Life — June 21, 1928 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Straw" Cartoon Analysis This four-panel cartoon by L. Klein depicts a camel repeatedly bucking off two fat tourists. The title "The Straw" references the idiom "the straw that broke the camel's back"—meaning a final, minor burden causing collapse after accumulated strain. The humor works through visual exaggeration: the rotund Western travelers (identifiable by their hats and clothing) are repeatedly thrown by the increasingly agitated camel. The cartoon satirizes tourist behavior, likely critiquing Western travelers' assumed entitlement or carelessness toward animals and local customs in colonial-era travel destinations. The accompanying editorial text discusses atoms and Central Africa, suggesting this appeared during a period of growing Western colonial presence and scientific advancement.