Girl With A Pearl Earring

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Francesca Kavanagh

Tracy Chevalier, the author of Girl with a Pearl Earring, positions us to view the characters Vermeer and Griet, as susceptible, visually perspective individuals who are outsiders in their own family. Vermeer is a Dutch painter while Griet is a teenage girl from a poor family coming to work as a servant. Set in the seventeenth century, Chevalier creates a fictional story about a portrait painted by J. Vermeer of a young girl wearing a pearl earring that no one knows the true story behind. She writes this through the point of view of Griet. Through the first person narrator, characters’ speech and actions, the plot and the setting, Chevalier is able to position our views on different characters.

Chevalier positions us to view the 16 year-old Griet with empathy because she is confined in a world she cannot get out because of her obligation to her parents, employers and Pieter, fear of reputation loss and her social standing in society. Throughout the novel, Griet shows her passion for colour, shape, illusion and light.’ The colours fight when they are side by side’ ‘I knew before he did. When I saw what was needed - that point of brightness he had used to catch the eyes in other paintings.’ Despite her strong artistic ability, Griet is unable to pursue her interest because of her gender and social status. Chevalier is able to position us to sympathize with Griet simply because in our society, we believe in justice and human rights.

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Through Griet’s first person narration, we are also positioned to view her in an optimistic manner. The feelings that Griet feels with different characters are the same as what we feel because everything we see and hear is through Griet eyes and ears. Chevalier has chosen to write the story in Griet’s point of view because she wants us to be able to relate to Griet. For example, despite her poignant relationship with Vermeer, we still view her in a positive light because we know her story. ‘I did not mind that it was not an easy pose to hold, ...

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