Throughout Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever," Mrs. Alida Slade suffers the consequences of an inflated ego as she fails to fully understand her companion , Mrs. Grace Ansley. She is consumed by self-centered priorities, such as superiority, deception, and jealousy. Although Slade's self-centeredness can be interpreted as purely superficial vanity, this story proves that he has a deterrent effect on true friendship in "Roman Fever" in its entirety, rendering honesty, equality and There is no altruism in his relationship with Ansley. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayOne of the fundamental aspects of any friendship is the feeling of equality and shared experience with the other individual. Despite the fact that they live parallel lives, Slade's self-centeredness leads her to believe that she is in fact superior to Ansley. The two “…were intimate since childhood…” and “…lived across the street from each other – literally and figuratively – for years.” These two women both experienced a privileged New York lifestyle, the love and loss of a husband, and motherhood. Slade recognizes these similarities, but fails to attribute this resemblance to equality. Instead, she constantly places herself on a high pedestal. She remembers that "she felt her unemployment [her husband's death] more than poor Grace ever would." Here it is evident that Ansley has more self-pity than empathy for the suffering of others. She puts aside Ansley's possible pain, assuming the change was much more detrimental to her. Also, in her reflection, she describes her companion as “poor Grace”. In context, this phrase does not indicate sympathy or compassion, but rather takes on a condescending tone. Slade describes her as "poor" in a way that demeans Ansley and suggests that the circumstances of the death cannot shock someone who is already living a life of disappointment. Additionally, the assumption that Ansley leads a boring or disappointing life is one that stems from Slade's self-centered attitude of superiority. According to her, a life of fullness and happiness is a life that is constantly involved in the affairs of high society. Slade and her husband formed an “exceptional couple” who frequently traveled “for legal reasons to London, Paris or Rome…”. She views her relationship with her husband as something much better than the average marriage. By using the phrase "exceptional" to describe him, she is putting forward the idea that she sincerely believes she is superior to most people, including Ansley. Additionally, she often refers to the busy and expansive life she leads as the wife of a successful lawyer. Unlike Ansley, she travels the world, mingling with people of high authority, and is even complimented by upperclassmen. These aspects of her life give her reason to believe that Ansley's life simply cannot compare to the excitement she knows and loves. In her thought process, Slade takes the similarities between her and Ansley and completely ignores them, as she is under the illusion that his lifestyle is far superior to any other. As this is true, at least in her mind, she cannot find true common ground with Ansley in order to form a deeper bond with her. Another obstacle to true friendship that Slade's self-centered attitude invokes is selfishness. A key principle to having a friend or true companion is the feeling of selflessness and the ability to think of others before yourself. Slade cannot grasp this concept in the story, but instead embraces his selfishness and fails todispel his desire for Ansley. The root of his envy lies in the realization that Slade was in love with Ansley's fiancé. She says: “I found out – and I hated you, I hated you. I knew you were in love with Delphin…I wanted you to be away…” (785). This desire, even this hatred, is a major factor in the course of the lives of these two women. Slade, never able to truly forget the jealousy and hatred she had for Ansley after coming to this realization fuels hardened feelings for her long-time companion. The initial jealousy motivated Slade to become selfish and do everything in his power to get rid of the competition. Slade does not consider the outcome or consequences Ansley may have to suffer due to his selfishness. She forges a letter to Ansley, hoping that she will go to the Colosseum at night and will be humiliated when Delphin does not meet her there as promised in the letter. She hopes that this humiliation and failure will make Ansley abandon Delphin and become an obstacle to Slade longer. Selfishly, she considers these benefits for herself, but does not think twice about the pain she causes Ansley. She even says “I remember laughing all evening at the idea that you were waiting there in the dark…”. She shows no remorse or regret for her childish and self-centered actions in the past, but reflects carelessly without sparing Ansley's feelings. The lack of shame attributed to this statement further proves that Slade's selfishness prohibits any relationship between her and Ansley. Slade's selfishness is not mutually exclusive to this situation. This attribute of his self-centeredness is also manifested in his opinion of Barbara and Jenny, the daughters of Grace and Alida. She doesn't like her own daughter Jenny, because in her opinion, Barbara is a much more interesting person. Slade, convinced that she is superior to Ansley, also admits that she would prefer to be Barbara's mother. She talks about her daughter as if she had been cheated on. She says: “I always wanted a bright girl… I never really understood why I had an angel instead.” Here she selfishly lusts after the kind of girl she doesn't have, but Ansley does. Although she calls her own daughter an "angel," it is clear that Jenny is simply not good enough in her mother's eyes (782). Slade wants what she can't and doesn't have. His own life is only satisfactory if all its aspects are comparatively superior to Ansley's. Barbara is exciting, fresh and vivacious, while Jenny is dedicated, simple and boring. She believes that with the loss of her husband and son, she deserves a daughter who will keep her on her toes and give her a reason to brag about her life. Jenny's perfection and simplicity can in no way match the vivacity of her former high society life, while Barbara could introduce a new series of adventures for Slade. That's all she considers when expressing her inappropriate feelings to Ansley. The only person Slade considers in this thought process is herself and her own source of pride. Egoism, another facet of egocentrism, blinds the bearer to the feelings and opinions of others. You can't really develop a healthy relationship without being selfless with the goal of putting the success and happiness of others before your own. Another aspect of selfish thinking is lying and deception in an attempt to get ahead. Honesty is a core value that all friends share, but the selfish individual neglects honesty and replaces it with deception. Slade's dishonest behavior since his youth is clear and striking. She admits to having falsified Delphin's letter to..