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
be caught.
The story begins by introducing Alida Slade and Grace Ansley, two “friends” who are visiting Rome with daughters by their side. Alida has started to feel a decline in her status since the death of her husband Delphin, a famous upper-class lawyer. Ironically, she seems to take pride in her relegation of being named “Slade’s widow” because she “felt her unemployment more that poor Grace ever would” (Wharton 412). Alida finds security and self-worth in being better than her former love rival Grace; however, though “the differences she thinks she sees from her ‘opposite’ side cause Mrs. Slade to rank both herself and her marriage far above Grace and Horace Ansley, whom she dubs ‘two nullities’; it is also stressed that the two women’s life stories have been virtually identical” (Bowlby 43). The similarity of Grace’s life (attractive, married young, had a daughter) to Alida’s causes the latter to search for reasons that Delphin must have undoubtedly chosen her. Having too many similarities means that Grace was equally as eligible as Alida was, which makes Alida uncertain of who she really is in Delphin’s eyes. Thus, Alida searches for ways to assure herself of her importance.
As a result, Alida’s inquiries grow increasingly hostile and disparaging as her initial questioning becomes an interrogation of how someone as placid as Grace could have had a daughter as lively as Barbara. Alida comments to Grace that she doesn’t understand how Grace and her husband “had managed to produce anything quite so dynamic” (Wharton 414). Alida believes she is more deserving of Grace’s daughter and believes that her own daughter only serves as a contrast to Grace’s. “She reflects that she herself would probably be much more active and concerned if she had Barbara for a daughter” (Gawthrop 1). She is bored with her cautious daughter Jenny and tells Grace how she “always wanted a brilliant daughter” and did not understand how Jenny was “an angel instead” (Wharton 414). Though Alida may have ultimately won over Delphin, yet she does not feel satisfied unless she beats Grace in everything. Her lack of confidence in herself is what gives way to her sharp remarks to Grace, who remains quiet and only knits or makes a small remark rebuffing any high praise of Barbara. Grace’s calm reactions to Alida’s offensive statements causes Alida to wonders if she “would never cure herself of envying her [Grace]” because Grace always seems to threaten what Alida prides herself on, whether by love or by daughter (Wharton 415). As Grace’s passivity only seems to feed into Alida’s aggression, Wharton continually contrasts “the abiding hate of Alida Slade with the abiding love of Grace Ansley. Alida’s cruelty and hatred, aroused by her fear that Delphin might be attracted to Grace, prompts her finally to reveal her trickery to the other woman” (Bowlby 3).
Prior to Alida marrying Delphin, the trio was traveling in Rome together.
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
unbridled.
After Alida confesses the root of her insecurity, Grace discloses that she wrote Delphin after the fake letter and they did meet up in the Colosseum. Alida is mildly shocked but does not think much of the revelation since she now believes that she has the power in their relationship. “We’d better go…I’m sorry for you” (Wharton 419).Alida finally feels satisfied and secure post-revelation in her identity as “triumph seems to be confirmed” as Grace seemed “physically reduced by the blow” (Bowlby 38, Wharton 418). Alida explains that though Delphin and Grace may have met for one night, she was the one that ended up marrying him for twenty-five years while Grace just received a fake letter composed by her. In the last lines of the short story as the women are walking away, cinching the end is Grace’s bombshell truth, “I had Barbara” (Wharton 420). Alida Slade is “slayed” as the announcement implies that Alida had just lost the two things she built her security on.
Indeed, this announcement comes with the connotation that because “Alida had taken the initiative in attempting to punish Grace for her interest in her fiancé,” Grace and Delphin ended up having sex together and produced the daughter that Alida jealously admired (Bowlby 38). Had Alida not sought out punishment for Grace having an interest in Delphin, the object of her jealousy would not have been conceived. In fact, “Grace Ansley’s punchline-I had Barbara-rounds off the series of blows initiated by her ancient rival” despite being the most reserved and passive of the two (38). Consequently, Alida ended up causing her own envy in the years ensuing by causing the meeting that produced Barbara. Barbara’s father being Delphin also brings up the fact that Jenny being plain is not an attribute from her father’s side, but rather, “Dull Jenny has not only come from ‘the Slade’ but from a mother known for her ‘vividness’” (Bowlby 46). Alida may have herself to blame for having a daughter unlike Barbara. Alida’s want for emotional security at the cost of demeaning others only caused herself to crumble and to live the lie that Delphin only admired her and that she had the last laugh over Grace.
Wharton’s short story “Roman Fever” plays off its title by alluding to the illness tourists in Rome feared because they had “young, fragile daughters who might succumb to the ravages of the disease”(Gawthrop 3).
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
her.