Realism is different and similar to Modernism in various ways. Realism is a work that has a lot of details and an objective view of a human nature making it seem real. One of those details is gender roles. “Daisy Miller” written by Henry James is a presentation of Realism that depicts gender roles. In Modernism, the characteristics of gender roles are affected by the changes in the society. In F. Scott Fitzgerald “Winter Dreams”, the theme was focused on the interchange of gender roles. “Daisy Miller” and “Winter Dreams” are both similar and different when it comes to gender roles.
In “Daisy Miller” Winterbourne is taking time off from Switzerland, he meets Daisy Miller through her young brother, Randolph. Winterbourne is attracted to Daisy from the minute he saw her but he is also confused about her manners. In spite of his aunt Mrs. Costello feelings toward Daisy and her family because she is not high class, he still admires Daisy. Winterbourne defends Daisy and her family by saying “She is completely uncultivated,” “But she is wonderfully pretty, and in short, she is very nice. ” (James) Winterbourne visits Mrs. Costello in Rome and hear that Daisy and her family are also there.
Winterbourne is surprised by the gossip people have to say about her behavior, “She has picked up half-a dozen of the regular fortune-hunters, and she takes them about to people houses. When she comes to a party she brings with her a gentleman with a good deal of manner and a wonderful moustache. ” (James) One night when Winterbourne sees Daisy with Giovanelli at the Colosseum, he determines that Daisy is not the girl he thought she was after all. Even though Winterbourne tells Daisy that she should be careful of the Roman fever, but she protest that she doesn’t care.
A few days later, Daisy dies from the Roman fever. “Daisy Miller” relates to gender roles because Daisy is more of manipulative and takes advantage of Winterbourne with her innocence. Her innocence led to her death at the end of the story. She shows how winterbourne doesn’t have a say so of what she does and how she does it. In “Winter Dreams”, which is a modernism work that depicts similar plots as “Daisy Miller” we also see the same gender role behavior. Dexter Green is a middle classman who works as a caddy at a golf club. At the club, Dexter meets Judy Jones in an unpleasant way, whose father is his boss.
After Dexter is free from being Judy caddy, he decides to quit. Dexter foregoes college and after he successfully buys a partnership in a laundry business. Dexter later goes back to the golf cub after being invited to play golf and he meets Judy for the second time. Judy appears beautiful and the dating between them started instantly. One day Judy leaves with another man who she claims that nothing is going on between them. The summer has end and Dexter joined two clubs where he stayed at one of them. He still desires Judy Jones and dream of taking her to New York to live together.
Dexter eventually came to realize that he would never have Judy like he wanted to. He leaves Judy and later become engaged to a woman name Irene Scheereer. Later after Dexter and Judy returns to the club, she flirts with him and asks him to marry her. Irene family feels betrayed after breaking off the engagement with her. A month later Dexter is once again heart broken by Judy and he later joins the army as the World War 1 breaks out. Dexter appears to be the most successful business man in New York after returning from the army.
Devlin, Dexter acquaintance, informs Dexter that Judy has married and the man drinks heavily while Judy stay at home with their kids. Dexter has realized that his “winter dreams” is gone by stating, “Long ago there was something in me, but now that thing is gone. Now that thing is gone, that thing is gone, I cannot cry. I cannot care. That thing will come back no more. ” (Fitzgerald) The reason to put these two stories as similarities is because both Daisy and Judy are manipulative of the men. Winterbourne and Dexter both had certain expectations out of the women and their relationships.
They both felt like they could have had a lovely relationship but in reality they both end up heartbroken form the women innocence. Although the two works have similarities, in some ways they also have some differences. The women, Daisy Miller and Judy Jones, both show differences. Daisy Miller is independent, well-meaning, but also shallow and use her innocence more in an ignorance way. She is just interested in manipulating men and basically making herself the center of attention. Winterbourne is really stuck between rather Daisy is really innocent or less than innocent.
