3 American Stories

One of the most interesting aspects of Wharton's Roman Fever" is the way the last sentence works as a sort of twist in the entire plot of the story. "Mrs. Ansley was again silent. At length she took a step toward the door of the terrace, and turned back, facing her companion. 'I had Barbara,' she said, and began to move ahead of Mrs. Slade toward the stairway." The final sentence of the story reveals that Mrs. Slade has a valid reason for her feelings of competition with Mrs. Ansley though she only learns of it after years of ill-feeling. Throughout the story, there is a deep-felt animosity between the two women. The more outgoing Mrs. Slade is jealous of Mrs. Ansley's daughter and of Mrs. Ansley's past love for Mrs. Slade's husband. Prior to this last sentence, the story seems top be nothing more than the recounting of the memories of two middle-aged women visiting Rome, but in pulling the story together at the very end with such a simple statem

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Category: Literature - 3