Edith Wharton

I recently read two short stories “The Other Two”, and “Roman Fever”, both by late 19th early 20th century writer Edith Wharton. In “The Other Two” a man begins to frequently encounter his wife’ ex-husbands, which leads to a realization of her secret persona’s. I’ve been pondering the purpose of this work. It would seem that the female role represents the times struggle for womens rights and equality, for she refused to be held back by actions that would have no consequences for her male counterparts. However, isn’t this painting a bad image for society? Instead of lowering the bar for female behavior, wouldn’t it have been more favorable to raise the bar for men? I’m not saying that in this day in age it is feasible or desirable to do so, and I guess that in the early 1900’s it was also unrealistic. It is interesting to read fiction during this time period, especially by women, to recognize how it must have felt to be held to a higher moral standard than men, while having less rights.