The Character of Daisy in Henry James Daisy Miller Essay -- Henry Jam

What is the purpose of Daisy in the novel Daisy Miller by Henry James? Why did James create such a beguiling and bewildering character? Since the publication of Jamess novel in 1878, Daisy has worn several labels, among them flirt, innocent, and American Girl. Daisys representation of an American Girl of the late 19th century is evident. Her free-spiritedness and identity element reflect the social movement of the American middle-class. The question of Daisys innocence, however, remains unanswered. One of the most interesting aspects about Daisy is her distance from the reader. The reader is not given rise to power to Daisys inner thoughts or emotions. Instead, the reader must observe Daisy through the limited perception of her would-be lover, Frederick Winterbourne. Although Daisys psyche is a mystery, her relationship with Winterbourne reveals her true purpose in the novel. Daisy is a failed catalyst, or an agent of change. She offers Winterbourne spontaneity, freedom and love. In other words, through daisy, Winterbourne has an opportunity to change. But Winterbourne rejects her and thus Daisy fails as a catalyst. Ironically, by rejecting Daisy, Winterbourne fails himself. One stylus in with Daisy fails as an agent of change is that she is a member of the newly rich American middle-class. Winterbourne, however, is a member of the Europeanized American class who are, as Ian F. A. cost notes, only slightly less nouveau (newly rich) than the mercantilist Millers (Reeve 23). These Europeanized Americans, aptly represented by Winterbournes aunt, reject Daisy and her family because they want to retain their higher position on the social ladder. Ironically, Daisy Miller may have been accepted ... ...ublishers, 1990. Graham, Kenneth. Henry James A Literary Life. Houndsmills, England MacMillan Press Ltd. , 1995. Hocks, Richard A. Henry James A Study of the Short Fiction. Twaynes Studies in Short Fiction. capital of Massachusetts Twayne Publishers, 1990. Ja mes, Henry. Daisy Miller A Study. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. 2 Eds. Paul Lauter and Richard Yarborough. Boston Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. 452-92. 2 vols. Pollak, Vivian R., ed. New Essays on Daisy Miller and The Turn of the Screw. The American fabrication Series. New York Cambridge University Press, 1993. Reeve, N. H., ed. Henry James The Shorter Fiction. Houndsmills, England MacMillan Press Ltd., 1997. Scheiber, Andrew J. Embedded Narrations of Science and Culture in Jamess Daisy Miller. College Literature 21.2 (1994) 75-88.