Roman Fever, By Edith Wharton
People constantly compare themselves to others or compare others to themselves. This is exactly what happens in, “Roman Fever”, by Edith Wharton. The short story starts with two young women and their mothers. The young women wonder off around Rome while the two mothers sit down and chat. One mom is Alida Slade and her daughter is Jenny, the other mom is Grace Ansley and her daughter is Barbara or ‘Babs”. Mrs.Slade is constantly comparing people, at first her daughter to Mrs. Ansley then herself to Mrs. Ansley. Throughout the story Mrs. Slade tries to get Mrs.Ansley to fess up a secret from their past. A secret about Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade's husband, Delphine. Mrs. Slade gets more than what she bargained for when she finds out that, Mrs. Ansley's’ daughter, Barbara, was the result of a one night rendezvous with Delphine. While this whole
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story is playing out Mrs. Ansley is knitting, from the beginning to the end. The knitting is a symbol of Mrs. Slade because Mrs.Ansley knitting is similar to the characteristics of Mrs. Slade. There is constant foreshadowing and the knitting is continuously playing a role in the story, it is subtle and goes unnoticed but it tries to avoid and block Mrs.Slade, ultimately ending in failure. As the story starts off the daughters leave their mothers to talk and Mrs. Ansley pulls out her knitting. The importance of this is because it is crimson silk. Crimson is red and red is a color of love which is a main theme throughout this story. Alice Petry also brings up how the women are in a love triangle and the crimson silk is a symbol of that and the intimacy between Delphine and Mrs. Ansley. Silk is the cloth Mrs. Ansley was using and silk is fine but strong and can not get holes in it. As Mrs. Ansley pulls out the thread she is also bringing up the past between Mrs.Slade and herself (Selina 1).This is how the Knitting begins and so does the conversation.Mrs. Slade brings up how the palatine, “is still the most beautiful view in the world” and Mrs. Ansley agrees, “it always will be, to me”, even putting stress on the word “me” (Wharton 120). This is the first hint readers get of foreshadowing, hinting that something took place at the palestine that was very special, unforgetable, to Mrs. Ansley. Then Mrs. Slade is the first to spark up conversation about their past. She hints to Mrs. Ansley asking her if she remembers about the view and when they were younger. Mrs. Ansley remembers but their conversation is disturbed by a waiter. He asks is they would stay for, “ a full moon night, they would remember…” and Mrs. Slade's reaction is unwelcoming to the reference (Wharton 120).This is because the three periods at the end show that this will indeed be a “night to remember” but not because of the restaurant rather what will happen between the women. Then readers get taken into Mrs. Slade's thoughts. Mrs. Slade thought that Babs, “had more edge” than Mrs. Ansley and that is was, “Funny where she got it, with those two nullities as parents” (Wharton 121). One opinion about this statement Mrs. Slade makes is that it is a form of Social-Sexual Darwinism because Babs is the best of the best ( Comins 12). Barbara Comins has this idea that because Babs is seem as the prettier girl and the most likely to get a man then she is the top. This does make sense a little because Babs does seem to be on top and most are jealous of her. The real “funny” thing is that Mrs. Slade does not actually know yet that Babs is from Delphine and Mrs. Ansley. Yet again readers get to see more foreshadowing. The women sit in silence for a long time then Mrs. Ansley suggests they should go to the Bridge at the Embassy but Mrs. Slade denies her suggestion leaving Mrs. Ansley to continue her knitting. The irony in this is that the bridge units two places together and Mrs. Ansley is trying to not bring up the past, she does not want to talk about it yet she is the one who suggest to go see the bridge (Selina 2). Mrs. Slade then brings up the different things Rome stands for and how she thought that their,
“Mothers had a much more difficult job than our granddaughters. When Roman fever Stalked the streets is must have been comparatively easy to gather in the girls at the danger hour; but when you and I were young, with such beauty calling us, and the spice disobedience thrown in, and no risk than catching cold during the cool hour after sunset, the mothers used to be put to keep us in- didn’t they?”(Wharton 123)
