Roman Fever (A Q&A)

In Roman Fever, Edith Wharton creates an uneasy tension between two polarizing characters, Ms. Ansley, and Ms. Slade.  Grace Ansley is a rather dull character compared to the "spectacular" Alida Slade.  However, both their daughters seem to have a rather bright characterization.  Even, the mysterious Barbara Slade whose initially supposed parents were rather dull compared to her.  It was to the point where Ms. Slade questioned the possibility of such a character being produced from the couple.  In the end, it is shown that Barbara is in fact Delphin Slade's daughter, implying that an affair occured between Ms. Ansley and Delphin.

The relationship in the story has been called by many as a "friendship" or a frenemy relationship.  Considering the resulting circumstances, I would most definetely not call it a friendship.  However, what I am arguing, is that this was never a friendship to begin with.  In the past, the philospher Aristotle presented two different kinds of friendships: the accidental friendship and the friendship of the good.  Accidental friendships are based off of completley materialistic need, while the friendship of the good is a mutual and emotional relationship.  What I see in Roman Fever, is neither.  Grace and Alida have no materialistic use for each other, but they compensate for this by not having a genuine common and mutual trust for each other either (dunkey joke).  

Alida Slade first openly tries to trick her "friend" with a letter out of mistrust for her coming after her own husband.  Even after, Grace supposedly meets Delphin anyways and has the affair, indicating mistrust and destruction of virtue on both sides.  It again is wrong to call this toxic relationship just "enemies, or rivals".  There is something rather natural about this occurence of events.  In my opinion, Wharton tries to exmplify the natural human greed or "rational egoism".  It is the concept that all human actions can be described from the point of one's singular interest (selfishness).  Grace has the affair not thinking of the consequences, while Alida tries to cut the relationship off out of greed for keeping her husband.  Her constant mistrust and slandering of Grace can be explained by this.  They both only care about their own welfare (Alida trying to keep her own wealthy and spectacular life and instill a sense of superiority, while Grace has an affair out of desire.)  

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