Daisy Miller by Henry James - Book Report/Review Example

Modern perception may find nothing wrong or outrageous with a young lady wanting to talk to male friends or go for a walk in the late afternoon. But Miss Miller, may she lack the intention to do so, had managed to create scandal having unacceptable behavior and acting inappropriately considering the old setting she was into. Daisy had been a young lady whose actions were solely based on her own volition, with that; she had bothered an apparently unfamiliar culture. Regardless of her being naive, she had made herself defiant and even seems disrespectful.

Moreover, at the end of the story, her death due to her disobedience that she had acquired malaria (Roman fever) had made it inevitable for her character to be degraded. It is true that a woman's life is full of restrictions, but those may not just exist merely for traditional purposes. One great example was literally implied by the story when Daisy was advised not to walk in the dark with the risk of getting sick. Daisy, with her arrogant perception had been considerably immature to be tagged a lady of a new era who supposedly knows what she can do and what to fight for but still understands and abides with her own limitations and thus able to protect herself with possible disaster.

It's apparent that Daisy Miller had enjoyed her life allowing no restrictions to come her way. But that same freedom she had conferred to herself had cause her delight to be short lived. She might have simply tried to find her place in the world but had failed to do so being unable to, and not allowing her self to be understood.4th Paper The conflict in the story primarily arises from the characters' failure to understand or at least give respect to others of different culture. This had been true in both Winterbourne and Daisy's side.

Absurdly, American expatriates with the like of Winterbourne, his aunt, and Mrs. Walker had totally adopt European culture, attending social gatherings that make them feel aristocrats while they intensely resent the presence of commoners such as the Millers. Winterbourne had thought that Daisy would fit to his society. Unfortunately, she can not, not just because his social class would never accept a girl with such character, moreover, it would be very difficult if not impossible to change her the fact the she is unwilling.

He had mistaken Daisy for being nave of their European ideals, when in fact; she was more than aware of it but just resenting anything that relates to it. Daisy may not be innocent after all. She even would not want to listen to any European opinion because she already knew it and hearing it again would just bring pain of rejection but would not change her anyway. Moreover, she probably would not allow any opinion in oppose to her own may it be European or not, a common rebel at that. Critics may be right with all their opinions against Daisy's character or they may have just become as prudish and narrow-minded as the characters in the story.

Nevertheless, Henry James had again managed to trick us with an opinion based from a character's (Winterbourne for this novella) point of view, making us wonder whether to believe it or not considering that character's credibility. He had again succeeded using one of his supreme and exasperating skills as he had actively involved