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
Carol Pearson says “heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves.” In Girl with a Pearl Earring, a novel by Tracy Chevalier, protagonist, Griet, does all of those things. In a way to deal with unfortunate events, Griet becomes a maid for the Vermeer family. In this unknown upper-class world, Griet takes a hold onto something that she thought could provide a future for her, Johannes Vermeer, her master. She becomes an apprentice to him, and this eventually leads to Vermeer painting her with a special pair of pearl earrings. All of her challenges through this story help Griet find her identity. Although Paptists’ Corner is not completely unknown to Griet, Griet does fit the archetype of a hero’s quest because she has a call after she is missing something and has a transformation because of the Vermeers.
The short story“The Necklace” by Gui de Maupassant follows Madame Loisel and her husband who are living in the middle-class during the rise of the middle class in Paris, France.There are many different examples of irony throughout the short story, demonstrating Maupassant's talent at commenting on the society in which he was immersed in. The theme of “The Necklace” is revealed through the character Madame Loisel, irony, and symbolism.
In a girl with the pearl earring the protagonist, Griet, is sent to be a maid the artist Johannes Vermeer and his growing family. In this household she becomes close to Vermeer’s work, and eventually the secretive painting of Griet seeps out into the rest of the family and the town beyond.
But, for the first time, her daughter stares into her eyes, and her response is astounding as well as startling, considering her age. She says, “Mommy, there's a world in your eye. Mommy, where did you get that world in your eye?", and for the first time since the beginning of the piece, we experience Alice’s confidence once again (6). She realizes her self-worth, and that it is not determined by her appearance, she says, “Yes indeed, I realized, looking into the mirror. There was a world in my eye” and although she went through a good portion of her life believing that she wasn’t beautiful, or sufficient, it was all worth it because it taught her to love herself even more now (6). To end the piece, she illustrates a dream she had: it’s her old self-doubting self and another her, confident and radiating, coming together. She is once again able to speak of herself in a positive way, she states that the latter self is “beautiful, whole, and free. And she is also [her]”, which, in a way, exhibits that same attitude she had as a two-year-old (6). Twenty-seven-year-old Alice completely contradicts twelve-year-old Alice, who would “abuse [her] eye” and who did “not pray for sight” but “for beauty” (4); she now speaks of herself
In the novel Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, Griet faces many challenges which causes her identity to change. Though Griet starts out as an innocent maid who has to follow orders, she starts developing her own opinion and the ability to make decisions. Griet changes from an household servant to having the courage to share her opinion to a mature lady, capable of making her own decisions. Many factors contribute to the change in Griet’s identity, but the main factor is Vermeer, her master.
‘The Necklace’ is a morality tale written by Guy de Maupassant where he portrays the life of a beautiful but dissatisfied girl named Mathilde who desires to live a luxurious life despite being born into a clerk’s family and marrying a clerk too. Mathilde’s discontentment in life instigates her to pretend someone rich that she is not. Moreover, it leads her to severe trouble that caused ten years of hardship to Mathilde and her husband. So, this suffering is a punishment for Mathilde which taught her a lesson and changed her dramatically over the course of the story by making her a person of completely different personality for whom appearances
Edna is not a senior artist like Mademoiselle Reisz, whose piano overshadows her personal life. Likewise, Edna is not a recreational artist like Madame Ratignolle, whose musical talent is another example of her domesticity. The progress Edna makes with her paintings and illustrations is more of an indication of her growth as an individual than a catalyst for it. Instead, it is music that warrants a change in Edna, inviting her to experience passions otherwise lacking in her daily life. In that sense, art plays a crucial role in Edna's personal and emotional
Kelly J. Mayes defines plot in The Norton Introduction to Literature as the way the author sequences and paces the events so as to shape our response and interpretation. Every piece of literature contains a plot pattern that follows Freytag’s pyramid. This pyramid consists of an exposition, rising action, a climax, falling action, and a conclusion. Though each story displays this pattern of organization, authors use many different literary devices to differentiate their work and to acquire the response they want to achieve from their audience. The author of “The Jewelry,” Guy De Maupassant, correctly followed Freytag’s Pyramid and used varied literary devices to create a suspenseful read for the audience.
Have you ever want too many things even though your life was already fulfilled and lost yourself? Have you ever ask too much and regret for what you did? Every desire, ambition, selfishness and a bit of extravagant of a human being was carefully portrayed in this story, “The Necklace”. The story is about a young woman named Mathilde Loisel. Born in a family of artisans, she wasn’t rich, but beautiful and glamor. But she never feel satisfied of what she had and never stop dreaming to have more, to live a luxury life with expensive homes and glittering dresses, and eventually paid hard for her nonsense dreams. In “The Necklace”, Guy de Maupassant uses third person limited narration to show how Mathilde Loisel changes in how she
Two of the greatest short stories written back in late 19th and early 20th centuries are still read by many people. The two stories are “A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner and Guy De Maupassant’s “The Necklace”. Faulkner’s book is about a woman named Emily Grierson’s life and her horrible secret she hides. The other book is about a materialistic woman named Mathilde Loisel loses a fake necklace and find out to be a fake one after ten years later. Although these stories are written about fifty years apart and written from two different countries, these two stories have many similarities and differences. “A Rose for Emily” and “The Necklace” are juxtaposed with the main characters, usage of symbolism on the title, and the tone
In Guy De Mauspassant's `The Necklace," the author examines the theme of how learning a difficult lesson about honesty can impact someone for the rest of their life. The author also examines the theme through the use of his title, the characters who act out the events, and the plot.
The internal conflicts established in “The Necklace” were a result of Madame Loisels perception of happiness. Because of her ungrateful and dejected views on life, she didn’t realize nor recognize true merriment. In the text, Guy De Maupassant shows how Madame “..was one of those pretty and charming girls born as though fate had blundered over her, into a family of
How you ever met a person who is different on the inside than on the outside? Mathilde Loisel is a pretty, middle-class woman who lives in Paris in the late 1800s. The story “The Necklace” is written by Guy de Maupassant. She doesn’t think about others/selfish. Her husband treats her like he should and she isn’t happy with it. She cares too much about her outward appearance. Besides the fact that she is pretty, Mathilde Loisel is also a closed-minded, selfish, and a vain person.
The experiences we have in childhood do much to shape our adult identity. In her novel Cat's Eye, Margaret Atwood chronicles the life of artist Elaine Risley, and through a series of flashbacks shows the reader how she became her adult self. The retrospective showing of Elaine's artwork provides a framework for the retrospective of her journey from child to adult. Because Atwood was creating a fictional character, she was free to incorporate some very dramatic events that impacted Elaine's thoughts and feelings. Most of us do not have as much drama in our lives I certainly did not and yet the people, circumstances and occurrences in our lives affect us profoundly. We create our identity by the friends we choose, the decisions we make, and the way we respond to things that happen around us. Some things happen to us, and we also make conscious choices.
The novel Girl with a Pearl Earring should definitely be included on the Novel Ideas book club reading list. Elyshia Hickey reveals why this fascinating, historical and romantic story will appeal to an adolescent audience, as it explores the theme of sensual awakening. Set in 17th century Delft, Chevalier’s novel explores the deep but forbidden love between a young maid and her master. The author’s clever combination of an intriguing story, remarkable characters and descriptive language allowed her to explore the themes of forbidden love, predators and sexual desires.