrows for what appears (at best) to be petty offenses is farcical. The elaborate nature of his plot against her is also farcical; his commitment suggests that the stakes are much higher than is actually the case.
Foil
Mr. Martin and Mrs. Barrows serve as foils for each other. Their respective characteristics highlight the temperaments and foibles of the other. In “The Catbird Seat,” the despised Mrs. Barrows is cast as the villain since she is only seen through Mr. Martin’s viewpoint. Characters that serve as foils are not always at odds with each other, but the relationship between antagonist and protagonist is the clearest example of an author’s use of the foil device.
Symbolism
Thurber employs symbolism throughout the story to reinforce aspects of Mr. Martin’s character. When he buys the cigarettes, they symbolize a drastic break from routine and tradition. He finds Mrs. Barrows so intolerable that he buys cigarettes as part of a ploy to draw attention away from himself. He drinks milk, symbolizing his own bland, unthreatening personality, contrasted with the excitement and passion that the alcohol rouses in him late in the story. The frequent reinforcement of the “catbird seat” symbolizes that Mr. Martin is appropriating some of Mrs. Barrows’s traits in order to gain an advantage over her.
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By James Thurber
