But it is a gross injustice that my gala should suffer because the lower class falls ill.” This quote is an example of a selfish, prejudiced mindset that scapegoats groups deemed undesirable by society.
As an aristocratic neighbor complains, “Those filthy refugees and creatures who live in the crowded hovels by the river, they’re always sick with something. Some white Philadelphians blame Santo Domingan refugees and Philadelphia’s poor for the yellow fever outbreak. The yellow fever epidemic brings out the worst in some people, highlighting the ability of stressful crises to bring about prejudice and self-serving behavior. Through this exploration of human motives, Anderson argues that when catastrophic events occur, all people have a choice to either indulge their worst tendencies or rise above them. Sometimes that potential is shockingly selfish and even destructive, while other times, the love displayed is remarkably noble and even creative in its efforts to unite people.
In Fever 1793, Mattie Cook observes, “Yellow fever was wrestling the life out of Philadelphia, infecting the cobblestones, the trees, the nature of the people.” Throughout the book, Anderson highlights the varied reactions and decisions of many ordinary Philadelphians in order to show how crisis reveals the hidden potential of human hearts.
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