* Human Foolishness and Irrationality: Thurber delights in exposing the absurdity of human behavior, often highlighting how our own flaws and insecurities lead to comical and even tragic situations.
* Social Norms and Conventions: He frequently mocks the pretentiousness and artificiality of social customs, highlighting how they can be stifling and ultimately meaningless.
* The Power of Language: Thurber uses language playfully, often subverting expectations and highlighting the inherent absurdity of language itself. This includes using puns, malapropisms, and nonsensical wordplay.
* The Pursuit of Love and Romance: Thurber often satirizes the complexities and miscommunications that arise in romantic relationships, pointing out the often-unrealistic expectations and the humorous pitfalls of finding love.
* The Nature of Reality: Some of his stories explore the unreliability of perception, the power of imagination, and the blurring lines between dreams and reality.
Here are some examples of how Thurber uses satire to target these themes:
* "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty": This classic story mocks the escapist fantasies of a meek man who daydreams about being a heroic figure. It highlights the gap between reality and our own desires, and the absurdity of living in a fantasy world.
* "The Catbird Seat": This story satirises the stifling nature of office life and the paranoia of a man who believes he's being targeted. It also highlights the dangers of taking yourself too seriously and the consequences of letting fear dictate your actions.
* "The Unicorn in the Garden": This short story mocks the tendency of people to misunderstand or ignore reality. It highlights how we can be so focused on our own perspectives that we fail to see the truth, even when it's right in front of us.
Thurber's satire is often characterized by its wit, absurdity, and underlying sense of melancholy. He uses humor to expose the follies of human nature, but also to acknowledge the absurdity of our existence.