“So these two ladies visualized each other, each through the wrong end of her little telescope” (Wharton 301).
The short story “Roman Fever” follows a conversation between two long-time friends, Alida Slade and Grace Ansley. The pair grew up living across each other and share many of their childhood memories. They are both widows now, but each has a daughter: Barbara Ansley, and Jenny Slade. It is written in a third-person omniscient point of view, and the narrator remains neutral while showing the biased perspectives of each woman. The voice throughout the story remains calm even as major twists are revealed, adding to the mystery behind each sentence. Despite the storytelling being seemingly docile, the narrative is full of phrases with tension and passive aggression.
Although remaining unspoken for many years, there is a lot of antagonism between the two, since Mrs. Ansley was in love with Mrs. Slade’s husband many years ago. Mrs. Slade also secretly envies her friend’s child, Barbara, thinking that she is brilliant and wonderful– the ideal daughter. She compares Barbara to her own child constantly and is clearly jealous even though she refuses to admit it. Otherwise, Mrs. Slade looks down on her friend, noting that “Grace Ansley was always old-fashioned,” and sees her as boring and pitiful. Similarly, Mrs. Ansley views Mrs. Slade in a negative light, thinking “Alida Slade's awfully brilliant; but not as brilliant as she thinks.”
Prior to their talk, both of the women have very different versions in their heads of each other, as well as what happened the one fateful night when Mrs. Ansley went to the colosseum. Mrs. Ansley holds this piece of information over Mrs. Slade: the fact that she slept with Mr. Slade that night and that Barbara is their love child. Mrs. Slade on the other hand, believes she holds all the power, knowing that she forged the invitation from her then fiance and sent it to Mrs. Ansley. However, she believes that Mr. Slade stood Mrs. Ansley up, leaving her in the amphitheater alone in the cold. Beneath it all still lies the fact that the two traitors have supposedly been friends all their lives and behave as such.
The sentence chosen perfectly encapsulates the relationship between Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley, the calm before the storm. The false calm which has lasted for many, many years: perhaps the entirety of their friendship. The tranquility only remains because of the wrong ends of the telescope through which the women view each other. They are both trapped inside their own minds, clueless. Both women avoid true communication due to their mutual betrayals, but the tension between them could be cut with a knife. As the story ends with their great reveals, the relationship is changed forever. Free from the bliss of ignorance, the women finally see each other clearly for who they are, with no more telescopes to mask the imperfections of their friendship.
