← All themes
My Four Weeks in France · Theme
American Identity Abroad
How My Four Weeks in France develops American Identity Abroad.
The book explores what it means to be an American in Europe during WWI, contrasting American informality and practicality with European formality and bureaucracy, and noting soldiers' dislike of the nickname 'Sammies.'
Where it surfaces
- IV: Finally I Get to the American Camp; What I Find There
The soldiers reject the nickname 'Sammies,' and the narrator writes a poem asserting their right to choose their own name.
- VIII: Back in Old "O Say"; I Start Answering Questions
The narrator contrasts American and British habits (bridge playing, meal schedules, driving on the right) and feels the monotony of the voyage differently from the British passengers.