Men and Women

One of the more important themes of "The Catbird Seat" is the struggle for men and women to understand each other and live together. In Thurber's work, the battle is always between a weak, nervous man and a strong, domineering woman. It was a recurring theme in his work, most notably in fictional works like The Owl in the Attic (1931) and the "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1939). When "The Catbird Seat" was adapted as a movie in 1960, the film was called The Battle of the Sexes.

Many of Thurber's stories and drawings explore the struggles between men and women in marriage. In "The Catbird Seat" the arena is the workplace. In Thurber's world, men and women can never understand each other. Like Mr. Martin and Mrs. Barrows, they speak different languages; moreover, women always want to change things.

In this story, many of the traditional...