Daisy Miller centers partly on the role of convention in the human community and on the problem of reconciling the right to express one's individuality with the need to live together in harmony. This perennial dilemma has no easy solution and discussion of it will soon go beyond the question of whether Daisy is a flirt or behaves improperly. Another significant issue is the temptation to reduce people to intellectual concepts. Using James's development of this theme as a starting point, groups can consider how flexibly used generalizations facilitate communication while pigeon-holing people in ready-made categories denies their humanity. Also of interest in this sense are Winterbourne's "masculine" categories for labeling women. Finally, the story invites reflection on relations between parents and children.

1. Randolph Miller hails Daisy's first appearance with the announcement "She's an American girl!" What characteristics does James attribute to this figure?

2. Winterbourne is...