Illness Abroad

Carry-on Cure

After reading Daisy Miller, I was especially drawn to the idea of illness throughout the book, and was then intrigued to come across the following article, Attitude and Illness in James' 'Daisy Miller'*, discussing just that. The article presents the idea that illness strikes as a result of the attitudes the Americans take toward the European society, not actual stimulants in the environment. It claims that Daisy herself does not get sick until she realizes that others are talking about her, and then contracts “Roman fever,” as a result of her sudden distaste for Europe and the society around her. The article also suggests that the Miller family dyspepsia and Mrs. Costello’s chronic headaches are a result of their anxiety over not fully accepting, or being accepted into the society. The article suggests that they are subconsciously getting sick, so they have an excuse to cut themselves off from European society and keep to themselves. This is contrasted by the idea that Mrs. Walker and Winterbourne remain healthy throughout the novel, because they have the "right" attitude, and have adjusted to and accepted European society.
I think this idea is well supported throughout the novel, and makes sense even beyond the pages of the book. When you are nervous about something, in this case about your surroundings, your nervous system tends to act up and your immune system breaks down. If you are in an unfamiliar situation and feeling uncomfortable or not content with your surroundings, you are more likely to contract whatever diseases are surrounding you. Also, if you are unsatisfied with you’re situation, you are more likely to make rash decisions to change your situation, which may put you in a compromising position. Or, of course, if you are trying to gain some alone time or cut yourself off from everything beyond your hotel room, pretending to be sick is always the best excuse.
In the context of the book, both Randolph and Mrs. Miller were nervous about being in Europe and missing America, and therefore neither got much sleep, which probably caused their dyspepsia to act up. As for Mrs. Costello, it appears that in America she was regarded as a woman of high class, but may have not received the same reception in Europe. She seems to use the excuse of a bad headache to get her out of meeting with people she doesn’t see worthy of her time, but it is unclear whether these headaches are a diagnosed issue, or just an excuse she made up. In Daisy’s case, she is healthy throughout most of her travels, as she follows her own principles and keeps an open mind, but it is when she is upset by what others are saying and makes the rash decision to act out against them that she contracts the disease. If she had kept her principles and traveled with Giovanelli, but listened to others advice and taken the pills she was offered, she would’ve been fine. Instead, she was stubborn and defiant, and it was her negative attitude that led to her death.
I think the moral of all of this is that if you keep an open mind throughout your travels, and not judge or build your expectations immediately, you are more likely to enjoy your experience and prevent yourself from getting ill. It’s important to listen to other’s advice, but keep to your principles, to ensure that you have the best experience.

*<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE|H1420025344&v=2.1&u=new64731&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&authCount=1>