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Girl With A Pearl Earring By Gring Griet Analysis

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An important part in every person’s life is the search for personal identity and self-knowledge. This struggle involves working out a concept of oneself as a unique individual and embracing an ideology or system of values that provide a sense of direction, as stated in Weiten’s Psychology: Themes and Variations. Similarly, in Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, Griet grapples with her identity as a maid, and entertains the idea that she can choose a path not set out for her. Her journey of self-discovery leads to a deeper understanding of her role in Vermeer’s paintings, and what it means for her own life. The Vermeer’s influence on Griet affects her transition from adolescence into adulthood, thus affecting the choices she makes. These choices define Griet as a person even when she feels she no longer has any trace of her old self left. Although Griet does not completely sever her ties to her old life, Griet does fit the archetype of a hero on a hero’s quest because of the challenges crucial to her journey and through the redemption of her personal values.
As Griet begins work as a maid in the Vermeer household, she has extensive responsibilities thrust upon her both from the Vermeers and her family. While there, Griet encounters many obstacles; the first being her relationship with her new mistress Catharina. “Catharina remained on the threshold. I did not dare enter before her. After an awkward moment she ordered, ‘Open the shutters, then. Not the window on the left. Just the middle and far windows. And only the lower part of the middle window’” (Chevalier, 32). Catharina’s instruction from Johannes creates a lot of tension between Griet and herself; beginning Catharina’s resentment of Griet. Catharina does not like the fact that Johannes allows a maid in his studio, but not her. As Griet’s time in the Vermeer household continues, Vermeer eventually chooses to paint Griet, even though she does not wish to be painted because of her class and position. For Griet, that means giving up the only thing she has left- her identity- for the sake of Vermeer’s painting. “He seemed to be waiting for something. My face began to strain with the fear that I was not giving him what he wanted. ‘Griet’, he added

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