Life — March 1934 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This cartoon by Deville depicts a winter scene with two men buried up to their necks in snow, engaged in conversation. One says to the other: "Hello, Jim—I was just coming over to return your lawn mower." The humor relies on an absurd contrast: the speaker is apologizing for borrowing a lawn mower while both men are literally frozen in snow, making lawn mowing completely impossible. This satirizes the social awkwardness of returning borrowed items and suggests that people will use any excuse—even extreme circumstances—to avoid admitting they've kept something that isn't theirs. The joke also plays on the universal experience of neighbors borrowing and keeping garden tools. The winter setting makes the excuse particularly ridiculous and funny.