Though I really enjoyed reading "Daisy Miller", I was disappointed not to come out at the end with a moral. To me, Daisy's death seemed sudden, and not related to a karmic punishment for her behavior — by the end, we barely know what she has been up to, anyway. The story seemed like a stripped down version of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, but less plot driven, as well as less decisive in its conclusion.
I have been trying to brainstorm what James might have intended for his audience to take away from the story, and have not been incredibly successful. I have considered that he might be discouraging judgement of others. Given Daisy's death at the end, it seems that she must have been wronged to some degree. However, she isn't made to be the most likeable character as the narrator grows tired of her games. Another idea I have considered is the foolishness of social status — the narrator lost his chance with Daisy Miller because he was (at least partially) caught up in his aunt's warnings against being associated with such a woman. Or, even more interestingly so, that stories don't necesserially need a "message" — that they can simply be enjoyable to read without one. I certainly found that true in my own reading.
Your points here are very interesting, and I agree that the ending to "Daisy Miller" is less than satisfactory. That said, I think this story is supposed to be tragic. As you've mentioned, the narrator lost his chance with Daisy after he became overly influenced by his aunt's warnings against being associated with such a public, non-discreet woman. Yet, the narrator does not recognize that he is infatuated with Daisy and he realizes too late that she seems to have feelings for him as well. I think the moral of the story is to follow your feelings and to never listen to others who gossip.
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