Throughout Henry James’ Daisy Miller, the title character remains an enigma. James has become well-known for his creative excursions into the rules and manners of upper-class society. In Daisy Miller, he makes no exception, even in society’s judgment of her down to the tragic end. In the novella Winterbourne first encounters Daisy in Vevey and finds her not only pretty but intriguing in both her actions and speech. However, he has difficulty figuring her out. Is she simply innocent and ignorant of respectable social customs or does she simply not care? Or, does she not care because she is a “bad” girl? Despite his questions regarding her character, Winterbourne finds himself drawn to her and pursues her for more than a year, but the relationship is doomed before it ever really begins because the strict and unforgiving rules of society …show more content…
This belief is rooted in the somewhat eccentric circumstances of her family life and upbringing. Her nine-year-old- brother is depicted as a cranky old man while her mother appears indifferent to the actions of her willful daughter, presumably, because she does not possess the energy to chastise her although she seems acutely aware of Daisy’s social faux pas. To an extent, Winterbourne finds her carefree willfulness refreshing and views it as part of her charm. However, his romantic endeavors quickly change to those of a protector or father figure once he learns the full scale of her socially repugnant actions and the scandal surrounding her in Rome. This shift begins to occur after the meeting at Mrs. Walker’s. By the time Winterbourne exits the carriage in the Pincian Gardens, his perception of Daisy has already begun to change again and continues to shift until it results in feelings of pity and contempt after seeing her in the Coliseum where he finally “figures” her