Of Friends and Enemies
...d close. “Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley had lived opposite each other-actually as well as figuratively-for years”(659). After their husbands passed, they comforted each other: “There was an appropriate exchange of wreaths and condolences, and a brief renewal of intimacy in the half-shadow of their mourning…”(659). Their serene friendship was far from sincere. The true feelings of Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley are that of hatred. “So these two ladies visualized each other, each through the wrong end of her little telescope”(660). The feelings of each are that the other is of little value and the friendship is not of worth. Mrs. Slade thinks: ”I must make one more effort not to hate her”(662). At several points in the story, both women blatantly think the hatred of the other, but neither speaks it. The hatred actual hides a deeper-rooted issue between the women. Finally, the true feelings between Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley are that of envy. Both women want to have what the other has. Mrs. Slade says, “But if Babs Ansley isn’t out to catch the young aviator-the one who’s a Marchese-then I don’t know anything. And Jenny has no chance beside her”(661). Mrs. Slade is envious of Mrs. Ansley’s daughter because she wants her daughter to be like Babs. Likewise, Mrs. Ansley says, “Alida Slade’s awfully brilliant; but not as brilliant as she thinks”(660). Mrs. Ansley is jealous of how Mrs. Slade presents herself. In some ways she wants to be like her. However, there is a common envy of the two women. Both women share the love of one m...