Somes response about the story Roman Fever
...de. She is constantly comparing things in her life to those in Mrs. Ansley’s life. When they were girls, Alida was jealous of her friend Grace. She goes from comparing their living arrangements in New York, to their employment, and finally to their daughters. She has always tried to stay one step ahead of her friend and resents the fact that the other’s daughter is so much more than her own. In doing these comparisons the author reveals that Mrs. Slade thinks that her life since marrying has been so much better than the life of Mrs. Ansley. The simple act of writing the letter to Grace that was suppose to be from Delphin was an indication of the fact that Alida was always jealous of Grace and wanted her to become ill so that she would not be around. The tone of the story is both vengeful and reflective. It is generally believed that sentimentality is something not to be played with. Love is like fire, play with it and you will get burnt some day. On the other hand, it is also assume that the higher the climb, the heavier the fall. More than often, the weapon you use to harm others turns back to hurt you.Long-standing friends do not mean that they are entirely sincere to each other. A person has his/her own self, own personality which always aims at victory and superiority over other people. The two women – in their young age – love the same man, or at least want him to marry them, a certain Delphin. But of course only one succeeds: Alida, but with a trick, with which Alida wants to crush her friend Grace because she’s always a woman with a passion of winning her opponents. She writes a letter to Grace taking Delphin’s name, telling Grace to come out in the dark to see Delphin, of course without Delphin knowing it. The cold atmosphere at night could make Grace sick. This fever, together with her failure to meet Delphin generates Alida’s complete victory, she thinks. But as it turns out later to be her entire failure. Receiving the letter supposedly written by Delphin, Grace writes back to him and they meet afterward. That is beyond Alida’s plot. The story may end here, but Wharton’s technical skill leads us to another trick to make the surprise to Alida complete. That is also her complete failure: Barbara, a child born of Delphin and Graces love affair.Mrs. Slade’s well-assumed superiority over Mrs. Ansley is impossible for her to endure the paradox: her daughter Jenny is an angel, not as brilliant a girl as Ansley’s Barbara. Mrs. Sl...