Gullible’s Travels · Concept
Family Obligations and Annoyances
The recurring presence of Bessie, the sister-in-law, and her romantic entanglements shows how family members can become burdens, forcing the narrator to spend money and patience on relatives he finds tiresome.
The recurring presence of Bessie, the sister-in-law, and her romantic entanglements shows how family members can become burdens, forcing the narrator to spend money and patience on relatives he finds tiresome.
The narrator feels put-upon by Bess's unexpected visit and the obligation to include her in plans, leading to humorous complaints.
Family Obligations and Annoyances is one of the patterns Gullible’s Travels by Ring Lardner returns to. The chapter notes above are from this edition’s companions — open those chapters to see how the book stages the idea rather than treating the theme as a slogan.