The plot of Daisy Miller is rather simple; an innocent American girl .
is destroyed by the world's complexity. Her tragic end is sad but .
inevitable. Daisy is a wealthy but extremely uncultivated young .
woman of the American social scene in Europe. The action of the .
story surrounds her antics, her puzzling behavior, and .
Winterbourne's fascination with her charming and extremely .
innocent ways. She is the ultimate freedom-loving American, yet .
she and the other characters are extremely cognizant of the rules of .
social position. Her youth, vitality, and beauty are all foils to the .
tragedy of her wasted life. .
As the novel progresses, Daisy makes more and more grave social .
errors. She is mostly oblivious, and it seems her strong-willed .
selective vision comes from a life of ineffectual parental guidance. .
Winterbourne tries to warn her, steer her "right," and protect her .
from her fatal errors, but to no avail. From the beginning to the end, .
the plot foreshadows this odd girl's demise. .
Daisy is a vexing set of contradictions, and it becomes easy to both .
condemn and appreciate her various attributes. As Daisy is .
developed, so goes the plot; the reader understands that there will .
inevitably be consequences to her wild actions. At the climactic .
moment when Daisy is in the Colosseum, the reader realizes her .
fatal nature. Her poor social situation has turned physical. After her .
death, the author shows both how she is regarded (her funeral is .
well attended) and disregarded (no one's life is changed much .
because of her). To the end, Daisy represents the innocent, exposed .
to the fickle nature of society and the crushing finality of its .
perplexing contradictions. .
OVERALL ANALYSES .
CHARACTERS .
Daisy .
A mass of contradictions, Daisy Miller is American innocence .
personified. Her "daisy-like" fragility and commonness are evident .
at every turn. She is childlike, attractive and ultimately fatal to .
herself. Her stubborn belief in her own interpretation of events .
