Henry James novella Daisy Miller - Essay Example

Titus Manickam Order No. 175807     04 July 2007 Henry James’ novella “Daisy Miller” A Character Analysis If there is the bane of a caste system in Hinduism whereby the lower castes are treated with contempt and scorn, the scourge of the class distinction between the aristocrat and the common in Europe seems no less distasteful. And nowhere else is this more vividly shown than in Henry James’ novella “Daisy Miller”. Daisy Miller, a young beautiful American woman who has no inhibition or qualm about her behavior and actions despite what society may feel about it comes within the limelight of opulent circles of Europe in Switzerland where she is on a visiting trip. She carries the typical air of American nonchalance and bonhomie about her. Notwithstanding her fellow compatriots in the alien continent settle for the safer option of being Romans while in Rome. Introduction Henry James introduces the novella through another American expatriate, Frederick Winterbourne, whose attraction for Daisy at their first meeting in Switzerland prepares for events more bizarre to follow. Winterbourne is on a visit from Geneva to spend sometime with Mrs. Costello, his aunt, in Vevey, Switzerland. At the outset, the first meeting does not promise anything more than the customary meeting of a young couple with the natural and normal romantic proclivities that usually follows such encounters. The reader could expect some heartburn interspersed with intense moments of privacy. These are normal in any romance story. Ultimately, love triumphs and the couple get married. However, like any typical impulsive young man, after having fallen in love at first sight, Winterbourne loses his grip at the first mild tremors of doubts and suspicion. He allows social customs and inhibitions to undermine his own feelings for her. He nevertheless makes several feeble attempts at protecting Daisy. "That was very cruel," he says to Mrs. Walker when, in a moment of desperation, she insults Daisy. However, he also turns around and tries to reason Daisy into submitting to local customs. He even goes to the extent of scaring her by warning she could otherwise expect more of Mrs. Walker type treatment from others. "They will give you the cold shoulder,” he tells her. (Henry James’ Daisy Miller)1. Winterbourne is at a loss to make up his mind about Daisy. At times he is overcome by her childlike innocence, on other occasion grave reservation about her behavior cautions and confuses him. This inward turmoil about her suspends him into constant inaction and cynicism. Even in the end he does not seem to be too sure and almost picks a quarrel with Giovanelli. (Daisy Miller: A Study, by Henry James)2. Special features One cannot but feel overawed with James’ ingenuity. It does not take him more than a few characters, the majority of them women, to expound how society can play the perfect spoilsport to a perfectly and platonically related couple out for just some thrilling moments sans the ultimate sexual tryst. James uses Giovanelli, a young handsome Italian, however, with the same unflattering ordinary class tag, to reveal festering cracks in the condescending societies of Europe. Giovanelli is content to glow in the hallowed attraction showered on him by the beautiful Daisy. Again Henry James’ brilliance cannot be overlooked. Giovanelli is shown time and again to be picking and planting a nosegay in his buttonhole. He seems adept at getting the attention he wants from the opposite sex. The nosegay figuratively represents none other than the beautiful Daisy. Significantly, at the funeral of Daisy, the nosegay disappears. Although Daisy and Winterbourne are the main characters in the novella, it is Giovalleni who sets the stage ablaze with his flashy and unperturbed mannerisms which Daisy finds most attractive and charming to the annoyance and repugnance of others. In contrast, Winterbourne with his prevarication in the face of opposition from his aristocrat aunt, Mrs. Costello, and compatriot, Mrs. Walker, is no match for the smooth manipulations of the young Italian. Given such situations society cannot but serve as a breeding place of heated debates and heartburns, instead of qualifying as a maturing organ, as aptly portrayed in the novella. The confusion of Winterbourne frustrates him into actions and situations which prove his undoing and inefficacy. He tells Daisy everyone thinks she is a flirt. Inwardly, he is charmed enough by her beauty to stand up to Mrs. Costello and Mrs. Walker on her behalf. Ultimately, the only time he shares some closeness with Daisy is when he accompanies her for a few hours to a castle in Switzerland. Significantly, of the two, Daisy is seen more forthcoming in building a relationship when she extracts a promise from him to meet her in Rome. (http://en.wikipedia.org)3. Clash of the classes In the clash between the innocent American Daisy and not-so-innocent society of Europe, Daisy’s death could be interpreted as the martyrdom of the innocent. The cold-shouldering of Daisy by her own compatriots in Europe is reason enough to push Daisy into a situation where she wilfully accompanies Giovanelli to the colosseum and contracts the sickness which results in her death. Winterbourne, an American, Europeanized to the point of groveling and arguing in turn with his lady love to accept a custom replete with uncompromising, archaic rules and conventions he himself despises, brings to the open the contradictions in such a social order. Instead of utilizing the benefits of his free cultural background to strengthen his position, he weakens his prospects of winning the woman he