Life — December 18, 1924 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "What's the Use?" This three-panel cartoon satirizes Christmas shopping at department stores. The progression shows: 1. **Top panel**: A crowd of shoppers gathered outside a store entrance 2. **Middle panel**: The crowd has densely packed *inside* the store, jostling around displays 3. **Bottom panel**: A man stands outside an elegant window display (labeled "JONES & JONES, HABERDASHERS"), looking at Christmas gifts while crowds press against the glass The title "What's the Use?" suggests the cartoon's cynical message: despite elaborate holiday window displays and retail temptation, the crowded, chaotic shopping experience negates any pleasure in gift-buying or holiday spirit. The satire mocks both consumer culture's commercialization of Christmas and the undignified mob mentality shopping induces.