Daisy Miller

The Main Attraction In the short story, Daisy Miller, author James Joyce keeps the relationship between Daisy Miller and Winterbourne a mystery. We find out in the text that the two have met at a hotel located in Vevey, Switzerland. Daisy’s behavior charms him but he is also mystified by her lack of concern for the social etiquettes and rules of propriety that have been laid down by the European civilization. Winterbourne obsesses over the question of whether Daisy is a “nice” girl, and Daisy’s behavior never reveals if she is or isn’t. This is frustrating to Winterbourne because he wants to be able to define and categorize her to a class of women that he is understands. Winterbourne, who has lived in Geneva most of his life and has taken on the European customs, is both charmed and mystified by Daisy. What causes the attraction between Daisy Miller and Winterbourne? What is Daisy really looking for?
Upon their first meeting, Winterbourne was fascinated and enchanted by Daisy Miller. He see’s her as a pretty American girl who is fresh and different compared to the girls he’s accustomed too. At first, Winterbourne was bemused by Daisy’s talkative nature and wondered if she may have been a coquette, he concluded that Daisy was just acting in an American manner. He found Daisy to be extremely innocent and a pretty American flirt. Besides the fact that Winterbourne was greatly impressed by Daisy’s beauty and flirtatious attitude, I think that she caught his attention because he had become estranged from his American culture and wanted to learn more about the customs of America. As the story goes on, and the setting takes place in Italy, Winterbourne befriends Daisy and tries to save her but ultimately decides that she is morally beyond redemption. You can see in the text that Winterbourne changes his opinion on Daisy once he see’s a different side of her. He feels that her moral values have changed and starts to have doubts about her character but