The Wasp — May 1, 1880 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "The Wasp" Cartoon, May 1st, 1880 **The Image:** The cartoon depicts a small man being crushed beneath an enormous boulder labeled "MONOPOLY." A figure in formal dress stands nearby observing. The caption reads: "UP-HILL WORK IS HELL WORK.—LAWS OF MOTION DEFINED BY MOTIONS OF LAW." **The Satire:** This is commentary on **monopolistic business practices** and their crushing effect on ordinary workers or small businessmen. The "laws of motion" pun suggests that legal systems and court rulings ("motions of law") were being manipulated to benefit monopolies over individuals. The impossible "up-hill work" represents the futile struggle against concentrated corporate power during California's Gilded Age—a period when railroad and mining monopolies dominated the economy and politics.