Compression is an important part of successful stories and helps them achieve artistic unity because not one detail or word is tangential. Compression is achievable because details, incidents, or words can have many purposes. One way to achieve this is through the use of symbol, allegory, and fantasy. They can give the story a richer meaning without the addition of extra words, but they require careful attention from the reader. “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton is replete with symbols that give the narrative a deeper meaning which help illustrate the theme. According to Perrine, a symbol is “something that means more than what it suggests on the surface” (301). This can really be anything: an object, a person, a situation, an action or an element.
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(Perrine 305-307)
By following these guidelines, the reader can verify if the idea or object is a symbol, and move on to establish its purpose and importance to the theme. In “Roman Fever” there are a variety of things that have the potential to be symbols, more specifically Roman fever, Mrs. Ansley’s knitting, and the sky and lighting. Firstly, the fever itself has many different meanings all based around the intense passion that “infects” both women. It could represent Grace’s desire for Alida’s fiance. It could also represent Alida’s ill will for Grace and her desire for revenge against her, because she “knew [Grace was] in love with Delphin- and [she] was afraid... and [she] wanted [Grace] out of the way” (Wharton 8), so she wrote the letter to spite and humiliate her. Or it could be Alida’s jealousy for Grace’s daughter, as evidenced by Mrs. Slade saying that she appreciates her own daughter, but “Babs carries everything before her” (Wharton 5) and she wonders how “two such exemplary characters as [Grace] and Horace had managed to produce anything quite so dynamic” (Wharton 5). Since, “symbols nearly always signal their existence by emphasis, repetition, or position” (Perrine 306) it is safe to say that the fever follows the first rule in Perrine’s list, because it is given emphasis through the title. It is also reiterated throughout the story, although it is not really essential to the plot. For example Mrs. Slade mentions it when …show more content…
As they sit on the terrace, they are drenched in a “long golden light beginning to pale” (Wharton 4). This depicts the last hours of kindness between the two women, because as their conversation because more scandalous and uncomfortable, the light darkens to a “purple shadow, and above it the sky curved crystal clear, without light or color” (Wharton 5), signifying their entry into each other 's shocking secrets. As their conversation comes to a close and the secrets have been flushed out and both women become distressed and dissatisfied, the “clear heaven overhead was emptied of all its gold. Dusk spread over it, abruptly darkening the Seven Hills” (Wharton 9). This signifies the conclusion of Grace and Alida’s relationship with each other and the end of cordiality between the two. Again, the continuous repetition and emphasis on the setting and light in the story meets the standard set by Perrine’s first rule. Because light can be interpreted in so many different ways, the fact that it so closely follows the mood set by the women’s conversation indicates that it fulfills Perrine’s second rule. And the light does mean something more than just setting and atmosphere, as explained above, so it does meet Perrine’s third and fourth
(Perrine 305-307)
By following these guidelines, the reader can verify if the idea or object is a symbol, and move on to establish its purpose and importance to the theme. In “Roman Fever” there are a variety of things that have the potential to be symbols, more specifically Roman fever, Mrs. Ansley’s knitting, and the sky and lighting. Firstly, the fever itself has many different meanings all based around the intense passion that “infects” both women. It could represent Grace’s desire for Alida’s fiance. It could also represent Alida’s ill will for Grace and her desire for revenge against her, because she “knew [Grace was] in love with Delphin- and [she] was afraid... and [she] wanted [Grace] out of the way” (Wharton 8), so she wrote the letter to spite and humiliate her. Or it could be Alida’s jealousy for Grace’s daughter, as evidenced by Mrs. Slade saying that she appreciates her own daughter, but “Babs carries everything before her” (Wharton 5) and she wonders how “two such exemplary characters as [Grace] and Horace had managed to produce anything quite so dynamic” (Wharton 5). Since, “symbols nearly always signal their existence by emphasis, repetition, or position” (Perrine 306) it is safe to say that the fever follows the first rule in Perrine’s list, because it is given emphasis through the title. It is also reiterated throughout the story, although it is not really essential to the plot. For example Mrs. Slade mentions it when …show more content…
As they sit on the terrace, they are drenched in a “long golden light beginning to pale” (Wharton 4). This depicts the last hours of kindness between the two women, because as their conversation because more scandalous and uncomfortable, the light darkens to a “purple shadow, and above it the sky curved crystal clear, without light or color” (Wharton 5), signifying their entry into each other 's shocking secrets. As their conversation comes to a close and the secrets have been flushed out and both women become distressed and dissatisfied, the “clear heaven overhead was emptied of all its gold. Dusk spread over it, abruptly darkening the Seven Hills” (Wharton 9). This signifies the conclusion of Grace and Alida’s relationship with each other and the end of cordiality between the two. Again, the continuous repetition and emphasis on the setting and light in the story meets the standard set by Perrine’s first rule. Because light can be interpreted in so many different ways, the fact that it so closely follows the mood set by the women’s conversation indicates that it fulfills Perrine’s second rule. And the light does mean something more than just setting and atmosphere, as explained above, so it does meet Perrine’s third and fourth