Daisy Miller Loss Of Innocence

Henry James writes Daisy Miller as an innocent American girl who struggles with European traditions in 3rd person. Through European values and traditions she is seem as out of place throughout the novel. Daisy goes through character development trying to decide if she is going to live up to these European values. If she doesn’t live up to the European ways they will not respect her and will ask for her to leave.

Throughout the novel Daisy never really lives up to the European standards. She was very adventurous and flirtatious with men. Daisy tends to go out to places alone with men that’s considered inappropriate. In the text it says, “A young man was not at liberty to speak to a young unmarried lady except under certain raely-occurring conditions;

The main male character that Daisy interacts with is Winterbourne. When Winterbourne first meets Daisy he feels like he has a good understanding of what’s she like from the first conversation. As were younger are parents tell us not to be so quickly to judge people take time to get to know them better before you can judge them. But in this case Winterbourne may have been right about Daisy. In the text it says, “The young lady inspected her flounces and smoothed her ribbons again; and Winterbourne presently risked an observation upon the beauty of the view. He was ceasing to be embarrassed, for he had begun to perceive that she is not the least embarrassed herself. There had not been the slightest alteration in her charming complexion; she was evidently neither offended nor fluttered. If she looked another way when he spoke to her, and seemed not particularly to hear him, this was simply her habit, her manner.” Because of her innocence Winterbourne noticed that he looked at her. This attraction for her is not only her looks, but also her actions. Winterbourne is not used to this type of girl. He’s use to European girls. He likes her free spirit and individuality and he’s impressed because he’s not used to this type of girl. But he starts to get jealous when she talks to other guys. On Winterbourne second meeting with Daisy she asks him if he wants to take her out by the lake. Daisy claims that she was just teasing him and was never actually going to get on the boat with him. Winterbourne describes her as being a “pretty American flirt.” Even though she is a flirt he still wants to introduce her to his aunt. His aunt doesn’t approve of her at all and even says she has no