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.

In the short story “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton, many buried secrets are revealed through the conversation between Alida Slade and Grace Ansley. Both women have been holding a grudge against each other for a very long time, but the truth is finally let out. Alida’s fake letter to Grace posing as Delphin, the now deceased husband of Alida, shows how calculating Alida was. Alida lured Grace out in hopes that she would get sick, but little did she know that Grace wrote back to Delphin. Grace and Delphin did meet and have an affair which resulted in Barbara, the daughter of the two. Readers can tell that Alida is really her own undoing because if she hadn’t written the letter, none of these events would have taken place such as the affair between Grace and Delphin. Wharton wants us to consider that we may not even know the true intentions of our closest friends, family members, or significant others. In this story, Delphin deceives his own wife, Grace deceived her also now deceased husband, and Barbara and Jenny- Alida’s daughter are unaware that they’re actually half-sisters. The revenge, lies, and secrets have ultimately led to Alida and Grace’s own self-destruction.