Roman Fever

The monuments that were mentioned in Edith Wharton’s Roman Fever were the Palace of the Caesars, the Colosseum, the Forum, and the Seven Hills. Each of these was mentioned at a fitting point in the story, in order to symbolize the feelings and actions that took place at a particular moment. Each monument has a meaning, and is intended to strengthen and emphasize the seemingly small circumstances that occur in the two women’s, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade, lives. Edith Wharton does this by using the grand and magnificent ancient Roman structures as the foreground for the women’s conversation.

The Palace of the Caesars was mentioned when Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade “visualized each other, each through the wrong end of her little telescope”. The Palace of the Caesars represents the way the women view one another because of the Roman emperors that were housed there. The emperors were viewed in many different ways throughout their reign, just as many rulers have been throughout the entirety of history. When they come to reign, many view them as good and just. However, this perspective changes over time when the people who are being reigned over really come to know the leader. Although the two women do not have a relationship similar to leaders and their people, they do come to gain different perspectives of each other as time passes.

The Colosseum is mentioned most often throughout the story, and is the most important monument. It first comes up when the women’s daughters leave them to go on a plane ride with a couple of young men they met. The Colosseum represents romance and strife because it is where Mrs. Ansley had an affair with Mrs. Slade’s husband and conceived her daughter. This is mentioned later in the story. The Colosseum is a grand amphitheatre where many gruesome deaths took place for the amusement and entertainment of others. Mrs. Slade sent Mrs. Ansley there in the hopes that she would become ill from being out in the cold, and be unable to steal her future husband from her. Mrs. Slade’s plan backfired, though, and it was she who was wronged. The Colosseum is meant to show the great significance that the women played in one another’s lives.

The next monument in the Roman Fever is The Forum. Mrs. Slade asks Mrs. Ansley if she is afraid of the cold, as it is becoming night, and she says that it is not cold where they are, but it is in the Forum. The Forum was used, in ancient Rome, as a place for political gatherings. It comes up just before Mrs. Slade confronts Mrs. Ansley about her going to meet with Mrs. Slade’s future husband at the Colosseum. It is meant to represent the gathering that the two women are having, which can almost be construed as a political one in a sense. They are not truly friends and only meet because their paths cross so often.

The last monument is the Seven Hills. It is mentioned toward the end, when the two women have revealed to each other their knowledge of the affair. The Seven Hills has religious significance in Roman history. This may be significant to the story because of the talk of marriage that occurs just before the Hills are mentioned.