Judge, 1919-11-08 · page 11 of 36
Judge — November 8, 1919 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of "Rejuvenation" This story satirizes upper-class gossip culture at an exclusive summer resort. Two middle-aged women sit observing other guests, their primary occupation being commentary on others' appearance and social standing. The joke centers on a woman appearing to be approximately fifty years old who presents herself with such attractive grooming and youthful bearing that she successfully passes for younger—particularly when accompanied by a handsome thirty-year-old man. The two gossiping women recognize her as "Mrs. Welling" but are astonished by her apparent rejuvenation. The satire targets several things: the vanity of aging society women attempting to maintain youth through careful presentation, the cattiness of female gossips, and social hierarchies at resorts where status-conscious women obsessively monitor each other. The final detail—that Mrs. Welling didn't acknowledge them with a bow—adds a sting, suggesting the gossipers are beneath her notice, or that her apparent confidence transcends their social judgments entirely.
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thLLlows “‘Mrs, Wettinc! Din You Sre Her? Askep One.” Rejuvenation By J. A. Watpron Illustration by Lawrence Fettows HE season at a summer resort regarded as exclusive” was at its height. A great hotel which commanded the sea on one side with grounds stretching far in the opposite direc- tion was thronged. It was just after the luncheon hour. Many in the crowd were gay in attire and spirits, prepared for sports. Young men and women were pairing for tennis, and older men, bronzed and vigorous, would invade the links. Others moved toward launches and motor boats, and yachts gayly flagged rose and fell with the swell of the sea. Motors were parked in line awaiting orders. Two chairs on the piazza designed to solace lazi- ness and placed advantageously for observation, were occupied by two women who apparently had settled to survey, estimate and comment upon those in view. These women were of an age that detaches impulse from activity and increases the sex’s love for gossip. They talked in confidential tones about the dress, or the appearance, or the social position of persons who passed, with now and then a whispered touch of scan- dal relating to one or another guest happily oblivious of this impertinent attention. A woman who might have been fifty years of age appeared. She had been very handsome, and her grooming, which would embarrass a casual guess as to her years, made her still attractive. She stepped buoyantly down to a waiting sport car and was as- sisted in by a handsome man of perhaps thirty who took the wheel. His manner was both intimate and deferential. Apparently insulated mentally as to the gaze of others, the woman smiled fondly upon him as he took a seat by her side. The two women on the piazza had watched the episode breathlessly. For the moment they seemed dumb. “Mrs. Welling! Did you see her?” asked one. “Is it really Mrs, Welling? I wasn’t certain. 1 was wondering,” the other replied. “Of course it is Mrs. Welling! She recognized me with her eyes as she passed.” “But she didn’t bow.”