What Is The Loss Of Innocence In Daisy Miller
#1 Wilkerson Anthony,# 6 Rafi Goldsmith, #7 Mac Harris, #8 Mary Clark Logan
Mrs. Ray
Advanced English 10. 7th Period
21 September 2012
The Daisy Withers in the Winter
In Henry James’s novella Daisy Miller, he contrasts Daisy Miller’s American innocence with Fredrick Winterbourne’s European worldliness, illustrating the devastating effects that occur when the two worlds collide. Daisy is an incredibly flirtatious and reckless young American who lacks the formal etiquette of European society. When Winterbourne first meets Daisy, he believes that she is the ideal girl from America, little did he know about her flirtatious side. Winterbourne realizes that “this young girl was not a coquette in that sense; she was very unsophisticated; she …show more content…
Through the eyes of the Europeans, Daisy represents the stereotypical American because she wants to live life to the fullest. Winterbourne, on the other hand, is stiff, formal, and proper because he is highly concerned with how others perceive him. James confirms this description of Winterbourne through the narrator’s statement: “When his friends spoke of him, they usually said that he was at Geneva ‘studying’; . . . he had no enemies; he was an extremely amiable fellow, and universally liked” (2). Winterbourne is a well-educated man with excellent etiquette who is widely respected by his peers. He is uptight, sophisticated, and thoughtful in all his actions. Contrasting the two, Daisy is innocent, ignorant, and free-spirited; her naivety eventually condemns her to death when she unwittingly walks into the lion’s den of European society. James exemplifies this character foil through this interaction between Daisy and Winterbourne when he encourages her to, “‘get in the carriage’. Daisy gave a violent laugh. ‘I have never heard anything so stiff! If this is improper . . . then I am all improper and you must give me up’” (39, 40). Daisy is surprised by Winterbourne’s stern approach towards her
Mrs. Ray
Advanced English 10. 7th Period
21 September 2012
The Daisy Withers in the Winter
In Henry James’s novella Daisy Miller, he contrasts Daisy Miller’s American innocence with Fredrick Winterbourne’s European worldliness, illustrating the devastating effects that occur when the two worlds collide. Daisy is an incredibly flirtatious and reckless young American who lacks the formal etiquette of European society. When Winterbourne first meets Daisy, he believes that she is the ideal girl from America, little did he know about her flirtatious side. Winterbourne realizes that “this young girl was not a coquette in that sense; she was very unsophisticated; she …show more content…
Through the eyes of the Europeans, Daisy represents the stereotypical American because she wants to live life to the fullest. Winterbourne, on the other hand, is stiff, formal, and proper because he is highly concerned with how others perceive him. James confirms this description of Winterbourne through the narrator’s statement: “When his friends spoke of him, they usually said that he was at Geneva ‘studying’; . . . he had no enemies; he was an extremely amiable fellow, and universally liked” (2). Winterbourne is a well-educated man with excellent etiquette who is widely respected by his peers. He is uptight, sophisticated, and thoughtful in all his actions. Contrasting the two, Daisy is innocent, ignorant, and free-spirited; her naivety eventually condemns her to death when she unwittingly walks into the lion’s den of European society. James exemplifies this character foil through this interaction between Daisy and Winterbourne when he encourages her to, “‘get in the carriage’. Daisy gave a violent laugh. ‘I have never heard anything so stiff! If this is improper . . . then I am all improper and you must give me up’” (39, 40). Daisy is surprised by Winterbourne’s stern approach towards her