Journal #32 Henry James

Shirly Ong
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #32 Henry James

Quote:
“’You were right in that remark that you made last summer. I was booked to make a mistake. I have lived too long in foreign parts.’ Nevertheless, he went back to live at Geneva…he is ‘studying’ hard—an intimation that he is much interested in a very clever foreign lady.”

Summary:
This quote appears at the end of the story “Daisy Miller: A Study”. It is a conversation between Mrs. Costello and Winterbourne. This quote also reveals the life of Winterbourne after Daisy Miler’s death.

Response:
This quote shows that Winterbourne thinks Mrs. Costello was right at the beginning of the story that he should not get along with Daisy Miller. Here, I am confused with how Winterbourne actually feel about Daisy Miller. It seemed he cared and liked her so much. He was still angry with Mr. Giovanelli for he brought Daisy Miller to the Colosseum. However, when Winterbourne met Mrs. Costello later, I think his attitude has changed. He does not care about Daisy Miller anymore. I think his life is going on as if Daisy Miller never appeared. To me, it is a big contrast to what he did earlier in the story. As he went back to Geneva, he is interested in a foreign lady, who is elder than her and is very clever. I think it infers that Winterbourne feels himself had lived in Europe for such a long time and it was a mistake for him to get along with an American innocent girl like Daisy Miller. Therefore, he is now interested in a clever foreign lady. Personally, I do not like Winterbourne. I believe he could have better treasured Daisy Miller before she dies, even though he doubts about her innocence only because he has lived in Europe for a long time.