Life — September 24, 1914 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis The page contains two distinct images: **Top image**: A sketch-style comic strip showing a figure running away from lightning bolts in a dark sky, suggesting flight or escape from danger. **Bottom image**: A signed cartoon titled "HIS FORMER OFFICE BOY GOES BY" depicting a street scene where a man sits on a bench watching expensive automobiles pass by. The scene appears to reference class contrast—likely showing a former office boy (a low-ranking worker) observing his former employer or someone of higher status driving past in fancy cars. The satire suggests ironic commentary on social mobility, economic disparity, or perhaps the bittersweet experience of watching others' success while remaining in a lower station. Without additional context about the specific Life magazine issue, the precise political or social event referenced remains unclear, though the themes address early 20th-century American class consciousness.