# American Identity Abroad in My Four Weeks in France

> Theme guide for My Four Weeks in France by Ring Lardner.

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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_four_weeks_in_france_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_four_weeks_in_france_se/chapters/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.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_four_weeks_in_france_se/themes/american_identity_abroad
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_four_weeks_in_france_se/themes