Roman Fever By Edith Wharton Essay
In “Roman Fever,” Edith Wharton depicts the controversial relationship dynamics between two women. The two women, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade, have been friends since they met in Rome in their youth, yet Wharton manages to portray their entire relationship in a single conversation. It has been years since they first met, and they have now ventured back to Rome with their daughters. Initially readers may have the impression that these two ladies are close friends, but as the plot develops it is evident that Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade hardly know each other. Edith Wharton uses symbolism and diction to convey the relationship between the characters Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade in “Roman Fever.” By the end of the story, though the end itself is a
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Ansley’s relations with Delphin Slade when he was engaged to Mrs. Slade. As the two women sit on the terrace gazing down at Rome, Mrs. Slade addresses Mrs. Ansley regarding the view:
…her gaze upon the Palatine, “After all, it’s still the most beautiful view in the world.”
“It always will be to me,” assented her friend Mrs. Ansley, with so slight a stress on the “me” that Mrs. Slade, though she noticed it, wondered if it were not merely accidental, like the random underlinings of old-fashioned letter writers. (Wharton 334)
The slight stress that Mrs. Ansley places on “me” hints that Rome has special meaning to her. The meaning it holds is attributed to it being the place she fell in love with Delphin Slade and conceived his child, Barbara. Mrs. Ansley suspects something along these lines, but writes it off, equating it to the “random underlinings of old-fashioned letter writers.” Wharton emphasizes this “slight stress” through repetition when Mrs. Slade asks Mrs. Ansley if she remembers Rome when they were young:
“It’s a view we’ve both been familiar with for a good many years. When we first met here we were younger than our girls are now. You remember?”
“Oh, yes, I remember,” murmured Mrs. Ansley, with the same undefinable stress. (Wharton
Ansley’s relations with Delphin Slade when he was engaged to Mrs. Slade. As the two women sit on the terrace gazing down at Rome, Mrs. Slade addresses Mrs. Ansley regarding the view:
…her gaze upon the Palatine, “After all, it’s still the most beautiful view in the world.”
“It always will be to me,” assented her friend Mrs. Ansley, with so slight a stress on the “me” that Mrs. Slade, though she noticed it, wondered if it were not merely accidental, like the random underlinings of old-fashioned letter writers. (Wharton 334)
The slight stress that Mrs. Ansley places on “me” hints that Rome has special meaning to her. The meaning it holds is attributed to it being the place she fell in love with Delphin Slade and conceived his child, Barbara. Mrs. Ansley suspects something along these lines, but writes it off, equating it to the “random underlinings of old-fashioned letter writers.” Wharton emphasizes this “slight stress” through repetition when Mrs. Slade asks Mrs. Ansley if she remembers Rome when they were young:
“It’s a view we’ve both been familiar with for a good many years. When we first met here we were younger than our girls are now. You remember?”
“Oh, yes, I remember,” murmured Mrs. Ansley, with the same undefinable stress. (Wharton