Daisy Miller
Upon Winterbourne’s return to Vevey, Switzerland, he had been resting on a park bench, conversing with a curious little boy when a “beautiful young lady,” Daisy Miller, approached. After a brief prattle, the two arranged a day’s trip to the Castle of Chillon and over the next few months planned on meeting again in Italy. Throughout the story, Winterbourne tries to descry Miss Miller’s personality and at the same time question her reputation as a flirtatious American girl in the late nineteenth century. Henry James’ famous novelette, Daisy Miller, is a timeless story depicting what results from the defiance of social customs, ignoring advice pertaining to one’s reputation, and finally confronting reality. From her first tête-à-tête with Winterbourne and until her last, Miss Miller defies all social customs pertinent in European society. During Winterbourne’s first introduction to Miss Miller, to his surprise, she accepts his extremely bold decision to travel to the Castle without knowing if he was a respectable man. Later that same evening they met once more in the garden. She asked Winterbourne to take her out for a boat ride, but after gaining permission from her mother, she decided she would rather not go if n
o one would put up a fuss about her doing something so irrational. Winterbourne was left alone to ponder her whims and odd form of coquetry. After their parting, both agreed to meet again in Geneva, Italy. When Winterbourne first arrived in Geneva, he received news of Miss Miller’s latest escapades from his very reputable aunt. During her stay in Geneva, her gentleman society was composed of “half a dozen of the regular Roman fortune hunters.” As an American girl, she stayed true to her own values although she was in a foreign land. Daisy Miller was unaware of the social structure that depends on gender and class oppression and she developed a reputation for herself that would hinder her relationships with upper society. By preserving her American identity, the talk of Miss Miller’s flirtatiousness and unladylike behavior spread throughout Geneva and soon her reputation had grown bigger than even she could handle. One evening while Miss Miller was with the company of Winterbourne and Mrs. Walker, a dear friend, she informed her companions that she would be leaving now to meet Giovanni, an Italian fortune hunter and “intimate friend,” for a walk. Winterbourne, knowing his objection would do no good, offered to at least walk her to her fri
Some topics in this essay:
Miss Miller,
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Giovanni Italian,
Daisy Miller’s,
miss miller,
Vevey Switzerland,
Henry James’,
Winterbourne Walker,
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Italy Throughout,
miss miller’s,
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henry james’,
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roman fever,
winterbourne left,
american girl,
social customs,
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Approximate Word count = 846
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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