Life — July 7, 1921 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Once More Mother Hubbard" - Analysis This is a satirical short story by Dorothy Parker about a woman named Rosalind, introduced as the famous "uncrowned queen" of her social generation. The accompanying illustration shows a bridegroom in a carriage asking his bride why she married him—"That's what everybody asks me." The satire targets wealthy society women of the era who were celebrated for their social prominence but lacked substance. Parker's narrative mocks Rosalind's superficiality: she's known for dances, parties, and fashion rather than meaningful accomplishments. The bridegroom's question implies her marriage was as puzzling and hollow as her celebrity itself—suggesting satirically that even she cannot justify why she chose this life or this husband.