Every story engages the reader by causing one to ask the question, what will happen next and how will things end (Mays 82)? “Lusus Naturae” by Margaret Atwood and “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton remain popular because they keep the reader engaged by describing conflict, plot, and underlying themes that are relevant to society. First of all, both stories provide insight into human responses to conflict. In “Lusus Naturae,” the main character who’s identity was reduced to a “freak,” experienced internal conflict by stating,”What could be done with me, what should be done with me?”(par. 1). Her family’s rejection caused her to question her humanity, “I was a thing…In what way is a thing not a person?  “I am a human being,” I could say. But what proof do I have of that? “I am a lusus naturae!” (par. 38). Although the character knew that she was a human being, therefore, valuable, she could not be sure of it.

In reading “Roman Fever,” one immediately gets the sense of conflict between Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley when the narrator says that both women, “looked at each other…with the same expression of vague but benevolent approval” (par. 1). Both women were conflicted as they were trying to do be polite, despite a sense of tension. This engages the reader because one actually feels the same tension in and wants to know what happened between them? Another conflict is that both women loved the same man at one point. Mrs. Slade says, “…You had been out late sight-seeing, hadn’t you, that night?” (par. 63). Deep inside, Mrs. Slade knew that Mrs. Ansley became ill because she went to meet Delphin. Later, Mrs. Slade shows her conflict by saying, “Well you went to meet the man I was engaged to” (par. 70), “But I was the girl he was engaged to. Did you happen to remember that?” (par. 84) and “I hated you. I knew you were in love with Delphin” (par. 90). The reader gets a glimpse into Mrs. Slade’s conflict when the narrator says, “It seemed to Mrs. Slade what a slow struggle was going on behind the voluntarily controlled mask of her quite face” (par. 75). After the truth is exposed, Mrs. Ansley, “dropped back into her chair and murmurs “Oh.” Both women exposed their sense of betrayal and the hate that this caused.

Second, both stories describe a plot. For example, in “Lusus Naturae” the narrator speaks in first person, which helps the reader experience the events through the eyes of the narrator. One gets the sense of passing of time, perhaps months and years through words such as, “hours of pain” (par. 23) and “My grandmother died, then my father. The cat became elderly” (par. 24). The story also contains a climax, which keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. For example, when reading, “The twittering voices are very loud: it’s time for me to take flight. I’ll fall from the burning rooftop like a comet, I’ll blaze like a bonfire” (para. 39) and “Perhaps in Heaven I’ll look like an angel” (para. 40). This scene causes intense emotion, as it appears that the character has decided to end her life. The turning point in her life became evident once she chose to make herself visible and choose her own fate rather than letting others decide if she should live or die. Nevertheless, one is left with more questions than answers. Is this what she needed to feel human and not a freak of nature? Would she follow through on her words to commit suicide or would the villagers kill her?

In ” Roman Fever” the plot involves passage of time. Past tense is described through words such as ” When we met here we were younger than our girls, are now. You remember?” (par. 10), “twenty-five years ago” and “still in those days.” It seems that both women were stuck in the past; Mrs. Slade was trying to bring it up, while Mrs. Ansley was trying to forget it. The climax happens when Mrs. Ansley tells Mrs. Slade that her Barbara, her daughter is really Mr. Slade’s! After Mrs. Slade says, ” But I oughtn’t to begrudge it to you. After all, I had everything; I had him for twenty- five years. And you had nothing, but that one letter that he didn’t write.” In the end, the narrator surprises the reader by saying, “I had Barbara” (par. 116). Similar to the main character in “Lusus naturae,” This story also leaves the reader with questions such as what was Delphin’s role in all of this? Why did he respond to the letter that Mrs. Ansley wrote to him? Did he secretly love her as well? Did they continue meeting after that? And did Mrs. Ansley ever tell him that they had a daughter together?

Lastly, both stories have strong underlying themes. In “Lusus Naturae” the theme appears to be rejection. The character states, “She had an attachment to me, as if to a hangnail, a wart: I was hers. But she was glad to be rid of me” (par. 27) and “Now they’re marching towards this house, in the dusk, with long stakes, with torches. My sister is among them” (par. 37). Although her mother felt an attachment, it was as negative and painful as a “hangnail.” Likewise, her sister’s rejection was so intense that she sought to kill her. This theme is common in society. When individuals don’t look “normal” or measure up to certain norms or expectations, they are treated as a “freaks.” The results can be devastating as this has lead to emotional distress, and in the character’s case, death. An underlying theme in “Roman Fever” is the idea of friendship and betrayal. First of all, one realizes that not all friendships are the same. Some are superficial, while others may be very close. Either way, both types are impacted when individuals cross certain boundaries than often lead to a sense of betrayal especially when it comes to falling in love with someone else’s fiancé and the guilt that results from keeping such a secret.

Works Cited

Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature: Shorter 11th Edition. Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2013. Print.

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