a result, Daisy is not sophisticated as Winterbourne in playing
the roles in a European cultural environment.
A. As a Performer
First of all, as the performer on the context of meeting
Winterbourne for the first time, Daisy is also playing her role
as a young lady. Her response to Winterbourne‟s inquiry is
determined not only by her personality but also by her
understanding of meeting a stranger. At the first beginning, she
seems to be ignorant to Winterbourne. Asked by Winterbourne,
she glances at him and says nothing more. Gradually, she gives
him more of the benefit of her glance. By understanding this,
Winterbourne thinks Daisy is a coquette and has “a spirit of her
own”. As their conversation develops, Daisy shows her self-
centered perception. She thinks that every lady she knows must
be known to Winterbourne and doubts that whether there is
good teacher in Italy. She sits in a charming, tranquil attitude,
but she talks a lot, even revealing „the affairs of her family”.
Daisy comes to Europe with perception which is built by her
friends‟ comments and impression. It is also the stereotypical
understanding of the European society that makes Daisy an
intrusive and discussed topic.
B. As a Friend
Daisy‟s identity as friends of Giovanelli is fully presented
in a way of naturalness and straightness, which is considered to
be improper by the American resident in Rome presented by
Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Costello. More attention is laid on the
role of Daisy as a young lady. The people around have social
expectation and desirability to her role. For example, Mrs.
Walker regards Daisy as a “much uncultivated” and “naturally
indelicate” girl and Mrs. Costello condemns her behaviors as
“nothing more vulgar”. Like his fellows, Winterbourne hopes
Daisy would be more careful with her presentation of self in
public.
Among their roles, Winterbourne‟s presentation does not
receive criticism except that defending Daisy out loud before
Mrs. Walker. However, the problem lays on the presentation of
Daisy and the reactions to the people around. Therefore the
cultural crashes mainly happen on the disagreements of Daisy‟s
intimate relationship with the Italian servant Eugenio, of Mrs.
Miller‟s carelessness in fulfilling her role as a mother, and the
most importantly, of Daisy‟s engagement with different foreign
young gentlemen, Giovanelli in particular. As an American girl
with innocence and spontaneity, Daisy immerses in an
environment of mores and codes of European propriety and
customs. The characters of the novella, nurtured by their own
cultures, choose their own behavioral patterns to interact while
facing the inevitable confrontations. Except Winterbourne, no
one compromises and stops to think about the differences,
neither does Daisy. Though with cultural awareness,
Winterbourne at the end comments that “Daisy and her
Mamma haven‟t yet risen to that stage of — what shall I call it
— of culture”. As James confessed in his letter:
Poor little Daisy Miller was, as I understand her, above all
things innocent. It was not to make a scandal, or because she
took pleasure in a scandal, that she “went on” with Giovanelli.
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