The conversational tone of the novella is simultaneously marked by playful diction and sharp sarcasm. As a result, the tone highlights the narrator's clever yet measured approach and familiar yet removed position.
Daisy Miller is narrated in the third person, but the narration generally takes Winterbourne's consciousness as the guiding lens. This introduces questions about the reliability of the narrator. For example, the reader may wonder how complete or fair Daisy's character development is if Winterbourne's perspective determines the narrator's understanding of her. Other times, the narrator adopts other characters' points of view without directly quoting them. This leads to a collapse between the narrator and characters.
Although first-person narration occurs a few times in the exposition, the narrator never steps foot into the novella's action. These instances flow within the broader narrative and can almost risk being overlooked by the reader. Nevertheless, the narrator is, from the very beginning, established as more than simply a distant omniscient narrator totally removed from the novel’s characters and events. It even seems like the narrator and Winterbourne are friends.
This apparent acquaintance with the characters gives the narrator grounds to maintain a sharp, familiar, and sarcastic tone. Nevertheless, the reader receives no concrete hints about the identity or role of the narrator, so the narrator's connection to the characters is never all that clear. The narrator thus maintains a tone that balances omniscience and intimacy.
