Delphin Slade in 'Roman Fever': An Unseen yet Important Character

Though only two characters – Alida Slade and Grace Ansley – are seen in 'Roman Fever' by Edith Wharton, there are numerous characters behind the scene. Among them, Delphin Slade is the most important one, whose strong influence can be seen contributing to what appears in the story. At the end of the story, most of the readers are forced to think about his role more importantly than Alida or Grace.

At the end, the conversation between the two women leads to a sudden revelation of numerous 'top secrets' about their past life. Among those secrets, the most interesting and thus important is that Barbara – the daughter of Grace – is conceived from Delphin; this is the fact that Alida has never thought of. Thus it becomes a dramatic disclosure, not only for the readers, but also for Alida herself. This very revelation establishes Delphin as the strongest character in the story, whose role creates whatever we see between these two women today.   

Delphin is husband of Alida Slade, but he is already dead now. By profession, he was "a famous corporation lawyer, always with an international case or two on hand…" Alida's identity is framed on the fact that she is wife of Delphin. (This might be the reason why the story writer calls her Mrs. Slade, but not Alida.) She felt very happy to be called as wife of Delphin, such a renowned and respected figure among social gatherings and public occasions. When Delphin died, she felt empty and "unemployed" to be a widow of him. "It was a big drop from being the wife of dolphin Slade to being his widow. She had always regarded herself (with a certain conjugal pride) as his equal in social gifts…" Thus we can establish Delphin's strong presence in the story as a man of patriarchal society, who is capable of establishing and determining identity of his woman.

His more important role can be seen in the time between his engagement and marriage with Alida, which is revealed in retrospect. What the readers are revealed is that Delphin was liked and loved by both Alida and Grace. By some reasons, he was however engaged to Alida; but still in frequent contact with Grace. Alida didn't like that. So in order to disconnect their relationships, she wrote a letter with Delphin's name - "Only your D.S." - to Grace. Alida was happy that Grace got illness immediately after that and she got off and was married with Mr. Horace Ansley. She is so proud that Grace got nothing from Delphin, "I had everything; I had him for twenty-five years. And you had nothing but that one letter that he didn't write." In response, Grace says, "I had Barbara."

This very revelation is the heart of plot of this story; and major themes of the story wander around it. In appearance it is a story about relationships between two old friends: Alida and Grace. But it is important to note that their relationship is directly influenced by role of Delphin Slade – their shared lover once. If Delphin's role was not like what it was, certainly the two women would have different kind of relationships. They would not be like what they are today that they "didn't know much more about each other." They would not envy each others for certain aspects. The very of role of Delphin can be traced as a reason why Alida time and again states that she likes Barbara more than her own daughter Jenny. It is probably because she liked Delphin and Barbara is Delphin's daughter.               

 'Roman Fever' possesses the quality that can leave "a shaft driven straight into the heart of human experience" as its author Wharton desired – with the dramatic disclosure in the last sentence. And this disclosure is strong enough to suggest Delphin Slade's role in development of the story and consequently in the story's impression into its readers.