Daisy Miller

Daisy Miller opens at a grand hotel in Vevey, Switzerland. The narrator explains that this town in Switzerland, and this particular hotel, Les Trois Couronnes, is a popular tourist destination; it resembles places like Newport, Rhode Island and Saratoga, New York, in the way that wealthy Americans migrate and spend weeks at a time there in the summer—it seems as if the upper crust of New York society has wholly relocated to Europe.

A young American man named Frederick Winterbourne, who came to Vevey to visit his aunt at the hotel, is sitting in the garden and admiring the beauty around him. A small, rambunctious boy approaches him and asks him for a lump of sugar. The boy, Randolph, introduces Winterbourne to his older sister, Daisy. Winterbourne is immediately attracted to her beauty and introduces himself, but he is also concerned with whether it is proper for him to speak to a young lady who is unattended by an adult.

Daisy immediately piques his interest, not only because of her beauty, but also because of her behavior. She presents herself with a strange mix of innocence and boldness. She looks directly at him, not at all shy, but not immodest, either. Daisy and her brother explain that they will be moving on to Italy after their sojourn in Switzerland. Winterbourne tells them that Italy is lovely, but Randolph insists that their hometown of Schenectady, New York, is the best place in the world. He is not impressed by most things in Europe. Daisy is also annoyed that she does not have as many social gatherings to attend in Europe as she does back home.

Daisy tells Winterbourne that she would like to visit the Chateau de Chillon, a castle on a small island near Vevey. She complains that her mother is rather sickly and her brother never wants to go anywhere, so they haven’t seen as many sights as she’d like. Winterbourne offers to accompany her to the castle. Daisy is excited by the offer and tells him that her mother and their courier, Eugenio, will probably stay at the hotel with Randolph. Winterbourne is surprised that no chaperone will be coming.

Eugenio appears and Daisy tells him of her plan to go to the Chateau with Winterbourne. She addresses him familiarly, but he responds in a more professional manner and glances at Winterbourne as if he was just someone Daisy had “picked up” (15). Winterbourne assures him that he will introduce them to his aunt, Mrs. Costello, who has a high social standing and will reassure them of Winterbourne’s noble character.

However, when Winterbourne tells his aunt about the planned outing, she is aghast at the impropriety of Daisy going anywhere with Winterbourne without a chaperone. Though she of course can vouch for Winterbourne’s character, she questions the judgment of Daisy, her mother, and Eugenio for allowing such an improper scenario. She does not wish to meet the Millers. She prides herself in being an “exclusive” person, meaning that she is very careful about who she chooses to associate with and allow into her circle.

Winterbourne defends Daisy, saying she is very nice, if unpolished, and lacks understanding of social expectations when traveling to other countries. Mrs. Costello insists that he should not socialize with Daisy and her family and that she will not be meeting them.

Later that evening, Winterbourne finds Daisy alone in the garden; she says her mother has gone off to care for Randolph. Daisy tells him she knows who his aunt is; she admires her powerful position in society. Winterbourne tells her that his aunt has a headache and cannot meet Daisy, but Daisy realizes that Mrs. Costello has actually refused to meet her. She acts as if she does not care. Daisy’s mother approaches them and Daisy introduces her to Winterbourne. Mr. Winterbourne tells Mrs. Miller that he would like to accompany Daisy to see the Chateau de Chillon and asks if she will join them. Mrs. Miller does not seem bothered at all by allowing Daisy to go by herself with Winterbourne, which surprises him.

Daisy asks Winterbourne to take her rowing on a boat that night and he is more than willing, but Eugenio enters the scene and protests that it is too late and that she shouldn’t go alone. Daisy says she hoped Eugenio would make more of a fuss and Winterbourne says that he will make a fuss if she doesn’t go with him, and she seems satisfied enough that people are making a fuss over her that she doesn’t need to actually take a ride on the boat. She, her mother, and Eugenio go back into the hotel, leaving Winterbourne mystified over what had just happened.

Two days later, Winterbourne arrives to take Daisy to the castle. He is excited about the prospect of spending time alone with Daisy, and even pays the custodian working at the castle, ostensibly to “not hurry them,” but also to leave them alone. They walk around the castle and tell each other about themselves. Daisy tells Winterbourne that he should continue to travel with them and he could tutor Randolph. Winterbourne tells her that he will have to return to Geneva in a couple days. Daisy is angry at this news, which is gratifying for Winterbourne—he likes that she is so upset about him leaving. She begins to quiz him about who he is going to see in Geneva and suggests jealously that it must be a woman there. He promises her that he will come see her when her family moves on to Rome in a few months.

Later that evening, Winterbourne tells his aunt that he took Daisy to the castle and she cannot believe that Daisy was allowed to go out alone with him. She believes that this scenario proves her correct for not wanting to meet or associate with the Millers.