Wharton wants us to realize that you basically can’t be too sure of anyone in your life whether connected as friends, family, or love interest. As lovers, Delphin was unfaithful to Mrs. Slade in that he was interested in Mrs. Ansley while he was already engaged. Mrs. Ansley is friends with Mrs. Slade whom she was jealous and wished illness upon Mrs. Slade because she was intimidated. She had a “thing” for her friend’s husband. She even held this grudge after many years of friendship to this woman who had no idea about these letters written to her late husband and meetings at the Colosseum. This story just goes to show that everyone has a hidden agenda and you truly cant trust a soul.
One thought on “What does Wharton want us to consider about the ways in which we do or do not know certain people in our lives? E.g. friends, lovers, family.”
Comments are closed.
I totally agree! After years, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs.Slade clearly still hold a grudge against each other. I think I wouldn’t consider them to be friends at all because it seems that although they grew up together, they literally knew nothing about each other. I feel like after reading the story, I realized that this is the reason why many people have trust issues. You truly don’t know what others’ intentions are. The dynamic Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley explain why friendship, love, and family can be very complicated.