An Argumentative Essay Of Daisy Miller By Henry James
An Argumentative Essay of Daisy Miller by Henry James
Simone de Beauvoir once said that "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman", distinguishing the terms "sex" and "gender", traditionally mixed up by society. To clarify, the term "gender" is a cultural label gradually acquired by our presence in time and space throughout the history of mankind (man/masculine - women/feminine), whereas "sex" is a biological and innate quality (male - female). As it is shown in the title of the novella written by Henry James, Daisy Miller: A Study, Winterbourne (the main male protagonist) is constantly analyzing Daisy Miller and trying to classify her, as it is shown in some Winterbourne's inner reflexions, as the following: Never, indeed, since he has grown old enough to appreciate things, had he encountered a young American girl of so pronounced a type as this. (James, 2007:12)
Daisy Miller is categorised as a "mere object" of the male gaze, not a human being. By denying Daisy an internal voice, she is being silenced from her thoughts during all the novella as a metaphor of women's position in public sphere. Moreover, the reader can only perceive Daisy through Winterbourne's eyes, which means that her image is already filtered through Winterbourne's conventions when she is introduced to the reader.
Social behaviour and manners have changed through history, but they have maintained their strong influence and oppression upon the population. Gender roles in the Victorian society were set in binary systems, closely bound up with class society; as men occupied the role of the subject, women were set in a subordinate position (the object) with a reproductive function. Upper classes women performed three main functions: mother, wife and entertainer. These roles were built and actively obeyed by men and some women (such as Mrs. Costello and Mrs. Walker in the novella) and passively followed by most women. The code contained a double standard of sexual morality, while young
Simone de Beauvoir once said that "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman", distinguishing the terms "sex" and "gender", traditionally mixed up by society. To clarify, the term "gender" is a cultural label gradually acquired by our presence in time and space throughout the history of mankind (man/masculine - women/feminine), whereas "sex" is a biological and innate quality (male - female). As it is shown in the title of the novella written by Henry James, Daisy Miller: A Study, Winterbourne (the main male protagonist) is constantly analyzing Daisy Miller and trying to classify her, as it is shown in some Winterbourne's inner reflexions, as the following: Never, indeed, since he has grown old enough to appreciate things, had he encountered a young American girl of so pronounced a type as this. (James, 2007:12)
Daisy Miller is categorised as a "mere object" of the male gaze, not a human being. By denying Daisy an internal voice, she is being silenced from her thoughts during all the novella as a metaphor of women's position in public sphere. Moreover, the reader can only perceive Daisy through Winterbourne's eyes, which means that her image is already filtered through Winterbourne's conventions when she is introduced to the reader.
Social behaviour and manners have changed through history, but they have maintained their strong influence and oppression upon the population. Gender roles in the Victorian society were set in binary systems, closely bound up with class society; as men occupied the role of the subject, women were set in a subordinate position (the object) with a reproductive function. Upper classes women performed three main functions: mother, wife and entertainer. These roles were built and actively obeyed by men and some women (such as Mrs. Costello and Mrs. Walker in the novella) and passively followed by most women. The code contained a double standard of sexual morality, while young