Roman Fever Symbolism

Analysis of Roma Fever In the short story “Roman Fever,” the author Edith Wharton, illustrates a remarkable story of two ladies. In the short story the main protagonist are Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley. The setting of the story in the city of Rome at a restaurant where the two ladies engage in many vigorous and enlightened conversations. While the women sit and enjoy the beautiful view from the resturaunt they are residing at they notice their daughters down below running off to spend a romantic evening with two young men. Seeing this moment causes Mrs. Slades memories of her and Mrs. Ansley’s quixotic adventures in Rome as young women and their first encounter with “roman fever”. The term Roman fever illustrates the women’s past relationship that is embedded with destruction, jealously and deceit. Both women live their life privately consumed with Roman fever for twenty-five years. “Anyone who hasn't experienced the ecstasy of betrayal knows nothing about ecstasy at all”-Jean Genet. (Symbolism, irony, and epiphany play a major part used in showing …show more content…
Symbolically, the title refers to the fever pitch of the passions that were engendered in the two women when they visited Rome as nubile young girls. The surface serenity and static nature of the plot provide ironic contrast to the gradual revelation of the intense emotions that the two women experienced when they were in Rome before. Knitting in this short story plays a major role of symbolism. Mrs. Ansley sits quietly and knits as her and Mrs. Slade engages in conversation. When Mrs. Ansley is knitting it comes off as guilt to the charter Mrs. Slade, about seeing her widowed husband long ago, and the reader as Mrs. Slade interrogates her. “Although she tries to… (Salina 99). Mrs. Ansley seems to not care about present day things around her when Mrs. Slade speaks. Salina says, “.. She prefers to be knitting a comforting instrument…”