The Invisible Middle Class In Steve Breen's Political Cartoon

Steve Breen’s political cartoon discusses the income gap which is an economical issue of an increase in the one percent of Americans obtaining the majority of the wealth while the rest of the population approaches poverty. The image itself consists of a torn dollar with the words income gap written across the top and contains two men standing across from each other, where one man appears to be a successful businessman while the other appears to be in the working class. The cartoon is engulfed with various symbols, historical images, and stereotypes of the two men separated by wealth.

Primarily, the tear in the U.S. dollar not only physically addresses the massive income gap, but represents the damage done to the American economy. The author desires to express how the current …show more content…
The author is attempting to persuade the people to take initiative in restoring the middle class by providing more jobs to the poor and raising income. The picture illustrates the invisible middle class by including a well groomed man with presentable clothes and another man with a symbolic blue shirt to symbolize the status of blue collar workers. The cartoon itself portrays the reality of how the upper class are either unaware of the struggling lower classes or the matter simply does not appeal to them. The image as a whole serves as a public service announcement in order to raise awareness to the government and business to ensure the economic problem is addressed.

All in all, the political cartoon expresses the pressing economic issues regarding the unequal distribution of wealth leading to the disappearance of the middle class. The cartoonist provides a wide range of symbols, historical backgrounds, and stereotypes to illustrate the struggle of poverty citizens of the United States must