Portrait of a Lady

             Henry James wrote a lot of classic stories in his time. Amongst these great classics is that of "Daisy Miller." Daisy Miller is a love story about a young lady who appears to be out of place in culture and society. It is about a girl who wants to be free and does so by showing her ignorance in society. In the reading we come across many themes that Daisy Miller brings upon herself. Amongst these themes is that of her innocence. Henry James' "Daisy Miller" has a theme of innocence, which brings great misfortune to the main character. Does Daisy's death have to do with her innocence or with her ill-mannered life style? Daisy Miller is a unique girl who appears to do wrong because of her innocence.
             Daisy is a young American adult who was placed in a European environment with absolutely no idea of how to act. Some say that this is what Daisy's innocence is all about, and others believe it is her own fault. She was brought up in a very lenient family who let the children do almost whatever they wanted too. This is proved in the opening scene of the book when Winterbourne tells little Randolph Miller; "Take care you don't hurt your teeth" and Randolph replied, "I haven't got any teeth to hurt." (James 6) The upbringing of Daisy and Randolph was from a workhorse father who could not find enough time out of his busy schedule to take a vacation with his family. The mother, Mrs. Miller cares for what people think of her children but lets them go about their business as they wish. Parents have a big influence on their children in how they act as they grow up and how they act when they are all grown up. James makes the family a big point because they are a big influence on how a person acts as they grow up. Daisy's innocence in Europe could be a direct result of her upbringing by her parents.
             At the beginning of the story Daisy meets a nice American gentleman who ends up falling in love with Daisy. The
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Portrait of a Lady. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 10:45, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/53471.html