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Memory and Jealousy in the Roman Forum |
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written
by pev42 / 10.24.2005 |
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Assignment |
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The Forum is a fitting location for Edith Wharton’s story “Roman Fever” because of its awareness of human memory. Ancient Romans used monumental architecture to make sure that they would be remembered, because they believed that human memory was the key to immortality. We remember the Romans today because so many of their buildings, like those in the Forum, have at least partially endured. For the women in the Edith Wharton story, most of the action of their own lives is over and they are left to live through the memories of their youth and through the adventures of their daughters. Many of their important memories live in old Roman buildings, making up just one small part of the masses of memories that have accumulated there since ancient times.
As we learn about the Forum, we expose stories that are full of jealousies, intrigues, and struggles for power. Wharton’s story gradually reveals that her two main characters have a history that is also full of these elements. The relationship between the two different friends is founded on their similar situations but built around a hidden competition, a secret struggle for power dominated by hatred and jealousy. Their history sounds much like the stories about brothers killing brothers and allies secretly turning against each other in ancient Rome.
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