Daisy Miller Essay

979 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical analysis of turn of the screw by henry james

The struggle that consistently conflicts the lives of all people is the inability to make statements one cannot support or a contradictory statement. This issue can be seen and is reflected in the novella, Daisy Miller, by Henry James. The story chronicles the life and the journey of Frederick Winterbourne, an American in Europe that falls in love with a mysterious woman, Daisy Miller. As the novella progressed, the duo would not be together and this caused unrest wherever they went. This relationship was all but perfect and the supporting characters in the novella proved this. They both shared mutual friends that could easily see the rift between the two. For example, their strained relationship was played out by Miss Walker who was in the middle of their escapades. …show more content…

This novel by Henry James explores the different interactions that would occur when characters that do not get along. This is especially true in the case of Winterbourne and Daisy who learned that they were two completely different people. They showed throughout the novella that they were not going to get along with one another. Additionally, the relationship that existed between Daisy and Mrs. Walker proved her personality, as well. Mrs. Walker had traditional values that she believed that Daisy should follow and stop walking with two men as a single lady. In addition, Daisy felt it was her prerogative to choose her friends and how she spent time with each of them. Daisy Miller proves, in strong detail, she does not have the kind of personality that will cause issues with others. Also, her contradictory statements speak for her character as she is not willing to be the person to commit to one belief or another. This novella demonstrates the inability for those in life to show their true values and thoughts and the contradictory statements that cause issues in

Show More
Related

  • Daisy Buchanan Manipulation Essay

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    Her only profession is finding ways to keep her husband satisfied. So, that he should procure whatever she currently desires. The constant state of leisure that surrounds her everyday life gets too boring for Daisy. She seeks new, exciting, and passionate beginnings in her life. After all, Daisy Buchannan always gets what she wants. When Jay Gatsby finds himself reacquainted with his lost love, Daisy takes this opportunity to entertain her presently dull lifestyle. Their escapades all suited Daisy, until Gatsby presented Daisy with an ultimatum. She had to tell Tom she never loved him, and then she can run away to live happily with a man who adores her. The idea seemed romantic, until Tom caught on to Daisy’s deception. Of course he would still want her, and he made a few convincing arguments to keep Daisy from leaving him. Daisy left for the Buchannan’s house with Gatsby feeling conflicted and confused about Tom’s promise of a better marriage. In her disgruntled state, Daisy wound up killing Tom’s mistress in a hit-and-run car accident, a true show of irony. She didn’t even stop to see if the person she hit was alright, and she honestly didn’t care. Daisy continued her way home, because her relationship was more important than the death of a human

    Read More

  • The Individuality of Daisy in Henry James' Daisy Miller

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    Why did James create such a beguiling and bewildering character? Since the publication of James's novel in 1878, Daisy has worn several labels, among them "flirt," "innocent," and "American Girl." Daisy's representation of an American Girl of the late 19th century is evident. Her free-spiritedness and individuality reflect the social movement of the American middle-class.

    Read More

  • Individual vs. Society in Daisy Miller and Old Woman Magoun

    674 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henry James’ "Daisy Miller, A Study" and Mary Wilkins Freeman’s "Old Woman Magoun" contain morally ambiguous conflicts between individuals and society. Both of these short stories are tales in which strong, individual women directly conflict with their respective destructive male societies, attempting to uphold innocence while flouting societal rules and expectations.

    Read More

  • Failure of the American Dream in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich couple, seem to have everything they could possibly want. Though their lives are full of anything you could imagine, they are unhappy and seek to change, Tom drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) just so he has something to talk about. Even though Tom is married to Daisy he has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and has apartment with her in New York.. Daisy is an empty character, someone with hardly any convictions or desires. Even before her relationships with Tom or, Gatsby are seen, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself and her friend Jordan. She knows that Tom is having an affair, yet she doesn't leave him even when she hears about Gatsby loving her. Daisy lets Gatsby know that she too is in love with him but cant bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except when Gatsby forces her too. Even then, once Tom begs her to stay, even then Daisy forever leaves Gatsby for her old life of comfort. Daisy and Tom are perfect examples of wealth and prosperity, and the American Dream. Yet their lives are empty, and without purpose.

    Read More

  • The Innocence of Daisy Miller

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    The great theme of the disparity between reality and appearance is at its greatest strength in the relationship between Winterbourne and Daisy because of the conflict which roars inside of Winterbourne regarding the appearance he cannot overcome and the reality he cannot accept. Daisy's lack of knowledge and experience deceives Winterbourne who is incapable of seeing life through the lens of inexperience after leaving America. He thus fails to understand her inexperience as innocence. Winterbourne attempts to apply the conventional rules he has accepted since leaving America to Daisy without realizing that she is not dissecting the world with the same meditating process that he undertakes.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Brett And Daisy

