Gullible’s Travels · Chapter
II explained
The narrator and his wife continue their train journey south, passing through Cairo, Illinois, and into the South.
What happens
The narrator and his wife continue their train journey south, passing through Cairo, Illinois, and into the South. The narrator engages in a humorous conversation with a fellow passenger, Mr. Gould, about travel, Palm Beach, and President Wilson's handling of the war. The wife is anxious about the trip and the exclusivity of Palm Beach, while the narrator observes the scenery and small towns with comic disdain.
Themes in this chapter
Travel and Its Discontents
The chapter is filled with the narrator's complaints about train travel, from the curves that make his wife sick to the monotonous scenery and the inconvenience of missed connections.
Pretension and Phoniness
Gould's claim that Palm Beach is 'too common' and his self-importance about his knowledge of foreign policy are mocked by the narrator, exposing the pretensions of the wealthy traveler.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
Engages in witty banter with a stranger on the train, critiques the scenery, and tries to reassure his wife about the journey.
- The Missus
Nervous about the train's curves and worried that Palm Beach may have become too common; she skips supper and naps in the afternoon.
- Gould
A talkative passenger from St. Louis who claims to have quit Palm Beach because it became too common and offers unsolicited opinions on Wilson's war policy.
Key passages
“Must of been a lot o' rain through here,' he says. 'Either that,' says I, 'or else the sprinklin' wagon run shy o' streets.'”
The narrator jokes that the wet ground could be from rain or a street sprinkler, deflecting the stranger's small talk with humor.
Shows the narrator's quick wit and tendency to use humor in everyday conversations.
“I don't think it's right to have this country's whole future dependin' on a St. Louis stenographer,' I says.”
The narrator sarcastically suggests that the country's fate shouldn't rely on Gould's secretary being able to reach him, mocking Gould's self-importance.
Highlights the narrator's skepticism toward those who claim to have insider knowledge on national affairs.