Before the revelations of modern medicine, illness of any kind was a highly mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon accompanied by little hope for a solution to alleviate or eliminate the ailment. During this time when no one knew the origin of most diseases, let alone how to treat them or take preventive measures, diseases of varying severity had much more significance than today due to their inexplicable nature, thus making them a valuable tool literary. in terms of allegorical and metaphorical contexts. Henry James was one of many 19th-century authors who employed illness as a significant symbol juxtaposed with overlying conflict in his writings, particularly in his acclaimed 1878 novella, Daisy Miller: A Study. This story tells of several American characters in a European setting, some expatriates and some vacationers, all with varying degrees of familiarity and acceptance of European sociocultural norms. The conflict focuses on the clash between European and American social mores, instigated by the promiscuous behavior of the free-willed, free-spirited Daisy Miller, and her interactions with American expatriates such as Winterbourne and Mrs. Walker as she travels in Europe with her mother and her mother. younger brother. Many of these Americans face challenges with their health just as they face challenges with European society. Those who are at odds with the restrictive and elitist context find themselves in physical difficulty, and only those who have fully assimilated into the culture and its expectations escape the disease. Thus, in James's Daisy Miller, similar to the way the body feels negative effects when rejecting a virus, the incursion of poor health reflects a resistance to the conservative European environment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe first and most significant example of this reflection is the tragic sudden death of Daisy Miller from Roman fever, otherwise known as malaria. The name of the disease is also very appropriate: malaria literally means “bad air,” as it was thought to come from the poisonous night climate. If Daisy suffers physically from the noxious fumes, she also suffers from the “bad air” of those who know her and make her the object of noxious gossip and disgust (Foster). The fever that kills Daisy is very similar to "the overheated state that makes her frantic to join the elite ("We're dying to be exclusive," she says at the beginning) and at the same time provokes the disapproval of Europeanized Americans than to reside permanently in Rome at all times” (Foster). Daisy is so quintessentially American that, unwilling to adapt to the mores of European society, she becomes increasingly the subject of scandal due to her flirtatious ways and her open affection for multiple gentlemen. Indeed, she brazenly denounces the ways of European women when Mrs. Walker, a Europeanized American and friend of both Winterbourne and the Miller family, begs her with cold fury to leave the company of her Italian companion, Mr. Giovanelli, with whom Daisy is gone for a walk alone in the evening. Mrs. Walker asks Daisy to get into the carriage with her and exclaims that Daisy is ruining her reputation because of her reckless actions (James 446). Daisy later confides to Winterburne: “the young women of this country have it hard, as far as I know; I see no reason why I should change my ways for them” (James 450), thus stating his opposition to Europe's own ways. It is this feeling that increases considerably when Daisy becomesthe talk of the town to the disapproval of all who value European principles for young women and ultimately seals her fate; Because Daisy never gives up her rebellion against cultural expectations and remains unmoved in her beliefs, she suffers the most from illness and ultimately succumbs to it. Although she is the most prominent example, Daisy is not the only American character to buck the Old World setting and experience illness. His mother, Mrs. Miller, is neurotic about his many ailments and enjoys telling them to anyone who will listen. She is said to suffer from "dyspepsia" and, as Daisy claims to never sleep, she often complains of tiredness, which often forces her to stay inside the hotel for long periods of time to avoid the disturbing and unfamiliar surroundings during the holidays. These symptoms highlight Mrs. Miller's inability to cope and behave according to European standards, and she even blames the European climate for her discomfort: "I suffer from liver...I think it's the climate, it's less invigorating than Schenectady" ( James 440 ). Similarly, Mrs. Miller's son and Daisy's younger brother, Randolph, also claims to suffer from dyspepsia and shares his mother's opinion in blaming their position for the loss of teeth, although it is a normal occurrence for a boy her age, saying, “It's this old Europe. It's the climate that makes them come out. In America they didn't come out” (James 422). Daisy's family members experience these little sufferings because their very being it is in opposition to what one would expect of upper class people in Europe. Mrs. Miller is responsible for raising her children as she does not fit in with the Old World ideals; she does not rebuke Daisy's flirtatious and unacceptable actions and behaviors and Randolph's rude remarks. He treats their courtier, Eugene, as one of their own family, and this was seen as unbecoming to the expatriate elite. In the words of Winterbourne's aunt, Mrs. Costello, "They are very common. . They are the kind of Americans that one does one's duty by not - not accepting" (James 428). In the same way that Mrs. Miller's illnesses keep her hidden in her hotel, away from the judging eyes of the populace, Mrs. Costello is "too proud to associate with Americans touring the continent and yet has not been accepted by European society or from the company. of Europeanized Americans, developed severe headaches and withdrew from society altogether” (Houghton). Although he belonged to an important social circle in the United States, he was not socially successful in Europe and his headaches represent his unconscious desire to hide from a society that did not meet his expectations (Houghton). Mrs. Miller, Randolph, and Mrs. Costello are Americans out of place in an environment that does not fully accept them, and so they are plagued by hardships that allow them to shelter themselves from their surroundings. In contrast, American expatriates Winterbourne and Mrs. Walker thrive in their European citizenship because they have absorbed social norms and live up to the standards expected at the time. Winterbourne functions well in his place of residence in Geneva, where he spends much time "studying," that is, serving as a lover to a much older, probably married, foreign woman (James 422). This was a common custom in Europe during this period; while young unmarried women were expected to remain the perfect image of chastity and innocence, it was acceptable for married women dissatisfied with their spouses to take on a young bachelor as a lover. Daisy, with her point of view.