From Nancy Friedman / Fritinancy on Twitter on 6/15:
This Sam Gross cartoon from many years ago [in the New Yorker issue of 8/11/02] suddenly popped into my head for no special reason other than that it’s completely perfect.
(#1) A cat tale of two worlds
On the one hand, there’s the world of cats, in which they hunt small animals, like mice and voles, and proudly bring their dead prey home for their human. And then there’s the world of human family relationships, in which for a special occasion you bring your aging mother a present, in a wrapped gift box, with a card expressing your love for her on this occasion.
The speaker in Gross’s cartoon is in both worlds, which are aligned with one another: it’s both a cat bringing its mousey prey home to its owner and also a loving child with a gift-wrapped present for Mom — with a card for her. Read the card! Read the card!
Among the tens of thousands of cartoons Gross has published in his life so far — he’s 87 — is another with a (talking) cat in two parallel worlds. From my 10/30/20 posting “Can I get you a vole or two?”:
(#2)
A cartoon with a translation from one world to another. There’s the world of cats, in which they go outside to hunt small animals; and then, simultaneously, the world of (human) household relationships, in which someone going out on an errand will often ask if they can get something for the others while they’re out.
That gives us a talking cat.
(Links to more of my postings on Gross’s cartoons in a Page here.)
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