A Friendship Of Deception

A Friendship of Deception

In the story "Roman Fever", Mrs. Slade is one of the main characters that is the protagonist because she is deceiving to her close friend Mrs. Ansley. Mrs. Ansley views Mrs. Slade as a trustworthy person but after several years of knowing each other, the truth of Mrs. Slade's lies come to the surface and ruin their friendship. Throughout the story Mrs. Slade believes that she is hurting Mrs. Ansley but in the end she is really hurting herself.

One way Wharton display's the truth of Mrs. Slade's evil ways is in the characters actions. "After all, I had everything; I had him for twenty-five years and you had nothing but that one letter he didn't write." (420) At this point in the story, Mrs. Slade is trying to get that last word by saying the most hurtful things she can think of. Mrs. Slade shows us how vengeful she is by doing this. "Mrs. Slade gave a hardly audible laugh, and at the sound Mrs. Ansley dropped her knitting." (414) Mrs. Slade was laughing at the fact that Mrs. Ansley's daughter is prettier than hers. Her thoughts and actions towards her daughter are not those of a good mother. It shows the reader how shallow and cold her character is. "Well, my dear I know what was in the letter because I wrote it!" (417) It's clear to the reader that Mrs. Slade is telling Mrs. Ansley that she wrote the love letter, just to have payback. This was a confrontation that Mrs. Slade was plotting and calculating for years, showing the reader that her character had an undeniable grasp for evil.

Not only does Mrs. Slade show her dark side through her actions but, also through her feelings. "Mrs. Slade's jealousy suddenly leapt up again at the sight." (418) Here the author displays that Mrs. Slade's demeanor by explaining the feelings she's having. It is the author way of blatantly telling the reader who they are dealing with. "And I was afraid; afraid of you, of your quiet ways, your sweetness...your...well, I wanted you out of the way." (418) This quote exhibits that Mrs. Slade was envies and jealous of Mrs. Ansley all along. With the reader now realizing that she has had these feelings all along, it is safe to assume that she has thought about them over and over. Her jealousy then turns into hatred filled confrontation with Mrs. Ansley.

Subconsciously Mrs. Slade