"The Catbird Seat" - Literary Analysis

“The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber is written in omniscient limited point of view. The story takes place between a Monday night and Wednesday morning. Erwin Martin is the story’s protagonist and in an ironic scheme, he plots against the antagonist, Mrs. Ulgine Barrows. The conflict between Barrows and Martin developed the first day they met. Martin feels like Barrows is emasculating him with her derogatory phrases. Thurber uses imagery while describing the sequence of events in which Martin and Barrows conflicted. For example, Martin gets back to the topic when he hears “a gavel rap…” in his mind (208). Repetition is used critically in recounting Martin’s daily routines to emphasize the monotony of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. Martin is extremely clever in plotting against Barrows to make her look insane. The story carries a strong theme of weak men versus strong women in the workplace. I might have preferred the story to be written in first-person point of view to reveal a more intimate encounter, but it flows nicely.