Innocence in Daisy Miller Essay -- Henry James, Daisy Miller

jam manipulation of appearances in Daisy Miller as well as other characters notions of these appearances provides us with a novelette of enigmatic and fascinating characters. Daisy, the intimately complicated of these ambiguities, is as mysterious as she is flirtatious. James gives her a carefully constructed enigmatic quality that leaves the reader wondering what her motivations were and who she truly was. He structures the novella in such a way as to stress the insights that the bread and butter characters provide into Daisys character, weather accurate or erroneous. Despite their question fitting reliability, they discontinue James to make com workforcetary on both European and American cultures and social class. In Daisy Miller the protagonist, Daisy, rebels against convention and runs from any stereo typesetters case that could be applied to her. She seems determined to defy convention and to never be exclusively understood. Daisys flat-out rejection of her times ideas of feminine modesty and appropriateness paired with her portrayal as unworldly and innocent, create a character with contradictory, and thus evidently enigmatic, qualities. Daisy flirts with men upon every whim, repeating a cycle of infatuation with each just forrader she moves on to the next. Daisy, often surrounded by half a twelve wonderful moustaches... (80) often goes out alone in public with them, pull down late at night, which is considered in Europe, in her time and social class, to be highly unconventional and dangerous. Despite much shaming by local women, she pursues these men with unfailing determination and abandon. Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Costello both believe that Daisy is merely a flirt and are equally appalled by Daisys escapades. Mrs. Costello noted that she believed th... ...lace in Europe, the only true European is Giovanelli. Giovanellis name means young-man (123) a type (123), and his modest dialogue and flat characteristics defer attention from him back to wh ere James wants it to lie- with Daisy. The author diverts focus to Daisy primarily by constructing the novel around her appearances and the other characters lives around her mystery. Despite this focus, no one character seems to be able to grasp the true motives and nature of Ms. Daisy Miller.Her innocence is justified by James, in spite of commentary to the contrary by much of the supporting characters, through subtile symbolism and direct description. Using Daisys character as a impinging symbol of a misunderstood American, James makes an observation about American culture and social class. Works CitedJames, Henry. Daisy Miller. New York Barnes & Noble, 2006.