The Wasp, 1918 · page 39 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be a **literary excerpt rather than a political cartoon**—a passage from a serialized fiction story in *The Wasp* magazine (a 19th-century American satirical publication). The text describes a nightmarish scene: a man named Burnham on a boat in a fiery sea, repeatedly throwing a dead body overboard, only to have it persistently return, bumping against the vessel. He attacks it with an oar as it seems to deliberately avoid his strikes, finally awakening in horror. **What this likely represents**: This reads as **gothic psychological horror or allegory**—possibly depicting guilt made manifest, or an inescapable conscience. The dead body's persistent return despite Burnham's efforts suggests themes of moral reckoning or supernatural punishment that were popular in late 19th-century American literature. Without seeing accompanying illustrations or knowing the broader narrative context, the specific satirical or political point remains unclear—it may satirize a real person or event, or it may simply be entertainment fiction published in a magazine known for humor and social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
40 “THE WASP his feet and shouted to the flaming sky. And all around him the sea was like a sea of fire; and clean-cut against the red and gold and orange of the waves cruised the black fin. He stooped and grasped the body of the ded man with both hands. His strength was as a giant’s strength ; and he lifted the limp clay and _ flung it far out ‘into the flaming sea. The black fin veered away from the splash. The body sank, thea returned slowly: to the surface and floated upon that flaring field, dark » shapeless, and * inertly sinister. | it drifted in upon the boat. It bumped ~ against the boat’s side, ponderously, persistently. Burnham cursed it and pushed it off with an’ oar. It sank beneath the flaming sea at the thrust ; it surged to the surface again, and again ~ drifted boatward, wide-eyed, purple-faced, and thumped dully along the boat’s starboard side. Burnham cursed it again, and again attacked © it.with the oar ; but it seemed to avoid the long blade, sluggishly but certainly. It struck upon the boat’s thin planking with knee and hand and head. Burnham screamed curses at it— and the sound of his own screams awakened He awoke with the horror of the dream still — comichooks.com §