Life — March 7, 1918 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page This page satirizes wartime anxieties about young soldiers. At the top, four weapons labeled "LIFE" spell out the word—a pun on the magazine's title. The main illustration depicts a young man in military uniform surrounded by admiring women. The dialogue reveals the satire's target: St. Peter comments the soldier is "at war with the Germans," while a "Newly Arrived Spirit" expresses shock at his appearance. The women's dialogue mocks the phenomenon of soldiers' inflated romantic appeal, with one saying he "grow[s] younger and handsomer all the time" and confessing she "can't believe" herself—suggesting their attraction is exaggerated or unreal. The caption, "Portrait of a Young Gentleman in Uniform," appears to mock how military service elevated young men's social and romantic status during wartime.