Roman Fever By Edith Wharton

The power struggle between two different people has long been a dynamic examined in history, but how about between two similar people? In the short story “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton, two women who once vied for the affections of the same man both meet up in the place they once fought, Rome. Now the women, Alida Slade and Grace Ansley, are both widowed and are now reflecting on their lives now that they both have daughters. As jealousy carries over from Alida’s past to the present, the question of what fruits insecurity bears is examined. Wharton answers this question through Alida’s unease about her sense of self, which leads to her interrogation of Grace that reveals what happens on a night where Roman fever is not the only thing that can
Alida reveals to Grace she knew that Grace went out at night chasing a letter supposedly from Delphin telling her to meet him at the Colosseum at night, but Grace’s precious memory of the letter from Delphin was actually from Alida. Alida “declares that it was she, out of jealousy, who wrote that letter, in an attempt to trick her rival into a dangerous adventure” since Grace’s presence seemed to endanger Alida’s relationship with Delphin, even though they were already engaged (38). Alida contemplates “why she had ever thought there would be any satisfaction in so purposeless a wound on her friend. But she had to justify herself” (Wharton 418). Despite knowing that her relationship with Delphin was secured by engagement, Alida still decided to endanger Grace’s life by exposing her to the chill of the night instead, much like Grace’s ancestor had once done to her sister’s love-rival with Roman fever. Even though Alida heard that Grace become deathly ill from chasing the fake letter, she still feels like her actions were justified since they were driven by insecurity. In fact, Alida considers her actions a mere prank. “I suppose I did it as a sort of joke…Well, girls are ferocious sometimes, you know. Girls in love especially” (Wharton 419). Attempting to cause physical harm or even death to Grace, Wharton shows the extent of damage harbored insecurity can breed when
Similarly, the passion that enraptured young women entranced by the romances of Rome became the modern equivalent for the fever in the setting of the story. Love-sick Alida, swept up in her passion for Delphin in Rome, attempted to make sure no one stood in the way of her love. Ironically, Alida’s feverish plan to have Grace catch ill ended up having Grace “catch” Delphin’s baby instead. Wharton’s depiction of insecurity in the character of Alida shows that the actions that come out of insecurity not only will end up hurting others, but perhaps will end up hurting the perpetrator the most. By acting on impulsive feelings and bouts of doubt instead of rationality, unimaginable outcomes may come about due to a lack of reasoning. As a result of her actions, Alida is not only left without any traces of Delphin, but now she must live with the knowledge that she caused Grace and Delphin’s Colosseum meeting, and she must see a constant reminder of her rival raising the likeness of Delphin instead of