Mrs. Ansley just continues her knitting, not even looking up at Mrs. Slade. Her knitting now has, “reached a delicate point… one, two, three- slip” ( Wharton 123). Jamil Seling writes how she believes that, “one, two, three” stands for Mrs. Ansley trying to stitch up the past between them but it really stands for what is about happen between the women. This again is also a little bit of foreshadowing. The first slip, “one” stands for the note Mrs. Slade wrote, the second slip, “two stands for the note being written in response and the rendezvu Mrs. Slade did not think of happening, the third slip, “three” stands for what is left between Mrs. Ansley and Delphine, Barbara. Mrs. Slade starts to get angry even declaring, in her head, “she can- in the face of this”, referring to how can she be knitting in the face of this (Wharton 123). Mrs. Slade starts to bring up their daughters questioning why Mrs. Ansley likes the girls to go places together. She thinks that, “jenny has no chance beside Babs”, and that Mrs. Ansley knows it too (wharton 123). This is where for the first time in the conversation Mrs. Ansley drops her knitting on her lap. This shows how Mrs. Ansley has finally stopped to listen to what Mrs. Slade has to say and Mrs. Slade has gotten to her a little. Mrs. Slade then goes on to talk about how, “...two exemplary characters as Ansley and Horace had managed to produce anything quite dynamic” (Wharton 123). Not only does Mrs. Slade talk again about how babs parents seem like a strange duo but Mrs Slade has, “always wanted a brilliant daughter… and never understood why she got an angle instead” (Wharton 123). Here Mrs. Slade is comparing Babs to her own daughter, favoring Babs, wishing she had a daughter like Babs but sadly did not. Mrs. Slade is envious of Mrs. Ansley and now she is really starting to show it.Mrs.Slade sees herself above Mrs. Ansley but they are really identical, there whole lives have been almost the same (Bowlby 7).Not only has their lives been so identical but so have their children's lives. Rachel Bowlby shares a good point about how the great aunts had a story and so do these women and now there children are their age, looking for suters and will most likely have a story similar to theirs. This s a very good point and these women do not really pay attention to that rather their own issues at hand. Mrs. Slade takes another jab at Mrs. Ansley emphasising, “it all brings back the past a little to acutely” (Wharton 124). This is when Mrs. Ansley picks up her knitting and starts again. She is trying to guard herself from Mrs. Slade. Anytime Mrs. Slade has tried to bring up their past or childhood Mrs. Ansley has just knitted. Mrs. Slade gets tired or playing somewhat nice and just blantly asks Mrs.Ansley if she is afraid of catching “Roman fever...i remembered how ill you were that winter. As a girl you had a very delicate throat, hadn’t you” and then went on to tell the story about the wicked aunt (wharton 125). The reason the story is so important is because it gave Mrs. Slade the idea about how she could deal with her worries about Mrs. Ansley taking Delphine away from her. The women then go on to talk about how lovers met at the colosseum in secret and then Mrs. Slade reveals to Mrs. Ansley “slip one”, that she wrote the note to Mrs. Ansley and in fact Delphine never did. During all of this Mrs. Ansley rises to her feet, “ her bag, her knitting and gloves, slid in a panic- stricken heap to the ground”, this is where she has stopped her knitting, Mrs. Slade has finally gotten to her and Mrs.Ansley is fully listening to Mrs.Slade (Wharton 125). Mrs. Slade tries to rub in the fact that she wrote the letter and continually makes remarks on how Mrs Ansley, “tried her best to get him from her...but failed; and she kept him”, but Mrs. Ansley was confused and felt bad for what had happened but Mrs.Slade did not care she was just so thrilled to rub it all in her face. Then comes a little twists, “slip three”, Mrs. Ansley remarks “He’d arranged everything. He was there. We were let in at once”, but now Mrs.Slade can not believe it (Wharton 127). She is surprised that they actually had met up but still shoving in Mrs. Ansley face that after all these years Mrs. Ansley, “had nothing but that one letter that he didn't write”. The big twist is at the very last sentence of this story, “I had barabara, she said, and began to move ahead of Mrs. Slade toward the stairway” (Wharton 128). This is very shocking and Susan Minnie brings up a good point about how readers see Mrs. Ansley. Both women seem a little wicked like the Great Aunt. Both of these women are toxic, Mrs.Slade with her verbal bullying and Mrs. Ansley going behind her best friends back (Minnie 40). Not only is the ending a huge twist but Mrs. Ansley just leaves her knitting lying on the floor and leaves Mrs. Slade. This is where readers see she has finally let go of everything, she has said all of her thoughts without being afraid and has finally let go of everything that has troubled her. The short story of these women is filled with anticipation, leading to the last sentence.
