English 015 - Americans Abroad
American Competitiveness in The Innocents Abroad and Daisy Miller
American Competitiveness in The Innocents Abroad and Daisy Miller
Category: 1E: Twain, James, Wharton | Eric Robinson
In Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad and Henry James’ Daisy Miller, certain American characters become racially, socially, sexually, and even fashionably competitive towards one another or other foreigners due to the stress and unfamiliarity of interacting with new surroundings and/or frustration over incidents that occur while abroad. In several cases, specific comparisons of such competition can be drawn between the different works that serve to resolve a contest contained in one text through the analysis of another similar competition found in the second piece. However, in other instances, the competition established in one text seems to displace a rivalry included in the other writing. Nonetheless, the presence of these various struggles is crucial to their corresponding works because they aid the reader in observing the divisions between both the American characters in a foreign environment with one another and with those figures native to the lands. With respect to Twain, the separation, and eventually the competition, between Americans and other races develops into one of the main focal points in his writing. As for the other piece, Daisy Miller, competition plays a subtler role by defining characters’ preferences and goals, which consequently influence how they conduct themselves in the presence of others and establish themselves as unique identities.
In Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad, the author demonstrates a huge degree of competitiveness as he partakes on a voyage around the Mediterranean Sea, visiting nations in both Europe and northern Africa along the way. With each realm that he visits, Twain’s opposition is either directed towards the other Americans in his party or the countrymen that he meets. For example, while traveling around Syria, Twain comments on how the American men “all wear the endless white rag of Constantinople wrapped round and round their hats” (Twain, p. 343). Such a description lays down a clear division between the author and those that he is journeying with because he writes about the men adopting a foreign custom in a degrading manner, which naturally sets up a rivalry amid Twain and those in his company. His negative account of the Americans’ head fashion is set off by his initial shock at viewing his associate countrymen experimenting with an accepted trend in the local region, one that the author cannot come to try himself. Twain then further develops his personal competition with his fellow citizens by stating that “they are the very worst gang of horsemen on earth” (Twain, p. 343). Again, Twain describes his compatriots in such a negative context that a contest between his and his group is logically founded. In this instance, his competition seems to be stemmed from pride, as the author declares the other Americans to be the lowest quality equestrians in existence, which therefore places Twain’s riding skills somewhere above that of the others and hence, ‘ahead’ in his competition.
Later in The Innocents Abroad, the author’s criticism shifts to the point that Twain becomes racially competitive with those around him who have non-American citizenship. One such instance occurs when he describes “that vile, uncomplaining impoliteness which is so truly Indian” (Twain, p. 348), which clearly divides Twain’s American race from the Indian faction. His above statement is once touched off by unfamiliarity with foreign behavior, or in other words, a culture shock. It depicts Indians as having an impolite nature, which the writer obviously frowns upon and separates himself from, thus creating competition between races. In a final instance, Twain goes so far as to compete religiously with Egyptians, as demonstrated when he proclaims, “And they [“Mohammedans”] never repent – they never forsake their paganism. This thought calmed me, cheered me…[and I was] happy, so happy and serene within” (Twain, p. 468). As is evident from this excerpt, Twain feels faithfully superior to the race he is currently engaged with because he is comforted, and even contented by the belief that the Egyptians will not reach heaven, while the author obviously thinks that he will. His competitiveness is triggered from his inexperience of being in a situation where those around him are not Christian and do not believe in the same God and heaven as the author does. Daisy Miller also contains several varieties of competition, including a form that could be considered to be racist; however, Twain’s religious separation is unique to this essay.
In Henry James’ Daisy Miller, competition is instigated by the main characters during the travels abroad, some of which are targeted at fellow Americans, while others are at figures native to a European land. Daisy, one of the most competitive individuals in the work, creates clear distinctions in both fashionable and sociable aspects. With regards to fashion, while Daisy is in Switzerland, she discusses Parisian dresses and states, “I’m sure they send all the pretty ones to America, you see the most frightful things here” (James, p. 14). This contest of style is directed at Europeans in general, whom Daisy feels have poor attire. Her competitiveness is touched off by her observations made while on the foreign continent, where Daisy is exposed to new trends and kinds of clothing. One could almost reason that this rivalry builds on Twain’s attack of the Arab men’s head dress, however, the “hat”, as Twain refers to it, has a primarily religious function and therefore cannot be compared to women’s fashion overseas. Daisy is also extremely socially competitive, as demonstrated when she confesses, “I’m dying to be exclusive myself.” (James, p.24) Here Daisy admits that she wishes to be a member of the established upper class, and hence, she desires competition in order to strive to top it. This rivalry is aimed at both the young woman’s associate Americans along with resident Europeans because Daisy wants to hold an elite social status over them all. Daisy extends her social competition throughout the rest of the piece, as is apparent when she remarks at how Mrs. Walker’s “rooms are so small” (James, p. 48), challenging an upper class woman by denouncing the magnitude of her living space. Miss Miller’s aggressive interaction with European society commences when she travels to the continent and witnesses the major distinctions among different levels in the class system. Although Daisy seems to be the dominant competitor thus far in this analysis, there are other characters who construct unique struggles in the novel.
Winterbourne is a main figure in Daisy Miller, who stands alone for being an American that is sexually competitive while traveling in Europe. His rivalry emerges towards the later half of the writing when Miss Miller wants Winterbourne to take her to see Mr. Giovanelli, a request to which he feels “at once annoyed and gratified” and therefore, “he resolve[s] that he would do no such thing” (James, p. 47). Winterbourne’s contest is undoubtedly set against the Italian man, as opposed to a fellow American, and he further enhances it upon seeing Mr. Giovanelli and asking Daisy, “Do you mean to speak to that thing?” (James, p. 49).
Another individual who is very competitive is Daisy’s little brother Randolph. Soon after he is introduced in the work, he exclaims, “I can’t get any candy here –any American candy. American candy’s the best candy.” (James, p. 6), exhibiting his antagonistic attitude. Randolph’s statement is visibly targeted at Europeans, and in some respects, it can be seen as blatantly racist, resolving the previous competition in Twain’s observations by openly declaring that a characteristic of one ethnic group is better than that of another. The young boy continues to develop his somewhat racist rivalry by saying, “American men are the best,” (James, p. 6) and, “American girls are the best girls” (James, p. 7), all of which is set off by his initial interpretation of the Europeans versus the Americans, a nationality with whom he is familiar.
In Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad and Henry James’ Daisy Miller, numerous American characters are competitive in racial, social, sexual, and fashionable contexts due to their own insecurities. These individuals then focus their oppositions at one another or at foreigners in an attempt to relieve the tension that they experience from being in a strange place and interacting with a new environment. Such actions are pivotal to the plots of the two works studied because they highlight certain differences between American and European lifestyles and, in some sense, justify the emotions felt by the Americans while they are abroad. In any case, these competitions, although they can be negative, provide characters with a means of intermingling with their surroundings while traveling by permitting them to compare and contrast certain aspects of their lives with those of others and discovering relationships between them.
Posted by on October 02, 2003 at 02:15 PM