# Pretension and Phoniness in Gullible’s Travels

> Theme guide for Gullible’s Travels by Ring Lardner.

Characters like the self-proclaimed millionaire Bishop and the boastful traveler Gould are exposed as frauds, illustrating the theme that people often exaggerate their status and accomplishments to impress others.

## Where it surfaces

- [Carmen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/carmen): The narrator mocks the opera's artificiality, the foreign language, and the audience's pretense of understanding and enjoying it, contrasting it with his own plain-spoken perspective.
- [Three Kings and a Pair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/three-kings-and-a-pair): The narrator is skeptical of Bishop's wealth and the women's romantic aspirations, seeing pretension in their social maneuvering.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/ii): 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.
- [The Water Cure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/the-water-cure): The narrator suspects Bishop is not the wealthy scenario writer he claims to be, highlighting the theme of pretense and social deception.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/ii): The wife lies about their bridge-playing abilities to gain entry into the club, highlighting the pretense involved in social climbing.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/iv): Mrs. Hatch's emphasis on the club's dinners and prizes suggests a superficial display of social status.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/chapters/iv): The Quinns' attempts to appear skilled at poker, despite their obvious inexperience, and the narrator's sarcastic remarks expose the pretenses in social situations.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/themes/pretension_and_phoniness
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gullible_s_travels_se/themes