BARBARA

Through dialogue between the two main characters, the author is able to build up suspense until the ending of the story, which leaves the reader thinking. I, for one, absolutely loved the ending. At first I forgot who Barbara was but when I realized that she was Mrs. Ansley’s daughter, I was left in shock. In this story, the ending is the most important part of the story; it’s like the climax. Rather than a traditional story that builds up to a climax and then has a conclusion, “Roman Fever” has its climax in the last line of the story. Mrs. Ansley’s line is very short yet has a great impact on the reader. It ends the lifetime of competition she has had with Mrs. Slade and is a final blow in the conversation.
Because the last line (“‘I had Barbara,’ she said, and began to move ahead of Mrs. Slade toward the stairway”) is so essential to the story, I would rename the story from “Roman Fever” to “Barbara”. The reader would then have to read the whole story to understand the significance of the title.

Comments

  1. Rani RamrattanMay 18, 2020 at 3:22 PM

    I think this would be a fantastic title for the story "Roman Fever" and I love your explanation. Renaming the story to Barbara would be foreshadowing the whole story and add yet another element of suspense to the reading.

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  2. Olivia TaylorMay 20, 2020 at 5:32 PM

    I really like your new title for "Roman Fever". I think it would add another element to the final line that makes it even more powerful. When the reader realizes that the story is called "Barbara" because she is the source of so much drama, it will add to the surprise at the end.

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