Readers can infer that Barbara was a result of Mrs. Ansley and Delphine’s one night stand but readers never get to see Mrs. Slade's reaction to her statement. That is because it does not matter. Mrs. Ansley never finished her Knitting so no one will ever get to see what it was supposed to be, just like readers will never get to see Mrs. Slade's reaction. Mrs. Slade was shown as the knitting because Mrs. Ansley was somewhat driving Mrs. Slade. Mrs. Ansley was continually knitting and at some points would stop, at these points it was when she let Mrs. Slade in. As she was knitting she was angering Mrs.Slade driving Mrs. Slade to keep pushing at Mrs. Ansley, to get Mrs. Ansley's attention. Never did Mrs. Slade leave a hole in Mrs. Ansley, she never really took anything from Mrs. Ansley which was her goal. Her goal was to leave Mrs. Ansley with nothing but feeling stupid for loving someone who never even loved her. This did not work in Mrs Slade's favor and instead she was left with the unfinished knitting, “panic stricken”, and
alone.
story is playing out Mrs. Ansley is knitting, from the beginning to the end. The knitting is a symbol of Mrs. Slade because Mrs.Ansley knitting is similar to the characteristics of Mrs. Slade. There is constant foreshadowing and the knitting is continuously playing a role in the story, it is subtle and goes unnoticed but it tries to avoid and block Mrs.Slade, ultimately ending in failure. As the story starts off the daughters leave their mothers to talk and Mrs. Ansley pulls out her knitting. The importance of this is because it is crimson silk. Crimson is red and red is a color of love which is a main theme throughout this story. Alice Petry also brings up how the women are in a love triangle and the crimson silk is a symbol of that and the intimacy between Delphine and Mrs. Ansley. Silk is the cloth Mrs. Ansley was using and silk is fine but strong and can not get holes in it. As Mrs. Ansley pulls out the thread she is also bringing up the past between Mrs.Slade and herself (Selina 1).This is how the Knitting begins and so does the conversation.Mrs. Slade brings up how the palatine, “is still the most beautiful view in the world” and Mrs. Ansley agrees, “it always will be, to me”, even putting stress on the word “me” (Wharton 120). This is the first hint readers get of foreshadowing, hinting that something took place at the palestine that was very special, unforgetable, to Mrs. Ansley. Then Mrs. Slade is the first to spark up conversation about their past. She hints to Mrs. Ansley asking her if she remembers about the view and when they were younger. Mrs. Ansley remembers but their conversation is disturbed by a waiter. He asks is they would stay for, “ a full moon night, they would remember…” and Mrs. Slade's reaction is unwelcoming to the reference (Wharton 120).This is because the three periods at the end show that this will indeed be a “night to remember” but not because of the restaurant rather what will happen between the women. Then readers get taken into Mrs. Slade's thoughts. Mrs. Slade thought that Babs, “had more edge” than Mrs. Ansley and that is was, “Funny where she got it, with those two nullities as parents” (Wharton 121). One opinion about this statement Mrs. Slade makes is that it is a form of Social-Sexual Darwinism because Babs is the best of the best ( Comins 12). Barbara Comins has this idea that because Babs is seem as the prettier girl and the most likely to get a man then she is the top. This does make sense a little because Babs does seem to be on top and most are jealous of her. The real “funny” thing is that Mrs. Slade does not actually know yet that Babs is from Delphine and Mrs. Ansley. Yet again readers get to see more foreshadowing. The women sit in silence for a long time then Mrs. Ansley suggests they should go to the Bridge at the Embassy but Mrs. Slade denies her suggestion leaving Mrs. Ansley to continue her knitting. The irony in this is that the bridge units two places together and Mrs. Ansley is trying to not bring up the past, she does not want to talk about it yet she is the one who suggest to go see the bridge (Selina 2). Mrs. Slade then brings up the different things Rome stands for and how she thought that their,
“Mothers had a much more difficult job than our granddaughters. When Roman fever Stalked the streets is must have been comparatively easy to gather in the girls at the danger hour; but when you and I were young, with such beauty calling us, and the spice disobedience thrown in, and no risk than catching cold during the cool hour after sunset, the mothers used to be put to keep us in- didn’t they?”(Wharton 123)