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both women fear removing themselves from their social status and therefore feel obligated to keep a relationship that will provide them with wealth, power, and security. They hide behind their wealth and take advantage of their man’s blindness to their manipulation. As Brett and Jake discuss her future marriage to Mike, she tells her friend that she doesn’t need his help to pay for the wedding or the divorce, as “Michael’s people have loads of money” (Hemingway 70). Brett’s motive behind her marriage is taking advantage of Mike’s wealth. Because she is shallow, she is not afraid to express her true intentions. Daisy, although her coyness causes her to conceal her selfishness, her actions reveal her materialistic attitude nonetheless. She convinces Tom away from questioning Gatsby’s past and ultimately sacrifices her true love for Gatsby for Tom’s wealth and social status. Both Daisy and Brett use their personalities to control their relationships and influence their fiancés of their love. However, their only motive behind these relationships is money, revealing their selfish attitudes. Both are small-minded, emotionless women that use their ability to seduce men to keep a relationship that will provide for them. Daisy and Tom are able to slink back into their own world of money and security when they are faced with struggle; however one could also include Brett as one who remains faithful to her relationship with Mike, but not to Mike himself-- for wealth and security. Both Hemingway and Fitzgerald reveal how Brett and Daisy choose not to be emotionally invested in their relationships with Mike and Tom because they know they can influence their fiancés into trusting them and providing for them. Through such ruthless relationships Brett and Daisy hold, both authors are able to prove how by taking

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Illusion Vs Reality Essay

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    Daisy Buchanan, in reality, is unable to live up the illusory Daisy that Gatsby has invented in his fantasy. After Daisy and Tom Buchanan leave another one of Gatsby’s splendid parties, Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into what Gatsby’s expectations are. Fitzgerald claims that “he wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’” (109). Here it is revealed that Gatsby’s one main desire is for Daisy to go willingly...

    Read More

  • Innocence in Daisy Miller

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author diverts focus to Daisy primarily by constructing the novel around her appearances and the other characters' lives around her mystery. Despite this focus, no one character seems to be able to grasp the true motives and nature of Ms. Daisy Miller.

    Read More

  • Daisy’s Corruption of the American Dream

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    Daisy's carelessness reveals her corruption as a human being. She uses her wealth and social status to escape whatever she chooses, like the death of Myrtle. Additionally, her actions demonstrate the dishonest exploitation of power for personal gain and attention. Daisy’s character, due to her money, inherently values her advantage over the lower class, revealing a nature of entitlement. Additionally, she gives no respect to anyone around her, sometimes n...

    Read More

  • A Character Analysis of Daisy Miller

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Daisy Miller, Henry James slowly reveals the nature of Daisy"s character through her interactions with other characters, especially Winterbourne, the main character." The author uses third person narration; however, Winterbourne"s thoughts and point of view dominate." Thus, the audience knows no more about Daisy than Winterbourne." This technique helps maintain the ambiguity of Daisy"s character and draws the audience into the story.

    Read More

  • Psychological Realism In Daisy Miller

    1767 Words  | 4 Pages

    Henry James was an American Novelist who was known for many of his novels. He wrote the short story “Daisy Miller” in hopes that he would seem more realistic, but many critics disagreed. The book “Daisy Miller” was published in 1879. In his short story “Daisy Miller”, Henry James writes on the conflict of independence and the harsh social characteristics of Americans that visited Rome, the culture, and how he sets the mood for the short story.

    Read More

  • Driving Miss Daisy Essay

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Driving Miss Daisy is a heartwarming production about an Atlanta native Dana Ivey playing the lead role, as Miss Daisy, Morgan Freeman as Hoke, and Ray Gill as Boolie(Driving Miss Daisy). Driving Miss Daisy is set in Atlanta, Georgia spreading its action a quarter of a century from 1948 to 1973. This movie production takes place before, after, and during the civil war movement. The two main characters, Miss Daisy and Hoke, start their relationship off very early in the production. Hoke is hired by Miss Daisy’s son, Boolie, to become Miss Daisy’s personal chauffeur. Boolie is concerned about his mother’s driving abilities, especially in the opening scene where Miss Daisy backs her car into a neighbor’s flower garden by

    Read More

  • Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca: Disparities Between Upper and Working Class Women

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ife. After the discovery that Rebecca had wronged Maxim and caused unrest, Mrs. de Winter no longer addresses Rebecca as if she is comparing herself to her predecessor, severing ties. The narrator’s choice to stand by her husband finally places her in the upper class as Maxim’s equal, and she shares in the sin that he committed by her own choosing. In doing this, Mrs. de Winter proves that society’s expectation of her can find an equal balance with staying true to her sense of self in the choices that she makes, and her strength of character finally makes her a dominant female force in the story, all submissiveness cast away. Society’s expectations of someone’s role in a particular situation such as a relationship do not have to be dominant over the person’s sense of self, and to find any sort of stability, one would do well to find the fair balance between the two.

    Read More

  • Daisy Miller: A Study, by Henry James

    961 Words  | 2 Pages

    The controversial short story Daisy Miller: A Study, written by Henry James, depicts a story of a young European man named Winterbourne trying to come to terms with what he thinks about an American girl, named Daisy Miller. Henry James was born in New York in 1843, but lived most his life in Europe. While he was living in Europe he had many encounters with American tourists. After these encounters Henry decided he wanted to explore the difference between the innocent American, and the sophisticated European. (Werlock) The short story, “Daisy Miller” reflects on the idea of how innocence, gender roles, and stereotypes conflict with the views of Europeans, and Americans.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Daisy Miller

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    The storied psycho-analyst Sigmund Freud would have jumped at the opportunity to dive deeper into the mind of Henry James’ star character Daisy Miller in his novella appropriately named Daisy Miller. Many in her day could not begin to understand the ways in which Daisy’s mind worked, however Freud could have found a way, given the opportunity, to parallel many of her actions, choices, and thoughts to main ideas mentioned in his book Civilization and it’s Discontents. The careless, flirtatious behavior of the young American traveling Europe is hardly understood by and of the other characters in the novella, however Freud would have answers linked to her upbringing and development of her super-ego,

    Read More

More about Daisy Miller Essay

Open Document