DAISY MILLER HONORS ENGLISH Please read through these ...

12. What do we learn about Daisy, her brother and mother from their first meetings with
Winterbourne? What are his first judgements of Daisy? ("in her bright, sweet, superficial little
visage there was no mockery, no irony"). What seems unusual to Winterbourne about her manner of
greeting him and her reaction to his invitation to the Castle of Chillon?
13. To what degree is Daisy intelligent? Interested in other cultures? Perceptive about other
people? What are her social preferences? Does she seem to have friends of her own sex? What are
her motivations in Europe? Which aspects of her portrayal seem critical? (e. g., "her light, slightly
monotonous smile"). Can you tell when she makes mistakes of language?
14. Can this story be read as a comment on the expectations for wealthy young women of the
period? On the lack of formal education or active endeavors for women?
15. Are Daisy and Winterbourne temperamentally well-suited to become friends?
16. How is Mrs. Costello characterized? Mrs. Walker? Whose opinions do they represent? To what
extent are their opinions founded on evidence? What does Mrs. Costello mean by saying, "But she is
very common."
17. In what sense is Mrs. Costello correct/or incorrect when she warns Winterbourne, "You have
lived too long out of the country. You will be sure to make some great mistake. You are too
innocent"?
18. How is Daisy's mother portrayed? To what extent is Daisy the victim of unusual
circumstances? What can you infer from this novel about the lives and health of prosperous middleaged
women of the period (or the author's view thereof)? Had Daisy lived, what do you think would
have become of her?
19. How does Daisy react to the news of the varied stages of her social rejection? To what extent
does it distress her? ("You needn't be afraid. I'm not afraid!")
20. Which events in the first section parallel Daisy's ill-omened nighttime tryst with Giovanelli?
Can Winterbourne be viewed as a possible admirer of Daisy? Why doesn't she accept his offer of a
nighttime boat ride?
21. According to the values of his society, should Winterbourne have accompanied Daisy to Chillon?
Is their trip a sign of flirtation? How does Daisy react to the news that he must return to Geneva?
22. What is ominous about the ending of the story's first section? The opening of the second?
What is the symbolism of the shift from "Les Trois Couronnes" to Rome? How is the story's
progression aided by the division into two sections?
23. To what extent are manners and morals conflated in the society represented in this story? Is
it possible to separate these two within the plot--or does the narrator also see them as nearly
identical?
24. What opinions and acts reveal Randolph's and Mrs. Miller's failure to adjust to life in Europe?
25. What are some signs of ignorance or failure to sense danger in Mrs. Miller's reactions to
Daisy's behavior? ("Of course, it's a great deal pleasanter for a young lady if she knows plenty of
gentlemen.")
26. Under what circumstances is Daisy warned that she may contract a fever? What symbolism or
indirection seems to surround such concerns? In your opinion, to what degree were their concerns
valid?
27. What are some humorous moments in their conversation with Mrs. Walker?
28. What moments in Daisy's conversation foreshadow her death? ("We are going to stay all
winter if we don't die of the fever; and I guess we'll stay then.") How would you characterize her
conversation--artless? honest? simple? naive? heedless?