Mrs. Ansley just continues her knitting, not even looking up at Mrs. Slade. Her knitting now has, “reached a delicate point… one, two, three- slip” ( Wharton 123). Jamil Seling writes how she believes that, “one, two, three” stands for Mrs. Ansley trying to stitch up the past between them but it really stands for what is about happen between the women. This again is also a little bit of foreshadowing. The first slip, “one” stands for the note Mrs. Slade wrote, the second slip, “two stands for the note being written in response and the rendezvu Mrs. Slade did not think of happening, the third slip, “three” stands for what is left between Mrs. Ansley and Delphine, Barbara. Mrs. Slade starts to get angry even declaring, in her head, “she can- in the face of this”, referring to how can she be knitting in the face of this (Wharton 123). Mrs. Slade starts to bring up their daughters questioning why Mrs. Ansley likes the girls to go places together. She thinks that, “jenny has no chance beside Babs”, and that Mrs. Ansley knows it too (wharton 123). This is where for the first time in the conversation Mrs. Ansley drops her knitting on her lap. This shows how Mrs. Ansley has finally stopped to listen to what Mrs. Slade has to say and Mrs. Slade has gotten to her a little. Mrs. Slade then goes on to talk about how, “...two exemplary characters as Ansley and Horace had managed to produce anything quite dynamic” (Wharton 123). Not only does Mrs. Slade talk again about how babs parents seem like a strange duo but Mrs Slade has, “always wanted a brilliant daughter… and never understood why she got an angle instead” (Wharton 123). Here Mrs. Slade is comparing Babs to her own daughter, favoring Babs, wishing she had a daughter like Babs but sadly did not. Mrs. Slade is envious of Mrs. Ansley and now she is really starting to show it.Mrs.Slade sees herself above Mrs. Ansley but they are really identical, there whole lives have been almost the same (Bowlby 7).Not only has their lives been so identical but so have their children's lives. Rachel Bowlby shares a good point about how the great aunts had a story and so do these women and now there children are their age, looking for suters and will most likely have a story similar to theirs. This s a very good point and these women do not really pay attention to that rather their own issues at hand. Mrs. Slade takes another jab at Mrs. Ansley emphasising, “it all brings back the past a little to acutely” (Wharton 124). This is when Mrs. Ansley picks up her knitting and starts again. She is trying to guard herself from Mrs. Slade. Anytime Mrs. Slade has tried to bring up their past or childhood Mrs. Ansley has just knitted. Mrs. Slade gets tired or playing somewhat nice and just blantly asks Mrs.Ansley if she is afraid of catching “Roman fever...i remembered how ill you were that winter. As a girl you had a very delicate throat, hadn’t you” and then went on to tell the story about the wicked aunt (wharton 125). The reason the story is so important is because it gave Mrs. Slade the idea about how she could deal with her worries about Mrs. Ansley taking Delphine away from her. The women then go on to talk about how lovers met at the colosseum in secret and then Mrs. Slade reveals to Mrs. Ansley “slip one”, that she wrote the note to Mrs. Ansley and in fact Delphine never did. During all of this Mrs. Ansley rises to her feet, “ her bag, her knitting and gloves, slid in a panic- stricken heap to the ground”, this is where she has stopped her knitting, Mrs. Slade has finally gotten to her and Mrs.Ansley is fully listening to Mrs.Slade (Wharton 125). Mrs. Slade tries to rub in the fact that she wrote the letter and continually makes remarks on how Mrs Ansley, “tried her best to get him from her...but failed; and she kept him”, but Mrs. Ansley was confused and felt bad for what had happened but Mrs.Slade did not care she was just so thrilled to rub it all in her face. Then comes a little twists, “slip three”, Mrs. Ansley remarks “He’d arranged everything. He was there. We were let in at once”, but now Mrs.Slade can not believe it (Wharton 127). She is surprised that they actually had met up but still shoving in Mrs. Ansley face that after all these years Mrs. Ansley, “had nothing but that one letter that he didn't write”. The big twist is at the very last sentence of this story, “I had barabara, she said, and began to move ahead of Mrs. Slade toward the stairway” (Wharton 128). This is very shocking and Susan Minnie brings up a good point about how readers see Mrs. Ansley. Both women seem a little wicked like the Great Aunt. Both of these women are toxic, Mrs.Slade with her verbal bullying and Mrs. Ansley going behind her best friends back (Minnie 40). Not only is the ending a huge twist but Mrs. Ansley just leaves her knitting lying on the floor and leaves Mrs. Slade. This is where readers see she has finally let go of everything, she has said all of her thoughts without being afraid and has finally let go of everything that has troubled her. The short story of these women is filled with anticipation, leading to the last sentence.
Readers can infer that Barbara was a result of Mrs. Ansley and Delphine’s one night stand but readers never get to see Mrs. Slade's reaction to her statement. That is because it does not matter. Mrs. Ansley never finished her Knitting so no one will ever get to see what it was supposed to be, just like readers will never get to see Mrs. Slade's reaction. Mrs. Slade was shown as the knitting because Mrs. Ansley was somewhat driving Mrs. Slade. Mrs. Ansley was continually knitting and at some points would stop, at these points it was when she let Mrs. Slade in. As she was knitting she was angering Mrs.Slade driving Mrs. Slade to keep pushing at Mrs. Ansley, to get Mrs. Ansley's attention. Never did Mrs. Slade leave a hole in Mrs. Ansley, she never really took anything from Mrs. Ansley which was her goal. Her goal was to leave Mrs. Ansley with nothing but feeling stupid for loving someone who never even loved her. This did not work in Mrs Slade's favor and instead she was left with the unfinished knitting, “panic stricken”, and
alone.