Taylor Coil
English 122
Final Paper
Winterbourne: A Man in Love with Himself
The focus throughout Henry James’ work entitled Daisy Miller: A Study lies heavily on
the character traits of Daisy, her scandals in Europe, and the relentless flirt that she is. However,
because the story is told from Winterbourne’s point of view, every observation gives the reader
insight into Winterbourne’s true nature. His actions, descriptions, and thoughts in regards to
Daisy allow one to understand his true perspective. By ignoring European cultural norms in his
pursuit of her, intentionally misinterpreting social cues from Daisy, and describing his female
interest in exclusively shallow terms, Winterbourne reveals himself as one with a completely
self-centered disposition. Through Winterbourne’s attempts to analyze the inner workings of
Daisy in Daisy Miller: A Study, Henry James presents to us a character incapable of deep
thought whose main trait is egocentrism.
Winterbourne’s blatant dismissal of European cultural norms is a clear indication of his
selfish nature; Winterbourne understands the consequences of the way he conducts himself, yet
fails to adjust his behavior accordingly. Swiss society, particularly the customs of interacting
with ladies, is not a foreign concept to Winterbourne because of the incredible amount of time he
has spent in Geneva. Despite this grasp on European customs, Winterbourne unremittingly
pursues his own selfish means with no regard to the acceptable course. His interest in Daisy is
peaked upon first sight, and it is evident from the start that societal customs would have little
weight in Winterbourne’s actions: “In Geneva, as he had been perfectly aware, a young man was
not at liberty to speak to a young unmarried lady except under certain rarely-occurring
conditions; but here at Vevey, what conditions could be better than these?” (321). The conditions
to which Winterbourne alludes most likely involve less scandalous behavior than a potential
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suitor wooing his love interest with few boundaries. Winterbourne intentionally redefines the
idea of what is acceptable as ‘rarely-occurring conditions’ to justify his actions to himself,
implying that Vevey’s ideals cannot be in line with those of Geneva. The mere fact that he feels
justification of his action is necessary illustrates that Winterbourne understands courting Daisy in
this manner will be largely viewed as wrong. He convinces himself that an ostentatious pursuit of
Daisy is legitimate so that he may convince others, if necessary. If his actions had fit easily into
the customs of Vevey, as Winterbourne claims, no such persuasion would be needed. This
blatant dismissal of all things acceptable proves Winterbourne to be an incredibly selfish
individual. He would rather make an entire society uncomfortable than risk a lost chance at
flirting with a pretty American girl. This behavior is nothing but egocentric, and defines
Winterbourne as a self-centered fool with little regard for societal acceptance.
The selfish nature of Winterbourne’s actions is not limited to how they are interpreted in
European culture; he has little consideration for how his advances affect Daisy, which further
enhances Winterbourne’s self-centered disposition. His lack of concern is apparent from their
first exchange, when Daisy catches Winterbourne staring at her and turns her back on him. “He
wondered if he had gone too far; but he decided that he must advance further, rather than retreat”
(321). Winterbourne recognizes his two options in this situation: retreat, which would ensure the
object of his affection’s comfort, or advance, which could make her uneasy but would allow
Winterbourne the pleasure of interaction with a pretty girl. Clearly, Winterbourne’s choice (to
advance despite risking discomfort of the girl in question) exemplifies selfishness. He
understands that his actions have an adverse effect, yet makes the decision to pursue Daisy
nonetheless. Winterbourne’s lack of concern for Daisy’s wellbeing does not lessen as their
relationship progresses; Mrs. Walker attempts to relay to Winterbourne how his actions
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contribute to Daisy’s scandalous behavior later in the story. “I wished to beg you to cease your
relations with Miss Miller- not to flirt with her- to give her no farther opportunity to expose
herself” (344). Mrs. Walker acts under the assumption that Winterbourne does not realize his
contribution to Daisy’s growing reputation, and his reaction proves that he is willing to allow the
consequences to fall solely on Daisy. He replies with, “there shall be nothing scandalous in my
attentions to her” (344), completely removing all blame from himself and implying that the only
contemptible aspect of their relationship is Daisy’s reaction to his advances. This dismissal
highlights Winterbourne’s characteristic of putting himself before all others, even Daisy, whom
he claims to care for. If he were nothing more mendacious than a man in love, Winterbourne
would surely strive to do what was best for Daisy, or at least cast her in a good light. However, it
is clear that the only person Winterbourne truly loves and cares for is himself.
Winterbourne’s descriptions of Daisy throughout the story are telling of his character;
Winterbourne often reduces her to a mere pretty face, proving that he is incapable of looking
deeper than pulchritude. These shallow values are apparent as immediately as Winterbourne’s
first impression of Daisy Miller. He initially describes her as “strikingly, admirably pretty”
(321); in fact, his adjective of choice throughout this whole interaction is ‘pretty’. There is no
allusion to her personality, her thoughts as having value, or any common interests between the
two. Winterbourne is solely concerned with Daisy’s looks. After talking to Daisy for a while,
Winterbourne maintains that he “had not seen for a long time anything prettier than his fair
countrywoman’s various features” (322). Her value to Winterbourne lies exclusively in physical
attraction, and this trend continues throughout the course of their relationship. Winterbourne’s
superficiality is further apparent in the description of Daisy that Winterbourne gives to his aunt
after they meet: “she is completely uncultivated… but she is wonderfully pretty” (328).
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Winterbourne is aware of Mrs. Costello’s elitist views, and thus prefaces his evaluation with
what his aunt wants to hear. However, it is notable that, even after leaving Daisy’s company, the
only thing Winterbourne seems to remember about Daisy is that she is beautiful. She has no
deeper effect on him despite being someone he pursues relentlessly; this is evidence that
Winterbourne is incapable of forming deep emotional ties with another human. His selfishness
overwhelms any other character trait, resulting in a lack of real connection beyond superficiality.
Winterbourne’s descriptions of Daisy, his dismissal of cultural norms, and his lack of
concern for Daisy’s happiness is indicative of a purely selfish nature. Although he is not
narcissistic in the sense that the beauty of others catches his eye, Winterbourne is incapable of
seeing past the beauty and loving Daisy for who she is. He sees her as nothing more than a
“pretty American flirt” (325), and their entire courtship is based on his selfish desires.
Winterbourne wishes nothing more than to make Daisy his own; however, he completely flouts
all European customs during this endeavor. He redefines what is customary in order to attempt to
justify his actions to himself, but fails to convince others that his pursuit of Daisy is acceptable.
He refuses to acknowledge that his actions have a malicious effect on Daisy, preferring instead to
blame her reputation solely on her coquettishness. Through Winterbourne’s interactions and
observations in Daisy Miller: A Study, Henry James presents an egocentric character that cannot
see past physical beauty to form lasting relationships with other people.
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Works Cited
James, Henry. "Daisy Miller: A Study." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina
Bayum. Vol. II. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2008. 319-356.
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