Plot summary
The pair first meet in Vevey, Switzerland, where Winterbourne is vacationing from his studies. They are brought together by young Randolph Miller, Daisy's irrepressible brother. Randolph considers his hometown of Schenectady, New York to be far superior to all of Europe, particularly in the quality of candy available. Daisy, though, is absolutely delighted with the Continent, especially the high society she wishes to enter.
Winterbourne is at first confused by her attitude, but soon determines that she is nothing more than a young American flirt. He continues his pursuit of the fair Daisy in spite of the disapproval of his imperious aunt Mrs. Costello, who spurns any family with so close a relationship to their courier as the Millers have with their Eugenio. She also thinks Daisy is a shameless coquette for agreeing to go sight-seeing with Winterbourne after a mere half hour's acquaintance. The two have a fine time touring the Château de Chillon, an old castle, then Winterbourne informs Daisy that he must go to Geneva the next day. Daisy extracts a promise from him to meet her in Rome, and they part.
Winterbourne and Daisy do meet in Rome, unexpectedly in the parlor of Mrs. Walker, a fellow American. Daisy shocks the local society by walking out with Mr. Giovanelli, a handsome young Italian of no status. Daisy is undeterred by the open disapprobation of the other Americans in Rome, and her ineffectual mother seems quite oblivious to underlying tensions. Winterbourne attempts to extricate Daisy from her situation, but she refuses to take any of it seriously.
One night, Winterbourne takes a walk through the Colosseum and finds the couple sitting there. Although some readers have commented that this exploration of the Colosseum is another one of Daisy's foolish vagaries, Winterbourne concludes that Daisy is too common for him to love, and lets her know it. Daisy is heart-broken, and so takes no precautions with her health in spite of Winterbourne's warnings about the deadly "Roman fever" (malaria) that is caught by wandering in the unhealthy night air. Daisy falls ill and dies a few days later. Winterbourne finally realizes that she did reciprocate his feelings for her, in spite of her playful denials, and that she was just an innocent flirt. He goes back to Geneva and resumes his studies and his interest in a "clever foreign lady."
Key themes
This short story serves as both a psychological description of the mind of a young woman, and an analysis of the traditional views of a society where she is a clear outsider. Henry James uses Daisy's story to discuss what he thinks Europeans and Americans believe about each other, and more generally the prejudices common in any culture. In a letter James said that Daisy is the victim of a "social rumpus" that goes on either over her head or beneath her notice.
The names of the characters are also symbolic. Daisy is a flower in full bloom, without inhibitions and in the springtime of her life. Daisy contrasts sharply with Winterbourne, who is more ambivalent and unwilling to commit to any relationship. Flowers die in winter and this is precisely what happens to Daisy, after catching the Roman Fever or, to put it more bluntly, the attention of foreign men. As an objective analogue to this psychological reality, Daisy catches the very real Roman fever, the malaria that was endemic to many Roman neighborhoods in the 19th century.
Henry James,
OM (April 15, 1843 – February 28, 1916), son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an American-born author. He is one of the founders and leaders of a school of realism in fiction; the fine art of his writing has led many academics to consider him the greatest master of the novel and novella form. He spent much of his life in England and became a British subject shortly before his death. He is primarily known for a series of major novels in which he portrayed the encounter of America with Europe. His plots centered on personal relationships, the proper exercise of power in such relationships, and other moral questions. His method of writing from the point of view of a character within a tale allowed him to explore the phenomena of consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting.
James insisted that writers in Great Britain and America should be allowed the greatest freedom possible in presenting their view of the world, as French authors were. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators in his own novels and tales brought a new depth and interest to realistic fiction, and foreshadowed the modernist work of the twentieth century. An extraordinarily productive writer, in addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel writing, biography, autobiography, and criticism,and wrote plays, some of which were performed during his lifetime with moderate success. His theatrical work is thought to have profoundly influenced his later novels and tales.
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