loves by persuading her to hobnob with the customs of an alien culture, getting snubbed by her time and again in the process. Culture shocks or custom blocks? The issue Henry James basically addresses is the innocence of the wayward youth and the ruthlessness of the overbearing adults in society. Intrinsically, the issues are limited to the two great cultures of North America and Europe. But essentially they address the bigger picture of how the bogey of an ineffective local custom is being used to bind the freedom of thought and expression. Daisy Miller is definitely more than a narrative or an entertaining story limited to two cultures or continents. It is one in the series of a long saga where one class in a society seeks to go as far as it takes to be free, and the opposing class does everything in its power to limit the march. This tension between the classes makes it a perfect material for a master literature or even a movie blockbuster. Obsolete, age-old rules don’t make sense to an innocent youth. In the event questions are raised, they are ruthlessly brushed aside with the emotional blackmail of ostracism. The writer of Daisy Miller must be given full credit for raising the awareness of this social blunder. (Daisy Miller: A Fable of American Innocence)4. Social Vulnerabilities and Self-Importance Henry James has cast the roles of extreme characters in a conservative society with amazing skill and dexterity, exposing its vulnerabilities and contradictions. He has maintained the same skills while proving how such vulnerabilities are susceptible to exploitations by the upper class, in this instance represented by Mrs. Costello, to exhibit her own self-importance. Winterbourne’s supine role in acquiescing to the reprimands of his family and friends also lays bare the limitations of a society where one class with one set of rules inexorably supersedes the rest. Indeed, the intensity of the pressure propels Daisy into the waiting arms of Giovanelli in Rome where she again meets Winterbourne and faces the wrath of the American community there for her ‘dangerous and uncouth’ behavior in befriending Giovanelli. Historical Background The novella is unmistakably set in the backdrop of the great upheavals taking place in Europe after the French Revolution and the after-effects of colonialism especially with reference to America. Fresh from the lessons of the revolution and changing economies and political orders in Europe, the burning embers of aristocracy were seeping down to the wealthy growing middle-class. What better way to contain the youth than use the bogey of a custodial culture. Dwelling on the inhibiting trends of the European social customs, James seeks to highlight its negative aspects by allowing the Europeanized American expatriates to play a major role in unknowingly expose their negative aspects for them. All the characters except Giovanelli are Americans. In fact, Giovanelli is the only one shown as more prone to the American way of life. The wealthy Americans like Mrs. Costello and Mrs. Walkers lived in their own world of manners and customs, especially as regards young girls. (American Literature II – Henry James)5. The contrast and conflicts between the European and American cultures inspired James to focus on the weaknesses of both. The rigidity of the Europeans and the gullibility of the Americans show both in poor light in the novella. Winterbourne, who harshly judges Daisys alleged flirtations with Giovenalli proves to be a poor counselor to her pointed questions and washes his hands off her when he tells her, "I believe that it makes very little difference whether you are engaged (to Giovanelli) or not!" James complex and deft handling of poignant, difficult situations is considered essential to understanding the tension between old and new, conventionality and individuality, Europe and America. (Daisy Miller, Henry James Criticism and Essays, 02 July 2007)6. Innocence Lost Daisy’s tryst with destiny and death is the only occasion when the truth tumbles out. Till then, she was the compulsive flirt. She was a bad example. She had to be reined in. She went out with strange men late into the night; she burned and glowed in the dark like a luminescent jewel. (The Harvard Crimson, Online edition, Daisy: A study, by Greg Lawless)7. Winterbourne’s conversation with Giovanelli at her funeral adroitly tilts the scales against the eventual loser. Winterbourne is convinced of Daisys innocence and realizes his love for the dead American girl, his premature judgment of her, and his own blindness in the face of European convention. (Daisy Miller, Henry James Criticism and Essays)8. Sources 1(Henry James’ Daisy Miller, http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Henry_James/Daisy_Miller/Part_II_p17.html, 02 July 2007) 2(Daisy Miller: A Study, by Henry James, http://web.uccs.edu/english339/gaffney_contribution.htm, 06 July 2007). 3(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Miller, 02 July 2007). 4(Daisy Miller: A Fable of American Innocence, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/5599/literature/daisy.html, 02 July 2007). . 5(American Literature II – Henry James, http://vc.wscc.cc.tn.us/engl2120/james.htm, 06 July 2007). 6(Daisy Miller, Henry James Criticism and Essays, http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/daisy-miller-henry-james, 02 July 2007). . 7(The Harvard Crimson, Online Edition, Daisy: A Study, by Greg Lawless, http://www.thecrimson.com/printerfriendly.aspx?ref=142127, 06 July 2007). 8(Daisy Miller, Henry James Criticism and Essays, http://www.enotes.com/short-story-criticism/daisy-miller-henry-james, 02 July 2007). Read More