Consider the role of the setting in the story and the lives of these two women (and their daughters?).
The setting in the “Roman Fever” takes place in the late afternoon at the Roman terrace restaurant with views of the Colosseum, the Forum and other ancient sights in Rome. The setting in this story plays a big role in the lives of the two women, Grace Ansley and Alida Slade and their daughters. This is because it was the same restaurant Grace and Ansley met in their youth. Now, they return back twenty-five years later with each of their beautiful daughters running off to meet young men, setting memories of themselves in the past. Besides the fact that they ran into each other at the same place in Rome, Rome itself is significant in this story. Over the centuries, Roman Fever was used to describe the deadly disease that would occur frequently in Rome. Grace recalls the story of how her great-aunt Harriet sent her sister to pick out flowers in the forum. In reality, she wanted to expose her to Roman fever due to the fact that they were in love with the same man and as a result, she died.
Similar to this incident, Grace also went out on a chilly evening after dark to meet Delphin at the Colosseum, the man who Alida was engaged to, after receiving a letter from him even though it was actually from Alida. Not only did Alida resent the fact that Grace fell in love with her husband, but she also became jealous of Grace’s daughter who she describes as a beauty with “an edge”. It is important that Wharton places the characters in a place where they have a sight of the ancient ruins surrounding them because it reflects on the characters’ pasts and symbolizes how the relationship between Grace and Alida falls apart. Furthermore, the time setting seems to always occur during the evening when it is dark which represents the deep dark secrets that the two women have been hiding from each other since they first met.
I agree with your points about the darkness of the setting which represents their deep hidden secrets. It’s interesting that you pointed out that the colosseum represented their broken relationship, I never thought about it that way. I also think the setting and the darkness plays a role in the tone of the story. The tone is solemn, dark, and hostile. The setting also foreshadows a foreboding conflict and climax.
I totally agree with everything you have mentioned in your blog post! I had the exact thoughts about the Colosseum and was amazed you picked up on it too. It represents their relationship as broken and old but still a wonder to explore. It is just like their relationship in how the hidden relationship was explored by Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slate during their conversation. They lost their friendship through an exploration of their past. I believe that the setting of this short that Wharton wrote is truly a full circle of itself.