Alexa Stephens Truth and Envy in Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever" . The novella was set in Rome with the two women looking at what is called the “Memento Mori,” or reminder of human mortality. After years of not seeing each other, Mrs. Grace Ansley and Mrs. Alida Slade decided to share a much-too-late lunch. After civil conversations about the lives they led, the two men began to delve deeper into some issues that had developed decades before. About twenty-five years ago, Grace had an affair with Alida's fiancé, Delphin. When Alida became aware of the situation, she forged a letter in Delphin's name in hopes of luring Grace out into the cold where she would wait for Delphin until she fell ill and died. However, Grace wrote in response to Delphin and encountered him where they were engaging in sexual activity. That night, Grace became pregnant with Delphin's child. The dramatic climax and surprise ending in “Roman Fever” fueled the worldly idea that truth will always prevail and that envy can be a cruel and terrifying thing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayTo address the idea of envy, throughout the story there is a hint of jealousy between the two women. Even more, this jealousy is important in Alida. She explained how much her daughter bored her and that she would have much preferred to have a daughter like Grace's. She said, “I always wanted a bright girl…and I never really understood why I had an angel instead” (123). Alida explained that her daughter, Jenny, was nothing like Grace's beautiful daughter. Alida, at one point, even undermines Grace by believing that there is an underlying reason as to why the two girls spend time together. Alida thought: “Jenny has no chance at his side. I know it too. I wonder if that's why Grace Ansley likes the two girls to go everywhere together? My poor Jenny as a foil…” (123). The apparent jealousy is so strong in Alida that she transposed it into her daughter's life. Grace probably had other ways in mind as to why the two girls should spend time together, none of which had anything to do with using Jenny as a foil. Alida's desire for Grace's daughter is somewhat disturbing for the reader. She mentioned how much she wishes she had a daughter like Barbara, when her own daughter should have been the light of her life. Alida absolutely wanted Barbara to be hers. It turns out that Alida's jealousy of Barbara played a key role in this short story since Barbara is revealed to be the product of Grace and Delphin's affair. This means that Barbara, in a sense, could have been Alida's child if Grace had not seen Delphin that night, twenty-five years ago; Hadn't Alida ever written that letter in Delphin's name calling Grace to come to the Colosseum. In a way, Alida is the reason Delphin and Grace had sex, which means she is the reason Barbara was born. The end of the story took the envy to a broader level. As the story progressed, Alida's jealousy became more and more apparent and, in fact, more and more dramatic. At one point near the end, it was revealed that the letter Grace received from Delphin was actually written by Alida. In her surge of envy and anger when she discovered the affair, Alida essentially plotted Grace's death. Under the namefrom Delphin, she asks Grace to meet her alone at the Colosseum after dark. Alida knew that Grace would have waited hours for Delhpin to show up and eventually she would have gotten sick and died. Plus, by telling Grace that she was the one who wrote the letter, she was trying to gain the upper hand. James Phelan wrote in his article: “Alida wants to triumph over Grace.” Alida wanted Grace to know that she knew everything and that Grace knew very well. Alida's jealousy showed even more when she explained why she wrote the letter. “'Do you understand? I had found out – and I hated you, I hated you. I knew you were in love with Delphin – and I was afraid; afraid of you, of your quiet ways, of your gentleness… your… well, I wanted you out of the way, that’s all” (126). Alida was afraid that Grace had the ability to steal her fiancé? from her, as if people could be robbed. She had to find a way to cement her place with Delphin, and with Grace in the picture, Alida felt like she never had a fighting chance. Envy and jealous rage led to the idea that the truth would always prevail. Alida was determined to be ahead of Grace with every step she took, however, it turned out that Grace never even followed the same path. “History, indeed, shows the lingering effects of the past on the present,” Phelan wrote. "Specifically, as the tensions surrounding the events of twenty-five years ago slowly resolve, we also recognize that Alida and Grace's knowledge of these events has been partial." As mentioned above, Grace never knew that Alida was actually the one who wrote the letter, and Alida saw this as her advantage. Alida was thinking about the affair between Grace and her fiancé? ended there. However, Grace revealed at the end of the story that she had responded to Delphin and that night at the Colosseum he had arrived to meet her there. Alida, in a new fit of rage and envy, said: “At the end of all these years. After all, I had everything; I had it for twenty-five years. And you had nothing other than this letter that he didn’t write” (128). Alida once again believed that she had the last word, the last word and the upper hand. She believed the truth had been revealed, and that was that. But in a shocking ending, Grace responded, “I had Barbara” (128). The truth was eventually discovered and Alida was left jealous of the daughter from her fiancé and best friend's affair. “By the end of the story, Grace realizes that she has the upper hand, having not only slept with Delphin, but also given birth to the daughter Alida so covets” (Petry 166). All the time Alida spent trying to convince Grace that she knew all the truth and held all the power turned out to be a callous mistake. Grace, even though she didn't know the letter, knew what really happened that night at the Colosseum and what she had left there forever. These two women never knew the whole story, until all was revealed twenty-five years later during a lunch in Rome. This short story showed an overall theme of the cruelty of envy and also represented the idea that the truth will always come out. at the end. Alida and Grace lived most of their lives believing their side of the story was the only one, which turned out to be wrong on their part. Most of Alida's actions were fueled by her jealousy; whether it's about Grace's personality, her looks, or her daughter. Alida's envy almost led to Grace's intentional death. Grace knew nothing of Alida's involvement in this matter and had never even thought to tell her what had happened. From a.

