What Is An American "I can’t make you out, "Herry James has Mrs. Tristram say to the American," whether you are very simple or very deep. "This is a (1) which has often confronted Europeans. What is it then that makes Americans (2) wherever they go We hope it is not the unpleasant impression made by some tourists. Americans carry an appearance which is more a result of attitude than of clothing. This attitude combines a lack of class (3) , an optimism and an inquisitiveness. Also a liking for facts and figures, an (4) and above all a desire to be friendly. Americans are a (5) people. They work like mad, then give away what they earn. They play until they are exhausted, and call this a (6) . They like to think of themselves as average men. They tell each other "Take it easy", while always rushing off like crazy. They crowd their highways with cars while complaining about the traffic, (7) to movies while (8) about the quality, go to church but don’t care much for (9) , and drink too much, only stimulated to bigger dreams. There is, of course, no (10) American. But if you added them all together and then divided by its total number they would look like what this chapter portrays.