Henry James, much like other authors around the twentieth century, believes that
society is all powerful, even to the extent that it obliterates any moral
impulses that we have been born with. In A Portrait of Daisy Miller, the embodiment of a
completely naive American
girl is presented in the character of Daisy, unaware of the rules of European society. Even
though Winterbourne, the protagonist, readily acknowledges the
fact that she is “common” (337)
and “uncultivated” (334), he cannot help his fascination with her fresh,
“unsophisticated” (331) elegance. Her beauty and simplicity of manner is
something that he often remarks on, even describing her as a “sylph” (335).
However, throughout his interactions with Daisy, Winterbourne does not have a
single moment when he is able to free himself from society’s conventions. He
wonders constantly at “the conditions and limitations of one’s intercourse with
a pretty American flirt” (331), unable to simply act naturally and be himself.
In fact, he openly admits that “by instinct, he should not appreciate her
justly” (335). In this way, Winterbourne embodies a man whose individuality has
been completely obliterated by society. Thus, when he meets Daisy, a girl whose
actions show a complete disregard for societal conventions, the only possible
result is in her termination. When Winterbourne encounters Daisy in the
Colosseum, he finally makes up his mind that she is “a young
lady whom a
gentleman need no longer be at pains to respect” (361) and his words “cuts” her
accordingly (361). In effect, this “
cut” metaphorically led to Daisy’s death.
The world that James presents to us is an
extremely chaotic one, which is why he chooses single consciousness as the method
of narration to create a structured and meaningful version of this world
through the eyes of one person. This effectively limits the reader to only
Winterbourne’s thoughts and emotions. What happens within Daisy’s mind remains
hidden, and we are only able to judge her, as Winterbourne does, through her
external actions. If Daisy had only trespassed society laws mentally, she would
not have met with the same tragic end. This fact can most clearly be seen when
examining how Mrs. Walker passes judgment upon Daisy, telling her that her
actions are “not the custom here” (350). In reality, she has absolutely no
interest Daisy’s inner motives or intentions whatsoever when she “walk
…with…two
men” (349), and does not care whether or not she is in fact, “a nice girl”
(349). By choosing to completely eliminate Daisy’s thoughts, James underlines
the fact that internal rebellions do not play a role in societal judgments;
overt actions and indiscretions are the sole cause of Daisy being “cut” by this
lady of society, and what led to her ultimate downfall.
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