Daisy Miller

A detailed Summary of Daisy Miller

Throughout life each of us as individuals are brought up to conform to the values, norms, and ethics of the society in which we live. What we often find when analyzing the values of different cultures and societies are different standards with which we live. These standards may be based on religion, different social groups in which people belong, as well as the social environment that surrounds us. Each and every culture is very unique in its own way and expects all individuals to conform to their own systems. When individuals of different cultures are brought together perceptions of one another are based on ones own societal beliefs and the value systems they are brought up with. In the story "Daisy Miller", Henry James gives his readers the opportunity to look at these differences and see the misperceptions individuals can have of one another. These perceptions are often based solely on ones own value system, which are instilled every individual from birth. Miss Miller's travel throughout Europe exemplifies the ideals of one country and how they contrast with those of another.

Originally from Schenectady, New York Miss Millers value system is quite different from the European value system. She is perceived as being very flirta

While in Switzerland Miss Miller and Winterbourne spent much time together and even made a trip to Chillon, a castle in Switzerland. Although their time spent together was short both Miller and Winterbourne agreed to meet in Rome a few months later.

Once in Rome, Winterbourne was disposed to Miss Miller's new friend Mr. Giovanelli, a gentlemen she spent a lot of time with. At first he thought nothing of her newly found friend, however, he soon realized that they were endlessly together. Every time he ran into Miss Miller, Giovanelli always accompanied her. It was the continued exposure of Miller and Giovanelli and the constant chatter of the town that finally lead Winterbourne to warn Mrs. Miller about her behavior. He stated, "when you deal with natives you must go by the custom of the place. Flirting is purely and American custom; it doesn't exist here" (p. 45). Although Winterbourne warned Miss Miller about her flirtatious behavior she did not change her actions. She covered her actions by stating that she was engaged to Giovanelli. This behavior and being out all night, eventually led her to her death. While on her deathbed she felt inclined to tell Winterbourne that she was not engaged. I believe that this message can be interpreted in two different ways: the fist being that she understood Winterbournes warning and realized that she was not conforming to the wishes of the European society, or secondly that she had feelin

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Approximate Word count = 968
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History