Essay / Alexa Stephens Truth and Envy in Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever" . The novella was set in Rome with the two women looking at what is called the “Memento Mori,” or reminder of human mortality. After years of not seeing each other, Mrs. Grace Ansley and Mrs. Alida Slade decided to share a much-too-late lunch. After civil conversations about the lives they led, the two men began to delve deeper into some issues that had developed decades before. About twenty-five years ago, Grace had an affair with Alida's fiancé, Delphin. When Alida became aware of the situation, she forged a letter in Delphin's name in hopes of luring Grace out into the cold where she would wait for Delphin until she fell ill and died. However, Grace wrote in response to Delphin and encountered him where they were engaging in sexual activity. That night, Grace became pregnant with Delphin's child. The dramatic climax and surprise ending in “Roman Fever” fueled the worldly idea that truth will always prevail and that envy can be a cruel and terrifying thing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayTo address the idea of envy, throughout the story there is a hint of jealousy between the two women. Even more, this jealousy is important in Alida. She explained how much her daughter bored her and that she would have much preferred to have a daughter like Grace's. She said, “I always wanted a bright girl…and I never really understood why I had an angel instead” (123). Alida explained that her daughter, Jenny, was nothing like Grace's beautiful daughter. Alida, at one point, even undermines Grace by believing that there is an underlying reason as to why the two girls spend time together. Alida thought: “Jenny has no chance at his side. I know it too. I wonder if that's why Grace Ansley likes the two girls to go everywhere together? My poor Jenny as a foil…” (123). The apparent jealousy is so strong in Alida that she transposed it into her daughter's life. Grace probably had other ways in mind as to why the two girls should spend time together, none of which had anything to do with using Jenny as a foil. Alida's desire for Grace's daughter is somewhat disturbing for the reader. She mentioned how much she wishes she had a daughter like Barbara, when her own daughter should have been the light of her life. Alida absolutely wanted Barbara to be hers. It turns out that Alida's jealousy of Barbara played a key role in this short story since Barbara is revealed to be the product of Grace and Delphin's affair. This means that Barbara, in a sense, could have been Alida's child if Grace had not seen Delphin that night, twenty-five years ago; Hadn't Alida ever written that letter in Delphin's name calling Grace to come to the Colosseum. In a way, Alida is the reason Delphin and Grace had sex, which means she is the reason Barbara was born. The end of the story took the envy to a broader level. As the story progressed, Alida's jealousy became more and more apparent and, in fact, more and more dramatic. At one point near the end, it was revealed that the letter Grace received from Delphin was actually written by Alida. In her surge of envy and anger when she discovered the affair, Alida essentially plotted Grace's death. Under the namefrom Delphin, she asks Grace to meet her alone at the Colosseum after dark. Alida knew that Grace would have waited hours for Delhpin to show up and eventually she would have gotten sick and died. Plus, by telling Grace that she was the one who wrote the letter, she was trying to gain the upper hand. James Phelan wrote in his article: “Alida wants to triumph over Grace.” Alida wanted Grace to know that she knew everything and that Grace knew very well. Alida's jealousy showed even more when she explained why she wrote the letter. “'Do you understand? I had found out – and I hated you, I hated you. I knew you were in love with Delphin – and I was afraid; afraid of you, of your quiet ways, of your gentleness… your… well, I wanted you out of the way, that’s all” (126). Alida was afraid that Grace had the ability to steal her fiancé? from her, as if people could be robbed. She had to find a way to cement her place with Delphin, and with Grace in the picture, Alida felt like she never had a fighting chance. Envy and jealous rage led to the idea that the truth would always prevail. Alida was determined to be ahead of Grace with every step she took, however, it turned out that Grace never even followed the same path. “History, indeed, shows the lingering effects of the past on the present,” Phelan wrote. "Specifically, as the tensions surrounding the events of twenty-five years ago slowly resolve, we also recognize that Alida and Grace's knowledge of these events has been partial." As mentioned above, Grace never knew that Alida was actually the one who wrote the letter, and Alida saw this as her advantage. Alida was thinking about the affair between Grace and her fiancé? ended there. However, Grace revealed at the end of the story that she had responded to Delphin and that night at the Colosseum he had arrived to meet her there. Alida, in a new fit of rage and envy, said: “At the end of all these years. After all, I had everything; I had it for twenty-five years. And you had nothing other than this letter that he didn’t write” (128). Alida once again believed that she had the last word, the last word and the upper hand. She believed the truth had been revealed, and that was that. But in a shocking ending, Grace responded, “I had Barbara” (128). The truth was eventually discovered and Alida was left jealous of the daughter from her fiancé and best friend's affair. “By the end of the story, Grace realizes that she has the upper hand, having not only slept with Delphin, but also given birth to the daughter Alida so covets” (Petry 166). All the time Alida spent trying to convince Grace that she knew all the truth and held all the power turned out to be a callous mistake. Grace, even though she didn't know the letter, knew what really happened that night at the Colosseum and what she had left there forever. These two women never knew the whole story, until all was revealed twenty-five years later during a lunch in Rome. This short story showed an overall theme of the cruelty of envy and also represented the idea that the truth will always come out. at the end. Alida and Grace lived most of their lives believing their side of the story was the only one, which turned out to be wrong on their part. Most of Alida's actions were fueled by her jealousy; whether it's about Grace's personality, her looks, or her daughter. Alida's envy almost led to Grace's intentional death. Grace knew nothing of Alida's involvement in this matter and had never even thought to tell her what had happened. From a.

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