Life — February 7, 1901 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This illustration depicts a domestic scene with two figures at a table with food and flowers. The caption presents a child's request to another person named Ruth, asking for "the largest half of the apple" while claiming this isn't greedy because "mamma says we mustn't be greedy." The satire targets **childish logic and hypocrisy**: the child simultaneously demands the bigger portion while invoking parental rules against greed to justify the demand. This is absurdist humor—the contradiction between the selfish request and the moral reasoning is the joke. The cartoon satirizes how people (not just children) rationalize contradictory behavior, using social norms or parental authority to justify self-serving wants. It's social commentary on human nature wrapped in a domestic, seemingly innocent scene. The specific individuals pictured are unclear from the image alone.