My Four Weeks in France · Chapter
IV: Finally I Get to the American Camp; What I Find There explained
The narrator travels to an American camp in France with fellow correspondent Mr.
What happens
The narrator travels to an American camp in France with fellow correspondent Mr. Bazin. He observes the correspondents' comfortable life, visits an infantry billet with Mr. Corey, and meets a captain who discusses the need for entertainment. He attempts to meet General Sibert but is turned away. At a training ground, soldiers express dislike for the nickname 'Sammies.' Later, he dines with Captain Jones and a French lady, hearing humorous tales about a half-Indian and zebras. He returns to Paris, writing a poem about the nickname. The chapter also covers a rainy day at camp with a major of marines, who emphasizes shaving and shows the camp kitchen and hospital, and ends with a train journey back to Paris.
Themes in this chapter
Bureaucratic Absurdity
The narrator is denied access to General Sibert by a colonel, and the process of obtaining a train ticket in France is convoluted.
Culture Clash and Humor
Humorous observations about French dining customs, language differences, and the soldiers' dislike of the nickname 'Sammies.'
Wartime Inconvenience and Danger
The narrator experiences rain, lost drivers, and the difficulty of getting a ticket, while soldiers face hard training and lack of entertainment.
American Identity Abroad
The soldiers reject the nickname 'Sammies,' and the narrator writes a poem asserting their right to choose their own name.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
The narrator visits the American camp, interacts with correspondents and officers, and returns to Paris.
- Mr. Corey
Accompanies the narrator to an infantry billet and later to attempt meeting General Sibert.
- The Captain
A captain at the infantry billet who discusses the need for entertainment and the Salvation Army.
- Captain Jones
Dines with the narrator and a French lady on the train, telling stories about a half-Indian and zebras.
- Mademoiselle
A young French lady traveling in the same train compartment, initially aloof and later asleep.
- The Officer
A young American officer beginning leave, traveling in the same compartment as the narrator.
- A major of marines
Shows the narrator and Mr. Corey the camp, emphasizes shaving, and displays the kitchen and hospital.
Key passages
“The captain on whom we called said he was glad to meet me, which is the first time that has happened in France.”
The captain was the first person in France to express pleasure at meeting the narrator.
Highlights the narrator's previous lack of welcome.
“The chief need of the soldiers, he went on, was amusement. The Salvation Army’s and Y.M.C.A. ’s efforts were appreciated, but continual rations of soup and meat palled at times, and a little salad and dessert, in the form of Charlie Chaplin or the Follies, would make life more bearable.”
Soldiers needed entertainment beyond food, such as shows or movies, to improve morale.
Emphasizes the monotony of camp life.
““Correspondents, eh?” he said. “Well, then, you can do something for us—make the newspapers and magazines quit calling us Sammies. We’ve never done anything to deserve a name like that.””
A captain asked correspondents to stop using the nickname 'Sammies' for American soldiers.
Shows soldiers' dislike of the term.
““When a half Indian eats potatoes,” said the captain, “he usually forgets himself and runs amuck.””
Captain Jones joked that a half-Indian would go berserk after eating potatoes.
Part of a humorous story to scare the French lady.
““Daily shaving,” he told us when we got outside, “ought to be compulsory in our army as it is in the British. When a man hasn’t shaved he isn’t at his best, physically, morally, or mentally.””
A major argued that daily shaving improves soldiers' morale and performance.
Reflects military discipline and psychological insights.
