Edith Wharton’s Roman Fever
Edith Wharton’s Roman Fever is the story of two middle-aged women reflecting on their friendship. The story unfolds on a terrace of a Roman restaurant with a wonderful view of the city. Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley reminisce on their experiences of Rome when they were their daughter’s ages. This story is a very telling story of how people can think they know someone, but find out later on that they never really knew them at all. Mrs. Slade, professes herself as a friend to Mrs. Ansley, but in reality has, pitied, envied and coveted her for years. In doing this she has shown herself to be a self-serving, backstabbing, snob.
Mrs. Slade emphasizes her pity for her friend when she thinks to herself of “ Yes; Horace Ansley was—well just the duplicate of his wife. Museum specimens of Old New York.” She felt that her friend was boring. She grew tired of living across from her, with the only excitement being the renewal of the drawing-room curtains. But yet she also envied her friend, her daughter. She felt that Mrs. Ansleys’s daughter was more vivid then her own. She felt that Babs had more of an edge and was more effective then her daughter. Her daughter was the responsible one, always looking after he mother instead of going off in search of adventure.
Mrs. Slade a very self-serving person, if something did not benefit her then it was of no use. She enjoyed being the center of attention. She enjoyed the impromptu entertaining and the travel. She loved hearing people say “What, that handsome woman with the good clothes and eyes is Mrs. Slade—was the Slade’s wife? Really? Generally the wives of celebrities are such frumps.” This is how she wanted to live, she was delighted when her husband made it big and moved them away from the Ansleys. To Mrs. Slade, this move just showed how much better she was than them.
Both ladies lost their husbands around the same time. While the appropriate condolences were made, Mrs. Slade still felt superior to her friend. She felt that the situation affected her more then it did Mrs. Ansley. It was a major change for her and hard to except that fact that she was now the Slade’s...