Daisy Miller: American Innocence and European Decadence
Cultural Clash in Henry James’ Novella
The American expatriates presented in Daisy Miller are well integrated into European society, having adopted its beliefs and values. They assume a European identity, thus suffering a shift from innocence to decadence, emphasized in the opposition with the American tourists, representing the typology of the innocent. Europe is a space of resistance against innocence; conversely, America is a space of resistance against decadence. Thus, the reader deals with a form of moral geography in which identities are itinerant.
Americans Abroad: Two Perspectives
The international relations between America and Europe feature two types of Americans: those traveling and those living abroad. The American innocents are exposed to the temptations of a beguiling, decadent, and dangerous Europe and to the criticism of the American expatriates who see them as ignorant and their behavior as improper.
Americans are seen as ignorant and lacking in sophistication, in contrast to the European sophistication of decadence.
Daisy Miller: A Symbol of American Innocence
Daisy is a young American girl who comes to Europe for purposes related to culture and education. She is seen by the American expatriates as innocent and ignorant; therefore, all the opinions and critiques are directed at her.
Mrs. Costello and Mr. Winterbourne: Voices of the Expatriate Community
Mrs. Costello is the voice of snobbish expatriate high society. Mr. Winterbourne, who has lived most of his life in Europe, feels attached to Daisy but shares the values of the rest of the American expatriates, judging Daisy for her impropriety and lack of cautiousness.
Winterbourne: A Study in Cultural Ambiguity
Winterbourne is the cultivated wanderer of the narrative, who has seen many innocent and unrefined compatriots snubbed by the sophisticated expatriates. American by birth, he has lived a long time in Geneva, but Daisy realizes he is not completely Europeanized; he is still a mixture of American qualities and European decadent traits. On the other hand, he encounters difficulties in assessing Daisy’s loveliness. His quality of being an expatriate accustomed him to a rather more bleak view of American simplicity. His outlook on life does not include the notion of unsophisticated innocence.
Winterbourne tries to publicly defend Daisy’s honor in Rome when the other expatriates slight her; however, he has become too rigid in his values and, in his thoughts, he is not as indulgent with her.
Phallogocentrism and Double Standards
His point of view is the perfect incarnation of phallogocentrism: while men should be sexually experienced, women shouldn’t. Daisy is harshly judged, while men were allowed to have affairs.
Mrs. Costello: The Inflexible Expatriate
Mrs. Costello’s way of expressing her thoughts might be seen as a sign of her inflexibility in life and of just how ingrained her standards, norms of behavior, and principles are. She has her own set of values, which correspond to those of the expatriate community; thus, she shuns and rejects anything she sees as vulgar, improper, or unconventional. She is the spokesperson of the American set abroad.
Symbolic Contrasts in the Novella
There are several contrasts throughout the novel, such as:
- Day and Night
- Summer and Winter
- Garden and Gate
Winterbourne’s Symbolic Role
Winterbourne symbolically kills her, psychologically weakening her.
Giovanelli: The Fortune Hunter
Giovanelli is described as a fortune hunter.