Girl With A Pearl Earring (Page 118-181)

Title: Girl with a Pearl Earring
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Page 118-181

Summary
Griet was now 17 years old. The butcher’s son Pieter became interested in her. Griet still avoid his feelings. Except, soon her parents noticed him by his gifts to the emaciated family. Due to his gifts, Griet’s parents influenced her to be with him. Therefore, they started to date. As Griet’s relationship with Pieter became more intense and deep, Vermeer was done with the baker’s daughter portrait and began to paint another painting. The painting was a portrait of van Ruijven’s wife. With the help of Griet, Vermeer became a bit faster in his work. The faster Vermeer could paint, the more money will bring to the large family. Griet’s help toward Vermeer was a secret from Catherine. Griet felt anguish to run the errands of the mistress and the master simultaneously. One day, Mr. van Ruijven came up with the idea of painting Griet. He wanted a painting of her and, of course, Vermeer couldn’t deny his request. Mr. van Ruijven was his patron. He was well known womanizer and had a bad reputation despise his wealth. Once, there was a rumor of one of van Ruijven’s maid being painted with her master. At the end of the painting, the maid was pregnant. Griet heard the rumor from Pieter. She became aware of Mr. van Ruijven’s intentions. Maria Thins appeased Griet that she will not be painted by the likes of Vermeer’s patron. Thins tried to evade van Ruijven’s train of thoughts by proposing of his son in law to paint three musicians in a concert which he thought it was an excellent idea. On the other hand, the patron’s idea remained. Vermeer painted two pieces of arts. One painting about his patron and his two daughters playing musical instruments and another one of Griet alone, Griet’s portrait was a kept a secret from anyone in the story besides Maria Thins.

Quote
“His expression was not angry, but weary, as of a man who just seen all the wood he must chop, or a maid faced with a mountain of laundry” (Chevalier 163).

Reaction
Finally, Vermeer starts to paint Griet. Chevalier made a great assumption behind this mysterious painting. Since, most historians do not know who the girl in Vermeer’s painting is and why he painted her. Anyhow, Griet’s life has been common. She had gotten used to the endless chores and Catherine’s expectation from her. Griet’s conscience became heavier and heavier every single day by keeping secrets from her mistress. I foreshadow the secret will be divulge anytime soon. In the quote above, the narrator describes the reader about Vermeer being drunk. Vermeer was jaded by doubling his job. This quote is excellence since it has two literary devices. One is the simile with Vermeer and a man who cuts wood. The other one is the hyperbole with Griet and her laundry. The reader gets the idea that Griet has a ton of laundry but not exactly as a mountain. It is an interesting quote!