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The present excerpt is taken from the realistic novella “Daisy Miller” which belongs to the Genteel Tradition of the American Realism, written by Henry James. It was published in Cornhill Magazine in 1878 and in book form in 1879. The story is about an American young lady called Daisy Miller who traveled with her family to Europe. She has a unique personality that got the attention of a Europeanised gentleman named Winterbourne. He was fascinated by her appearance and behavior which made him perplexed about his feelings towards her. In this dramatic story of innocent and audacity, the clash of cultures was portrayed saliently. This novella was directed particularly to the American girls and also to the other female readership by which the author sent a message that if you do like daisy, you will be socially dead.
The events of this excerpt took place in the Colosseum, Rome in winter. Rome is an ancient city, described as the center of European civilization, and the Colosseum was a place where the enemies were executed in the past. There Daisy catches her death in the form of malaria. Besides the place, Daisy as a flower flourishes in summer and dies in winter. Both the Colosseum and the season are symbols that represent the death of Daisy by society and history.
Since it is a novella, the plot is a unified one, provided through scenic episodes. This excerpt is the climax of the plot. In this scene, at night, Daisy and Giovanelli were sitting alone when Winterbourne saw them. She appears to him as a flirt, reckless girl, so she lost his respect and interest; ‘She was a young lady whom a gentleman need no longer be at pains to respect.’ Yet, he still cares about her health when he asked her to leave the Colosseum so that she will not be sick.
In this passage, there are three characters. First, Frederick Winterbourne – born in winter, a symbol of his cold feelings, is a major character and the ‘central consciousness’ of the novella. He is an American, about 27 years old, who has lived in Geneva, Switzerland for a long time. He is an amiable, wealthy and handsome gentleman. He was passionate to observe and study Daisy which made him puzzled in his opinions about her. He could not decide whether she is innocent or guilty, but after the Colosseum scene, he took his last decision about her. Second, Daisy Miller, also a name of a common flower, is the protagonist, presented through Winterbourne’s description as a mixture of innocence and audacity. She is a young beautiful lady coming from a town called Schenectady in America. Though Daisy found herself in a totally different society that values the customs and norms, she refused to follow those rules and does whatever she wants. She attracts attention wherever she goes. Third, Mr. Giovanelli, means a young man in Itallian, is a flat character. He is a fortune hunter. For Daisy, he is a gentleman and her best companion, but for Winterbourne, he is not a gentleman, only an imitation of one.
He went with Daisy to the Colosseum without thinking about her health. His only object was to enjoy his time. This passage was written in the third person unintrusive point of view with the use of “central consciousness”. The author is actually presenting winterbourne’s thoughts to us, making the reader experience the story from a subjective standpoint. In this passage, there are some literary devices used by the author for an artistic effect. The Register is formal with use of the French language since the settings of the work are in Europe – for the present passage, it is in Rome, and it has an international theme. The Diction or the words are of Latin origin, in addition to Spanish words such as perniciosa, and signorina. For the figures of speech, there are: “a waning moon in the sky, and her radiance was not brilliant, but she was veiled in a thin cloud curtain” is a personification where the moon is given a human quality and is described with the third person pronoun “she”. Another personification and hyperbole is in “One-half of the gigantic circus were in deep shade, the other was sleeping in the luminous dusk”. There is an analogy by referring to a famous poem called “Manfred” by Byron. In Daisy’s statement, “Well, he looks at us as one of the old lions or tigers may have looked at the Christian martyrs!” there is a simile because Winterbourne’s eyes were like the eyes of a lion, criticizing her, and they are his prey as the Christian martyrs. Also, we have irony in the expression, “responded the ingenious Giovanelli” followed by a satire in “Neither am I–for you!”, which demonstrates the dislike of Winterborne towards Giovanelli. In addition, the author used symbolic hints when he mentioned a famous dramatic poem, “Manfred”. Its hero at the end dies, defying religious attractions of freeing from sin. Throughout the poem, he challenged all the powers and chooses to die rather than surrender to those spirits. His story resembles one of Daisy in her rebellious conduct against social norms. It can be considered as a symbol and foreshadowing to what will happen to Daisy later.
The structure of the sentences and the paragraphs in this excerpt are well organized and balanced. Moreover, the tone that is reflected in this passage is a surprise, frustration and ironic. Besides, the atmosphere is serious and dark. This moment totally breaks the lovely expectations because here Daisy lost Winterbourne’s affection and was labeled as a guilty, reckless girl. Daisy Miller is therefore a conflict between the individual and society. On the other hand, this passage is clearly exemplifying the famous motto “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Daisy refused to adapt to this ancient principle.
Even winterbourne, at the end, turns against her and judges her as the others did. She could save herself and her reputation if she obeyed the rules of European society; this shows also the contrast between the mindset of people from different cultures, mainly America and Europe.
At last, “Daisy Miller”, as a novella, is so ambiguous concerning the end and the characters as well. It was considered an outrage to American girlhood, but in my opinion, the death of Daisy is more than a punishment. I think James was trying to stop the feminist movement in the 19 th century since Daisy is a portrayal of women who do as they want and not as what society dictates. Perhaps, if James wanted this story to be perceived as a punishment, why he confirmed her innocence at the end? And by doing that what is the reason behind her death if she is innocent? Many questions arise about this novella; nevertheless, the international subjects that were treated give it the perfect qualities for work to last forever. In fact, the author’s choice of each location, especially the coliseum, made every scene in the novella realistic and meaningful.
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