Life, 1913-11-13 · page 32 of 40
Life — November 13, 1913 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an advertising page, but the central narrative piece—"The Parallel Dodger"—is a comedic essay about a common urban frustration. The author describes encountering another pedestrian on a crowded Broadway sidewalk, where both instinctively dodge in the same direction repeatedly, unable to pass each other. The "parallel dodger" is presented as a type of person who mysteriously moves simultaneously with you in the same direction—a universal experience of social awkwardness on busy streets. The humor lies in the relatability: the author admits being a parallel dodger themselves, and describes escalating failed attempts to pass (swerving left, then right, finally colliding). It's gentle satire of urban life and the absurd physics of human navigation—no political content, just observational humor about the small mortifications of city living circa the early 20th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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