Gullible’s Travels · Chapter
IV explained
The narrator and his wife continue their stay at Palm Beach, engaging in daily activities like bathing, dancing, and observing the wealthy.
What happens
The narrator and his wife continue their stay at Palm Beach, engaging in daily activities like bathing, dancing, and observing the wealthy. The wife insists on visiting the Beach Club and dining at the garden grill, leading to extra expenses. They also take a wheelchair ride to the bathhouse, where they rent private rooms for bathing.
Themes in this chapter
Money and Financial Strain
The narrator repeatedly notes the high costs of activities and accommodations, such as the $5 per week for bathhouse rooms and the extra charges for meals at the garden grill.
Disillusionment with Glamour
The narrator becomes less impressed by the celebrities and socialites, noting that even seeing the opera singer Scotti doesn't make him forget his sore feet.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
Narrates the chapter, describing the couple's activities and expenses at Palm Beach.
- The Missus
The narrator's wife, who is enthusiastic about the social scene and insists on visiting the Beach Club and dining at the garden grill.
Key passages
“It was wrote all over ’em. They was reachin’ under the table for each other’s hand every other minute, and when they wasn’t doin’ that they was smilin’ at each other or gigglin’ at nothin’.”
It was obvious they were newlyweds, constantly holding hands and smiling at each other.
The narrator observes a young couple's affectionate behavior.
“I never had so much fun in my life. The surf was runnin’ high, I heard ’em say; and I don’t know which I’d rather do, go bathin’ in the ocean at Palm Beach when the surf is runnin’ high, or have a dentist get one o’ my molars ready for a big inlay at a big outlay.”
I had a great time, but the rough surf was as unpleasant as a dental procedure.
The narrator humorously compares the ocean bathing to a painful dental visit.
“She made a discovery one night. She found out that they was a place called the Beach Club where most o’ the real people disappeared to every evenin’ after dinner.”
She learned about the exclusive Beach Club where the elite gathered after dinner.
The wife discovers the social hotspot and insists on going.
““We can’t keep up that clip,” I says to her. “We could,” says she, “if you wasn’t spendin’ so much on your locker.””
I said we couldn't afford the extra dining expenses, but she blamed my spending on the locker.
The couple argues about their budget.