Daisy Miller Men Who Suffer

Daisy Miller

Men who suffer from the Madonna-Whore complex believe that only good women deserve their love, while bad women are only good for sex. These men nevertheless seek out the bad women to fulfill their sexual needs because they feel uncomfortable at the thought of having sex with good women. In fact, such men experience shock when a good woman expresses her sexuality. So much so, that the woman is thereafter seen not as a Madonna, but as a whore. In Daisy Miller, Henry James explores this theme through his portrayal of Winterbourne's reactions to Daisy's character. Indeed, Winterbourne's ambivalence on Daisy's moral character makes it evident that the man suffers from a Madonna-Whore complex.

Winterbourne's attitude towards women is, in fact, hinted at in the narrator's very introduction. for, the narrator takes the trouble to inform the reader that Winterbourne was rumored to have a relationship with an older woman in Geneva (p. 4). The possible inference that can be drawn from this information is that Winterbourne may just suffer from a mother fixation or an Oedipus complex. Since the Oedipus complex is considered to be an important factor in creating the Madonna-Whore complex, the narrator's introduction of Winterbourne can be considered as indicative of the events still to unfold.

The initial suspicion that Winterbourne may possess a complex attitude towards women slowly turns into certainty as his relationship with Daisy develops. for, he is never quite certain as to whether she is just refreshingly candid in her innocence or really a coquette (p.15). As a result, Winterbourne is often unable to ascertain the desirability of developing a real relationship with her. Instead, he continuously vacillates between treating Daisy like a proper lady and the temptation of just "carrying her off." This, in spite of his aunt making her disapproval of his associating with such common people amply known.

As Winterbourne's association with Daisy progresses, it also becomes growingly evident that he judges women solely on the basis of their sexuality. for, not only does he seem to be entirely, even unhealthily, preoccupied with the question of Daisy's sexual nature, it is obvious that he either sees her only as an innocent (a Madonna), or as a whore. Indeed, this aspect of his personality is made quite obvious when the narrator describes the conflict he faces: "Winterbourne was impatient to see her again, and it vexed, it even a little humiliated him, that he shouldn't by instinct appreciate her justly." (p. 23)

Why should Winterbourne be vexed by his ambivalence towards Daisy? One possible answer to this question could be that he clearly had a Madonna-Whore complex, which prevented him from appreciating the fact that Daisy's open nature, even if seemingly coquettish at times, was simply a result of her being so totally a "child of nature." (p. 40) in other words, Winterbourne's attitude towards female sexuality stops him from accepting the fact that Daisy was essentially just a good natured, innocent who believed in living life to the fullest extent possible.

To give Winterbourne credit, he does constantly acknowledge to himself that Daisy's behavior appeared to be that of a total innocent. Ironically, however, it is this precise recognition that causes him to be frequently disturbed and shocked by her. for, in Winterbourne's view, good women simply did not delight in or flaunt their relationships with men. Thus, what shocks him, like all men who suffer from a Madonna-Whore complex, is that a seeming innocent like Daisy could so easily express her fondness for what she terms as her "intimate" gentlemen friends. Indeed, Winterbourne's views on good girls and bad ones come through very clearly in the manner in which the narrator describes his frame of mind, when he is reflecting on Daisy's budding relationship with Giovanelli: "Nevertheless," Winterbourne said to himself, "A nice girl ought to know!" And then he came back to the dreadful question of whether this was in fact a nice girl. Would a nice girl - even allowing for her being a little American flirt - make a rendezvous with a presumably low-lived foreigner? (p. 50-51)

Of course, two other factors must be taken into consideration before conclusively determining whether Winterbourne did, in fact, possess a Madonna-Whore complex. The first of these is the social conventions of the time the story is situated in. While the second must inevitably be an analysis of Daisy's sexuality and behavior.

It is evident from the narrative that Daisy Miller is situated in an era, which was governed by very strict social mores on female sexuality and behavior with men. Winterbourne worries over whether he could be bold enough to speak to Daisy without a proper introduction. Eugenio disapproves of Daisy's trip to the castle with Winterbourne as "not proper." and, finally, Mrs. Walker tries to persuade Daisy to get into her carriage to prevent people from commenting on her being alone with Giovanelli in a public area. Thus, Winterbourne's reactions to Daisy's unconventional behavior could well be justified by his being merely a product of his times.

However, the prevalent social norms do not explain Winterbourne's continued pursuit of Daisy. for, if Winterbourne was driven purely by social conventions, he could have either ignored her, or outright treated her as a whore. but, he chooses to do neither. Therefore, it can be concluded that Winterbourne's behavior is more reflective of his own Madonna-Whore attitude towards women.