Freud’s Tripartite Model and Defense Mechanisms in Edith Wharton's Roman Fever

While the Roman Fever back in the day was a deadly form of malaria, Roman fever can also be interpreted as the spread of lethal consequences in Edith Warton’s “Roman Fever”. Both Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley are subject to jealousy, competition, and resentment towards each other throughout their lives. Both women, though similar, go through the motions of their friendship while never going into depth but rather just scraping the surface. Mrs. Slade in particular presents her intentions through her actions and sly conduct. Throughout her life, as a young lady and as she grows to be a mature woman, Mrs. Slade is unsatisfied with her life and tries to invigorate it through the drama she initiates with Mrs. Ansley. This internal battle is faced with an external conflict: the fight with Mrs. Ansley for the affection of Delphin. While dealing with this, Mrs. Slade tries to defend the little self-worth she has by using defense mechanisms. In the end, however, Mrs. Slade’s desires surpass her moral compass, and she reveals her true scheme.

As determined by Sigmund Freud, humans have three components to the individual self; the id, the superego, and the ego. The id is the center for primitive desires and impulsivity. The id is not rational, it searches for things that bring pleasure, without regarding the consequences that come with its actions. 

The superego is the moral guide, functioning to control the id’s impulses. The ego is the balance of both the id and superego, functioning to create harmony between them. Mrs. Slade’s id drives these feelings of impulsivity throughout her life, but her superego maintains these impulses to make her appear as put together. As a young woman, she is envious of Mrs. Ansley and she wishes cruel events upon her, “The idea of seeing Grace raided was so amusing,” to her (Wharton 1387). She cannot contain these intrusive thoughts because of her impulsivity, but she does not act on them at that point in her life. As her life goes on, after the death of both her husband and her son, Mrs. Slade’s daughter Jenny has become grown. Mrs. Slade’s id seeks excitement and drama, remembering how her teen years were. Mrs. Slade even wishes that her own daughter “would fall in love—with the wrong man, even; that she might have to be watched, out-manoeuvered, rescued,” something a typical mother would not desire (Wharton 1388). Mrs. Slade is constantly lost in her own thoughts. The id creates these intrusive ideas, but, her superego prevents them from becoming real-life actions. Until she reveals her secret.