I see that all over the place. I think James intended it to be the overall theme.

what do you mean by progression matt?

Progression as in progress. By this time, the Civil War had ended and America was just establishing an identity...

...while Europe had already had a solid identity. America was changing the rules or challenging them just as Daisy does in the novella...

also her demeanor of being unpredictable coincides with America's future at the time with the homesteaders and such...

oh yeah. definitely see that. thank you ever so much for clarifying for me.