The Character of Daisy in Henry James' Daisy Miller
Heard 1
The Character of Daisy in Henry James ' Daisy Miller
What is the purpose of Daisy in the novel Daisy Miller by Henry James? Why did James create such a appealing and confusing character? Since the publication of James 's novel in 1878, Daisy has worn several labels, among them "flirt," "innocent," and "American Girl." Daisy 's representation of an American Girl of the late 19th century is evident. Her free-spiritedness and individuality reflect the social movement of the American middle-class. The question of Daisy 's innocence, however, remains unanswered. One of the most interesting aspects about Daisy is her distance from the reader. The reader is not given access to Daisy 's inner thoughts or emotions. Instead, the reader has to observe Daisy through Frederick Winterbourne. Although Daisy 's mind is a mystery, her relationship with Winterbourne reveals her true purpose in the novel. Daisy is a failed catalyst, or an agent of change. She offers Winterbourne spontaneity, freedom and love. In other words, through daisy, Winterbourne has an opportunity to change. But Winterbourne rejects her and thus Daisy fails as a catalyst. Ironically, by rejecting Daisy, Winterbourne fails himself.
One way in which Daisy fails as an agent of change is that she is a member of the newly rich American middle-class. Winterbourne, however, is a member of the European- American class who are, as Ian F. A. Bell notes, "only slightly less
Heard 2 'nouveau ' (newly rich) than the mercantilist Millers" (Reeve 23). These European-Americans, represented by Winterbourne 's aunt, reject Daisy and her family because they want to retain their higher position on the social ladder. Ironically, Daisy Miller may have been accepted by Mrs. Costello and her friends if she had behaved like them - rigid, controlled, and rejecting others lower on the social ladder. Henry James 's Daisy, however, is a free-spirited individual who "ignores class
The Character of Daisy in Henry James ' Daisy Miller
What is the purpose of Daisy in the novel Daisy Miller by Henry James? Why did James create such a appealing and confusing character? Since the publication of James 's novel in 1878, Daisy has worn several labels, among them "flirt," "innocent," and "American Girl." Daisy 's representation of an American Girl of the late 19th century is evident. Her free-spiritedness and individuality reflect the social movement of the American middle-class. The question of Daisy 's innocence, however, remains unanswered. One of the most interesting aspects about Daisy is her distance from the reader. The reader is not given access to Daisy 's inner thoughts or emotions. Instead, the reader has to observe Daisy through Frederick Winterbourne. Although Daisy 's mind is a mystery, her relationship with Winterbourne reveals her true purpose in the novel. Daisy is a failed catalyst, or an agent of change. She offers Winterbourne spontaneity, freedom and love. In other words, through daisy, Winterbourne has an opportunity to change. But Winterbourne rejects her and thus Daisy fails as a catalyst. Ironically, by rejecting Daisy, Winterbourne fails himself.
One way in which Daisy fails as an agent of change is that she is a member of the newly rich American middle-class. Winterbourne, however, is a member of the European- American class who are, as Ian F. A. Bell notes, "only slightly less
Heard 2 'nouveau ' (newly rich) than the mercantilist Millers" (Reeve 23). These European-Americans, represented by Winterbourne 's aunt, reject Daisy and her family because they want to retain their higher position on the social ladder. Ironically, Daisy Miller may have been accepted by Mrs. Costello and her friends if she had behaved like them - rigid, controlled, and rejecting others lower on the social ladder. Henry James 's Daisy, however, is a free-spirited individual who "ignores class
Cited: Bell, Millicent. Meaning in Henry James. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991. Bloom, Harold, ed. Henry James 's Daisy Miller, The Turn of the Screw, and Other Tales. Modern Critical Interpretations. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Fogel, Daniel Mark. Daisy Miller: A Dark Comedy of Manners. Twayne 's Masterwork Studies. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990. Graham, Kenneth. Henry James: A Literary Life. Houndsmills, England: MacMillan Press Ltd. , 1995. Hocks, Richard A. Henry James: A Study of the Short Fiction. Twayne 's Studies in Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990. James, Henry. Daisy Miller: A Study. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. 2 Eds. Paul Lauter and Richard Yarborough. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. 452-92. 2 vols. Pollak, Vivian R., ed. New Essays on Daisy Miller and The Turn of the Screw. The American Novel Series. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Reeve, N. H., ed. Henry James: The Shorter Fiction. Houndsmills, England: MacMillan Press Ltd., 1997. Scheiber, Andrew J. "Embedded Narrations of Science and Culture in James 's Daisy Miller." College Literature 21.2 (1994): 75-88.