Comparing Girl With A Pearl Earring

Throughout 17th century Holland, many people of the lower class sacrificed their life to improve the life of others important to them. People of the higher class didn’t realize the struggles some people and families went through to survive each day. Each character suffers to a certain extent throughout the duration of the book. The author, Tracy Chevalier, captures the differences and difficulties the separate social classes run into. Chevalier also captures the adaptation that the maids have to do when working in an unusual atmosphere The novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring, shows how different social classes have to adapt and collide in the duration of the book.
To start, Griet in the book is obviously in a lower class which is clearly stated …show more content…
Throughout the book Griet starts to butt heads with one of her bosses named Catharina. This is because Griet has more flexibility than Catharina with the places she can go to in the house. Catharina has to adapt to this action, but she has a hard time doing that. Catharina, the wife of Vermeer, does not adapt or like Griet at any part of this book. Catharina is very uptight, rude, and sassy towards Griet because she notices, since the beginning, Griet has had a connection with Vermeer that Catharina does not have. Catharina would never dream of giving Griet any compliments like others in the book because she is jealous and judgmental of Griet. Catharina is nowhere near to being ready to adapt to another person entering her life that is not a family member. Griet, Vermeer, and the rest of the family has to keep the secret about Vermeer painting Griet from Catharina because she would be immensely jealous. The secret becomes extremely difficult to keep from her because her daughter, Cornelia, who is not very fond of Griet either, is starting to get scepticle. Between the pages 210-216 is when Catharina finds out. She completely destroys the painting with a knife. This shows that Catharina will never be accepting of Griet and will continue to collide on the marjority of things. Catharina, unlike her daughter, does not fixate her life on …show more content…
Griet, the lower class character, adapts to the ways of the homeowner’s life only because she knows the consequences if she does not. She would no longer have the job if she fought back against Catharina and Cornelia. On the other hand, the higher class characters, Catharina and Cornelia, know they have more power over Griet which makes them think she has to meet their requirements to have them adapt. This mother-daughter duo does not have the ability to adapt to another person who is a complete stranger. These three characters worlds collide in the attempt of getting rid of the one who is not considered important to the family,