Daisy Miller

Daisy Miller, the charming and unconforming American tourist whose inattention to decorum (she walks unchaperoned with an Italian suitor in the daytime) results in her ostracism by the Europeanized Americans in Rome. In defiance, she visits the Colosseum at night with the same young man and later dies of a fever contracted there.

Frederick Winterbourne

Frederick Winterbourne, an American expatriate from whose point of view the story is told. At first puzzled by Daisy, he soon becomes convinced that she is immoral. After her death, however, he realizes that he loved her, and that her manners indicated only a native American freedom.

Giovanelli

Giovanelli, the young Italian whose companionship causes the scandal involving Daisy. An adventurer interested primarily in Daisy’s money, he admits to Winterbourne after her death that she never would have consented to marry him.

Mrs. Walker

Mrs. Walker, an American expatriate. Because Daisy rejects Mrs. Walker’s efforts to preserve her from scandal, Mrs. Walker cuts her at a party, thus beginning Daisy’s complete ostracism.

Randolph Miller

Randolph Miller, Daisy’s young and spoiled brother. His impudence also shocks the American expatriates.

Mrs. Costello

Mrs. Costello, Winterbourne’s aunt. She refuses to meet Daisy because she is convinced that the Millers are common.

Eugenio

Eugenio, the Millers’ courier and servant. That the Millers treat him almost as a member of the family also causes talk among the American expatriates.

Daisy, the first of Henry James's significant heroines, epitomizes "the American girl" of the post-Civil War era—forthright, autonomous, and somewhat audacious. The contemporary audience engaged in spirited discussions about whether she represented an unpatriotic image of American girlhood. As writer and critic William Dean Howells noted, "The thing went so far that society almost divided itself into Daisy Millerites and anti-Daisy Millerites." The debate likely stemmed from the Victorian notion that a heroine could only be good or bad, without any ambiguity. Daisy defies this binary classification. She is captivating yet somewhat naive; she seeks independence but also craves social acceptance; she is both victimized and a contributor to her own unfortunate fate. In essence, she is an original creation, a product of James's keen social observation, sensitivity to archetypal American traits, and deep understanding of human psychology.

Winterbourne's character is significantly shaped by his association with Geneva. As the birthplace of Calvinism, Geneva symbolizes a Puritanical attitude towards sexuality, a strong sense of social restraint, and a morality that categorizes people and events rigidly. Another crucial influence on his perspective is his reliance on the views and prejudices of his social peers, which often overshadow his instinctively positive reactions to Daisy.

The novel's other significant characters are briefly but vividly portrayed, particularly the female characters who are all compared to Daisy and found lacking. Mrs. Costello and Mrs. Walker serve as "doubles," representing social decorum and acting as Winterbourne's "confidante" and "conscience" in matters of social propriety. Both are associated with interiors and stasis, contrasting with Daisy's connection to nature and movement. Mrs. Costello's narrow-mindedness is symbolized by her frequent confinement to her room due to a sick-headache, likely a psychosomatic condition that isolates her from the outside world. Mrs. Walker, seemingly less rigid, attempts to "reeducate" Daisy, but they fail to understand each other. Their conflict peaks in the Pincian Gardens when Mrs. Walker tries to persuade Daisy to stop walking and enter her carriage. Daisy's refusal symbolizes her rejection of social conventions that clash with her mindset. In contrast, Daisy's mother seems oblivious to societal rules and conventions. She does not act as Daisy's chaperon, imposes no limits on her interactions...