Perspectives toward the novel Daisy Miller and a connection with "Reading Loliota in Tehran".

There are many perspectives toward different actions that Daisy does in the novel. Mr. Giovanelli, an Italian man, does not mind walking at night with her. Daisy is an American girl, maybe if she was an Italian girl it would be seen as something bad. The Italians are known to be really spiced up people. They are very explosive with their emotions and really romantic. Maybe Mr. Giovanelli wanted something physical with Daisy and did not mind if she was a proper girl or not.

The American perspective of flirting with a man that is not your husband is a really open one. The Americans do not see flirting as an insinuation of wanting to have sex. They see flirting as something innocent and common. Mrs. Miller is the mother of Daisy and she sees flirting as an attribute rather than a promiscuous behavior. She does not understand what can be so bad about flirting when she was raised in a Country where flirting was something normal. “… Does Mademoiselle propose to go alone? … “Oh no’; with this gentleman!’ answered Daisy’s mamma. (26)

The Europeans have a more conservative culture and they are really respectful of the social standing of someone, their actions and their manners. For a woman to take a walk, boat trip or go sightseeing with someone that they had just met is a really wrong thing. When Ms. Daisy took a walk with Mr. Winterbourne right after they met, his aunt, Mrs. Costello, thought that it was not the proper behavior of a young woman. “… She went with you all alone? … ‘And that,’ she exclaimed, ‘is the young person you wanted me to know!’ ” (30)

Mrs. Walker is a lady from Geneva and she has lived long enough in Europe to be attached to their ways. She thinks that Daisy is not enough for Mr. Winterbourne and that she behaves like an immature girl. She does not like that Miss Daisy is so fond of her courier, that she is always surrounded by men and that she takes long walks with men at night. Mrs. Walker is really tough on Miss Daisy, maybe she really wants to help but she does not have the touch to tell people in what they are failing. “It may be enchanting, dear child, but it is not the custom here.” (42)

Randolph is Daisy’s little brother. He has a unique perspective of the trust that Daisy has with Winterbourne. He is just a kid but one can sense that he is really open mind but at the same time, he respects the position of men in society. When Daisy refers to “you” at Winterbourne, Randolph says: “… I tell you, sir!’ he added jocosely, giving Winterbourne a thump on the knee. ‘It is bigger too!’ ” (34). He demonstrates that she should treat him with respect because he is a grown man. It is a small detail but it has a lot of social strength behind it. We can see the role that men plays versus the role that women play.

In another novel that we had the pleasure to read, Reading Lolita in Tehran, there is a small part where the students are discussing the novel Daisy Miller. Iran has a really strict religion and it emphasizes in women and their image.
Daisy is such an impact to the women in Iran that some of them defend her, others ignore her and some men disown her. Daisy is a girl that does not respect the figure of
men as a complete authority. She does whatever she wants, when she wants it, and she does not follow any rules that are imposed to her.

In Iran a virtue of women is that they follow men without saying anything, they should obey always men and they have no right for an opinion.
Taking a walk at night with a man that is not your husband is considered an abomination. If any woman in Iran does that she would suffer greatly her insolence. Young girls are supposed to walk with their mothers, and if married behind their husband, not in front or in the side.

Daisy dresses with colors and with dresses that shape her figure. She walks knowing that men are looking at her and that she looks good. She never walks with her eyes looking down. In Iran women have to be covered from head to toe always. They cannot walk in a flirtatious way or looking up. They must never have eye contact with any man.