The Barber Shop - “The Speculations of Jefferson Thorpe”
The ‘barbershop’ signifies Jefferson Thorpe’s wholly modest reality. Stephen Leacock explicates, “The barber shop…It is one of those wooden structures—I don't know whether you know them—with a false front that sticks up above its real height and gives it an air at once rectangular and imposing. It is a form of architecture much used in Mariposa and understood to be in keeping with the pretentious and artificial character of modern business. There is a red, white and blue post in front of the shop and the shop itself has a large square window out of proportion to its little flat face. Painted on the panes of the window is the remains of a legend that once spelt BARBER SHOP.” The imagery of the barber shop is representational of Jefferson Thorpe’s unassuming existence before the mining boom. Still he retreats to the barber shop after mislaying all his money. The shop is not unquestionably modern which means that Jefferson Thorpe has not capitalized on transmuting it into a modern construction.
The Imagery of “The Whirlwind Campaign” - "The Whirlwind Campaign in Mariposa"
Stephen Leacock explains, “He (Mullins) said he would never forget the scene on the last day of it, when the announcement was made that the total of the money raised was even more than what was needed. It was a splendid sight,—the business men of the town all cheering and laughing and shaking hands, and the professors with the tears streaming down their faces, and the Deans of the Faculties, who had given money themselves, sobbing aloud.” The climax of the campaign is incredible because the targets for the funds are surpassed. The cheers and giggles are pointers of the joy that governs the finale of the campaign. Based on this imagery, it is apparent that the campaign is an unqualified triumph.
