The Wasp — April 24, 1880 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page from *The Wasp* satirizes Christian hypocrisy regarding wealth and social class. The illustration shows an elegantly dressed woman with jewelry and lace, captioned "HE LOVES ME, HE DOES NOT LOVE ME"—a reference to the fortune-telling game of plucking flower petals. The accompanying text criticizes a wealthy Christian man who avoids church and claims to follow Christ's teachings while neglecting the poor. The satire contrasts his claimed faith with his actual behavior: he won't associate with working-class Christians and shows no concern for the disadvantaged. *The Wasp* mocks the contradiction between professed Christian values (loving one's neighbor, caring for the poor) and the actual practices of affluent believers who use religion selectively to justify material comfort and class distinction.