My Four Weeks in France · Chapter
II: I Get to Paris and Encounter Some Strange Sights explained
The narrator arrives in France, undergoes a tense interrogation in Bordeaux, and finally reaches Paris.
What happens
The narrator arrives in France, undergoes a tense interrogation in Bordeaux, and finally reaches Paris. He observes the peculiarities of wartime French life—meatless days, taxi chaos, public displays of affection—and struggles with bureaucracy and his own lack of proper papers.
Themes in this chapter
Bureaucratic Absurdity
The narrator's interrogation in Bordeaux highlights the arbitrary and confusing nature of wartime bureaucracy, from the officer's scrutiny of a used checkbook to the contradictory demands for papers.
Culture Clash and Humor
The narrator's observations of Parisian customs—public kissing, taxi seating, and sidewalk dining—are contrasted with American norms, delivered with a humorous tone.
Wartime Inconvenience and Danger
The chapter details the difficulties of travel during war: the threat of submarines, the chaos of French taxi rides, and the scarcity of food and hot baths in Paris.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
The narrator recounts his arrival in France, interrogation in Bordeaux, and first impressions of Paris.
- The Officer
The French officer who interrogates the narrator in Bordeaux, scrutinizing his passport and papers.
- Mr. Hanson
An American companion who misreads the station sign 'Sortie' as the town name.
- The Captain
The captain who orders passengers to remain on deck and later relieves the gunners.
- Frenchy
A French soldier mentioned as part of the train crew or among the soldiers in the dining car.
Key passages
“I wondered audibly concerning the name of the place. An American companion looked at the signs round the station. “It’s Sortie,” he said. But it wasn’t. It was Angoulême, and I wouldn’t mind moving thither. My American friend was probably from Exit, Michigan.”
The narrator asks the name of a town; an American friend misreads the exit sign as the town name, leading to a joke about the friend being from a place called Exit.
Illustrates culture clash and humor through a misunderstanding of French signage.
“Monday and Tuesday are meatless days. All except Saturday and Sunday are heatless days. Hot baths are impossible on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Strong liquor is procurable between noon and two p.m. and seven-thirty and nine-thirty at night.”
The narrator lists the strict wartime rationing rules in Paris, including days without meat, hot water, and limited hours for buying alcohol.
Highlights the inconveniences of daily life in wartime Paris.
““You don’t satisfy me at all. You will have to stay here.” “Suppose,” said I, “that the American consul vouches for me.” “That will make no difference. You do not seem to realize that we are at war.” “Not with America.” “I don’t know your nationality.””
The French officer refuses to accept the narrator's passport and threatens to detain him, dismissing the American consul's potential intervention.
Demonstrates bureaucratic absurdity and the tension of wartime identity checks.