Anatomy of a Cartoon: Cabin Fever

Cartoon critics Phil Witte and Rex Hesner look behind the gags to debate what makes a cartoon tick. This week our intrepid critics take a look at cabin fever.

“Home, Sweet Home” has taken on new meaning during the pandemic. Introverts are quietly exulting while their extroverted counterparts are climbing the walls. Relationships are being tested as never before, kids are going crazy, and even pets seem out of sorts. Face it, most of us are getting cabin fever.

At first, many reveled in the comforts of home during working hours. The gentleman depicted in Emily Flakes’ cartoon, chilled Chardonnay in hand, clearly prefers his Barcalounger to a middle seat in Economy.

But as the lockdown persists, new behaviors emerge. Some become frenetic gardeners or enamored of home improvements. Still others have taken up a musical instrument or indoor putting. The kitchen, however, offers the restless among us an endless creative outlet. Hilary Campbell captures the national baking frenzy at its peak, during which grocery shelves were devoid of yeast for weeks.

Hunkering down means no trips to the gym. With a renewed focus on home cooking and food in general, the obvious is inevitable. Bruce Kaplan’s elegant illustration of this concept has his “shelterer-in-place” delivering a perfectly phrased gag about his burgeoning torso.

Business casual has taken on new meaning for those working from home. The short commute from bedroom to office has pushed clothing standards down to historic lows. We doubt Natalie Dupille’s telecommuter is reaching for a chic ensemble; if fact, if no Zoom meetings are scheduled, her bathrobe may be today’s work attire.

Dangers seem to lurk everywhere outside. Even the most innocuous interactions can be fraught with coronavirus peril. Mick Stevens illustrates how to avoid the great outdoors while his pooch perambulates.

Eventually the walls seem to close in after months of sequestering at home. The dull sameness of the passing days affects even our most innocuous pleasantries. “Hanging in there” is the new response to “How are you”. Shannon Wheeler cartoon takes COVID-19 despair a step further.

Even the most compatible of couples are feeling the tension. The breaking point comes with an unusual request in Michael Shaw’s domestic scene.

The stress seems greatest in households with two working parents with small children. The kids are bored, so why not climb up on Mommy’s lap while she’s facing another deadline. Steve McGinn seems to have first-hand knowledge of trying to make adult work seem interesting to a child … and then give up.

These past five months have felt like an eon. With chaotic national guidance we’re left with a hodgepodge of often conflicting advice from cable news doctors and medical websites. No need to wear a mask, now you must wear a mask, stay six feet away, now make that ten feet, disinfect your groceries, don’t bother … and so on. These dizzying changes are the subject of Kendra Allenby’s kitchen table discussion.

As social creatures we find ways to adapt: brisk walks with friends, socially-distanced al fresco dining, and Zoom cocktail hours. Phil Witte, our blog’s co-author, goes a step further in mask-less “bubbling up” with another couple.

Our final cartoon, by Tom Toro, offers hope that we’ll somehow muddle through.

MORE CABIN FEVER CARTOONS