"Daisy Miller"

Henry James created a nice little novella, "Daisy Miller" that on the surface was just a nice afternoon read. Daisy, an American traveling through Europe with her mother and little (annoying) brother, meets Winterbourne. Winterbourne is also an American, but he has spent so much time in Europe that he conveys the image of a European rather than an American. Winterbourne throughout the book was trying to convince his aunt (and even himself) that Daisy was just a young innocent girl, and she didn’t know what she was doing was causing eyebrows to raise and gossip to hum throughout the community. Daisy, unfortunately, knew what she was doing was considered taboo, and yet she still let her free spirit loose. Daisy took no consideration to the customs and traditions in Europe but instead just acted the way she would have back home in America. This behavior changes Daisy’s image from innocent and spirited to ignorant and unsophisticated. Winterbourne eventually at the ends gives up trying to help "educate" Daisy. In the end, the actions of Daisy are what destroy her.

I believe Daisy is meant to resemble America: young, innocent, fresh and yet beyond the first impressions unsophisticated and ignorant. Then on the flip side Winterbourne is meant to resemble Europe: educated, experienced, and level minded. I think that Henry James had fun playing with the characters throughout the book to make his own impressions of America and Europe known.

The most interesting point to me was when Dr. Sexton mentioned to take special notice of the names. It really struck my thoughts. I find it very perplexing that his name is Winterbourne (Winter) and her name is Daisy (spring). I previously had not taken notice to the significance of each name. I’m sure that Henry James picked these names for several purposes. However, I am having a hard time in figuring out exactly how he wanted the reader to interpret this combination. Henry James may have just been using the names as a way for the reader to visualize the characters. Although I don’t have any profound or complex analysis of this, each time I think of the book that is the first thing my thoughts wander too.