We talked about Daisy Miller in the class, and here are the two questions we need to answer during the weekend.
1. Describe Daisy Miller.
Daisy Miller is a young and wealthy girl from New York, America. She travels around Europe with her mother and her young brother. In this book, she shows some really interesting traits. On one hand, she is active, independent, and not shy or timid to speak to strangers. On the other hand, she does not have any talent in social conversation. She is shallow and ignorant. She likes to attract others’ attention, and she is tiresome sometimes and. Her characters make her an atypical person, and it is difficult for her to fit the society at that time. However, in my opinion, she might just be a normal person at present, and more easily to fit into the modern society.
2. Why is Daisy Miller looked down on by the European family?
The Winterbourne family is the typical upper class family in Europe. I believe they really care about the behavior of a woman. In their opinion, a good woman should be polite, decorous and have social grace or conversational talent. However, Daisy Miller is definitely not a good example. She is shallow and ignorant. She even thinks Winterbourne might know an Englishwoman she met on the train because they both live in Europe. Additional, the cultural difference between the Miller’s family and Winterbourne’s family is huge. Although they both rich and share some similarities, the enormous distinction still make them disapprove to each other. Therefore, the cultural background, the behavior and the thought of Daisy Miller are the major reasons that why European family look down on her.
This work is a commentary on the changing society of the time. Daisy Miller is from a family new to wealth. She is not as 'refined' as the Winterbournes. James tries to show us the interaction of these two societies. The story seems to be a simple one, and, as you point out, Daisy would not seem so out of place in today's world; at the turn of the 19th century she is certainly not normal. You will see similar observations in the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald a little later.
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