Henry Jamess Daisy Miller and Kate Chopins The Awakening were published in different times, almost 20 years apart, and their plots are set in different environments, both socially and geographically. Yet, the two books disclose analogy of thoughts that is evident in their main themes. Both works presents characters whose lives are controlled by the conventions of the societies they are a part of. Most important is that the reader is confronted with the consequences of the personal instincts, which are mostly in direct conflict with the commonly accepted rules. The topic of conventionality contra personal instincts is quite expressive in both works. In Daisy Miller it is performed by the character of Frederick Winterbourne, an American living in Europe, Chopin explores this theme by Edna Pontellier, the main protagonist in The Awakening. Both Edna and Frederick are victims of the world of rules and expectations; they are both affected by their personal needs to escape, to liberate themselves of the bonds that repress them totally.
The portrayal of this topic in these two books is different, though. The protagonists experience is different, they both face the conventionality, but their urge to express their personality emerges from different circumstances. Frederick Winterbourne comes to realization of internal struggle between conventionality and his own personality after he meets a young American girl, Daisy Miller, while visiting his aunt in Switzerland. Frederick comprehends right after their first meeting that Daisy is not a conventional person, whether consciously or out of the ignorance of European manners. The two of them are very different in perceiving the surrounding world. Daisy is spontaneous and nave in her perception of life in Europe, whereas Frederick is stiff but acts worldly. He is perfectly aware that it is not possible for a young man in Switzerland at the time to speak to an unmarried woman. Not only Daisy speaks to him, she also wants to go for a walk to the castle with him. Frederick is lost. He lost his instinct in this manner and his reason could not help him (James). By this time it is clear to the reader, that in spite of the title of the book, it is really a story of Frederick Winterbourne and his internal fight against his own conventional principles. The conventional side of his inner himself struggles to put Daisy into a conventional category so that he could know how to react. Instinctively, though, he refuses to dismiss her simply as a flirt. He is drawn to her and tells her you are a nice girl, but I wish you would flirt with me and me only (James). However, Daisy does not make his internal struggle easy. When in Rome, she meets Giovanelli, a young Italian interested in womens money, which is disapproved by the Roman ex-patriot community. Fredericks conventionality does not allow him to risk his position within the community and his desires lose the battle when he sees Daisy and Giovanelli at the Coliseum. Later, at her funeral, he discovers that he misjudged her, when Giovanelli tells that Daisy was the most innocent young lady he had ever known (James). Winterbournes conventional views are disrupted, but it is too late.
The topic of conventionality and instinct is slightly different in Chopins The Awakening. Edna Pontelliers life is utterly dominated by the patriarchal society in New Orleans of the time. Before summer in Grand Isle instincts were never important to her in life. Nevertheless, the feeling of attraction towards Robert Lebrun catalyzes her internal struggle between conventions and instincts. It is unthinkable for her, as a married woman and mother, to become involved with Robert. Her duty is to stay at home with her husband and children. Still, the attraction is too strong and she begins to consider other ways to live her life and thus begins her struggle between the outside world and her new-found feelings and desires. There are three major events, which symbolizes Ednas struggle and her continuous awakening and self-discovery. The first happens when Mademoiselle Reisz plays the piano for the gathered group one Saturday night. While Adele Ratignolles playing provoked sentimental pictures in Ednas mind, the older womans playing stirs unknown feelings and reveals emotional aspects of Ednas soul. The very passions themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying it, lashing it, as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body. She trembled, she was choking, and the tears blinded her (Chopin). Right after this Robert offers a swim. At that night was Edna able to swim on her own for the first time. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before (Chopin). For a moment she is afraid she swims too far but she overcomes her fears and swims. Physically and symbolically, she left the world behind her. The third event happens after Edna returns home after her swim. Her husband tells her to go to bed immediately, but she ignores him. She ignores the male authority presented by her husband and goes to bed only when she wants to. But the struggle to break out of conventionality is not easy for Edna. With Robert unable to fulfill her dreams Edna senses unbearable loneliness. She realizes it is not possible to abandon totally conventions of her world and still live in it. For the last time, she returns to Grand Isle for a swim. She gives herself to the sea with the thought of freedom from all the bounds that did not let her develop the true herself. It is up to the reader to decide if this is an act of cowardice or rather a liberating victory.
Thus the final difference between Jamess and Chopins approach to this topic can be seen. Whereas Winterbourne returns to conventionality, Edna leaves it behind and swims toward new horizons. Yet, there is a connecting link. Reader realizes that even though Daisy could be praised for her refusal of conventions, ex-pats were not totally wrong in seeing Giovanelli as what he really was. Similarly, Edna tried to liberate herself from the conventions, but had to leave the world of patriarchal rules in the end, since she could not accept any of them. Is it really essential to ignore the conventions in order to liberate oneself in a full extent or is life the synthesis of convention and instinct? That is the unifying motif to both of the books and the answer depends on the reader.
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