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"You're tensed up again," said Mrs. Mitty. "It's one of your days. I wish you'd let Dr. Renshaw look you over."
After chastising Mitty for driving too fast, Mrs. Mitty comments on Mitty being “tensed up.” Readers can’t be sure if Mitty is tense because of his exciting daydream or because Mrs. Mitty scolds him. Whatever Mrs. Mitty notices, she has sensed it often enough in the past to refer to these episodes as “one of [his] days.” Her “wish” that Mitty would “let Dr. Renshaw look [him] over” implies that Mrs. Mitty has asked him before, perhaps more than once, to go to the doctor for a physical checkup, but he has refused. On the one hand, Mrs. Mitty’s comments show that she believes his spells indicate a physical ailment. She is unaware of his secret life of daydreams and is not intimate enough with him to know what he feels or what happens in his mind. On the other hand, Mrs. Mitty does show concern, to some extent, for Mitty’s health. Because the narrator has access to only Mitty’s mind, readers cannot be sure of Mrs. Mitty’s feelings behind these sentences.
"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?"
When Mitty drops Mrs. Mitty off for her hair appointment, she reminds him to buy overshoes. Overshoes are waterproof covers that keep shoes dry. Mrs. Mitty must be aware that rain is coming, as indeed it does at the conclusion of the story. Mrs. Mitty’s response to Mitty’s protests shows that this is an argument they have had before, and its outcome was that Mitty would buy overshoes. Although Mrs. Mitty treats Mitty like a child, she also reminds him that he is not a young man any longer. Her condescension continues when she questions him about his gloves. Although Mrs. Mitty is domineering, she also shows concern for Mitty’s health. Overshoes will keep Mitty’s feet dry in the coming rains, and his gloves will keep his hands warm in the cold. Despite her delivery, it is possible that her intentions stem from a concern for his welfare.
