Irmo Branch Library - Multimedia Book Club discussion

Hallo allemaal! (Hello Everyone, in Dutch)

We hope that, "Girl With a Pearl Earring," has given you much to consider in terms of how history is portrayed, characterization, religion and relationships. Tracy Chevalier paints a vivid picture (no pun intended) of what life must have been like for a young maid and an artist in the 17th century. We will begin the first part of our discussion with questions about the protagonist, issues of social class and religion, and how they affect our characters.

1. What role do social and class differences play in creating a divide between some of the characters? How do these differences in class and social status create conflict? How do these differences lead to character development?

2. Do you think Griet was typical of other girls her age? In what ways? How did she differ? Did you find her compassionate or selfish? Giving or judgmental?

3. What is Griet's first impression of the Vermeers? How does the couple live up to Griet's expectation? How does Griet's first impression differ from your impression as the reader? What do you feel are the reasons for these differences?

4. In what ways do you feel religion affected Griet's relationship with Vermeer, his wife and Maria Thins? How does religion affect the story?

Comment and post your thoughts and any replies below.
We hope you continue to enjoy the story as January continues!

1. Throughout the novel we are reminded, usually by the protagonist, of her standing in society. Griet is always thinking of staying "in her place" as a maid although Vermeer constantly places her in positions where she must step out of the stereotypical boundaries of her station. Wearing colors "meant for ladies," Vermeer urging Griet to pose doing activities that women of her financial status and trade would not normally do, having the ability to learn about painting with her master at times when she would have been cleaning for her mistress. All of these actions are outside of what Griet would have been considered to be allowed to do by society. This causes a clash between Catharina and Griet, as the young girl tries to keep her time with Vermeer a secret as to not risk losing her job. Her family relies on every bit of money Griet brings home, so she walks on eggshells daily not to upset her very insecure mistress. There is a stark contrast in the way that the Vermeers live versus the way that Griet's family lives and Griet angering her mistress could mean the death of a loved one if they cannot afford basic resources to live. With all of this in mind, I felt I saw the young protagonist grow in maturity by learning when to speak, when to step back, and learning how to be firm with the situation called for it most. She had to learn to make difficult decisions throughout the story and had to live with the consequences that they led to.



2. Griet had to grow up very quickly as a teenager. Because of her family's financial woes, she had to give up a somewhat carefree childhood, for caring for the household and children of someone else. That is not typical of teenagers, at least compared to the modern generation. However, this may have been more common for young girls of the 1600s. Griet was disappointed, but did not complain. She attempted to make the best of her circumstances even when she was treated unfairly. Given her situation in life, I feel that she was as giving as she could be. Vermeer put her in compromising positions many times and she did what she thought best as to please him as her master without displeasing his wife. I thought it was sweet how she made time for her sister who was lonely once Griet and her brother left to work to help the family survive. Griet showed compassion when letting the children like Maertge spend time with her even at times when she really wanted to be alone. In my eyes, although very soft spoken and timid, Griet was compassionate, kindhearted and strong when it mattered most.



3. Griet's first thoughts of the Vermeers were heavily influenced by her faith and how she viewed them as a Catholic family. She focuses on the crucifix that hangs in her room and when she is confronted with Catholicism and luxury living, it challenges her own beliefs and thoughts on modesty and simplicity. Griet was taught that Catholicism was a faith not to be trusted, and she maintained a silent but watchful observance of the family. I think to an extent, they did live up to her expectations when it comes to money and status, but in some ways did not seem as terrible as she was taught people with that belief system could be. What I noticed about the family is how detached Catharina seemed from her many children and how even more detached Vermeer appeared to be from them. The maids were more like parents to the Vermeer children than the actual parents themselves. I believe this was an elevated observation for me because of the modern lens that I was reading from. Parents in our generation are much more involved in the lives and daily activities of their children; whereas in the novel set in the 1600s, Catharina and Vermeer had many children but did not seem to spend much quality time with any of them. I know that maids in that time period would do much of the child rearing, however, it still came as a surprise to me when Catharina wanted to continue having more children.



4. Religion shapes how Griet feels about the family initially. She was not keen on working for a Catholic family and was very uncomfortable with Catholic imagery in the household. She did her best to stay steadfast and loyal to her own faith practice of Protestantism. There was a level of distrust of the Vermeer family when she first arrived, that softened as she began to get to know Maria Thins and Johannes Vermeer as more than master and mistress. When she has philosophical conversations over paintings with Vermeer, Griet's mind opens to what may be beneficial about both Christian faiths. I do believe however, that the distrust remained between Catharina and Griet as we can see by the final circumstance at the end of novel, and by a mischievous incident created by Cornelia towards Griet. This distrust began as a seed planted by religious differences and lifestyle differences, and continued to grow due to issues of class and status between maid and mistress.


I listened to the audiobook version of this novel read by Jenna Lamia, who perfectly captures the quiet strength of Griet, and wonderfully portrays each character. The plot kept my attention and the relationships between the characters had great variety and detail. I really enjoyed Girl with a Pearl Earring!

1) This book was a slow burn, especially in the beginning when Chevalier is establishing the setting and character. Given that Vermeers' paintings were about daily middle class life, giving plenty of time to the setting makes sense. Griet goes about her chores as a maid and visits the markets, and I can see how she would find the routine of a painter, a man of leisure, more interesting than her own. The author suggests that Griet has an interest in art itself, that she generally thinks and sees like a painter also, and that Vermeer recognizes this in her. Griet was not so far removed from Vermeer's world. Her father was a member of the same Guild, an artist of a different sort, but with a collegial relationship with the Vermeer family. If Griet had been male instead of female, she would have been a painter making of Delft tiles like her brother. (And so the subplot of her brother blowing his opportunity to be a tile painter is especially poignant as Griet goes through her experience.)

The limit of her station has as much to do with her gender as with her class, because if she were male, she would have more ability to lift herself out of the impoverished situation where her father's misfortune has placed her and her family. As a female, she is limited to her ability to attract a spouse for any lasting change in her station. Vermeer's and van Riujven's interest in her as an attractive object (for painting or otherwise) poses a threat to her valuableness as a prospective bride, and yet she is willing to compromise her security for greater proximity to Vermeer and his art. She is conflicted, but the author suggests that her draw is to something more noble in the artist. I never got on board with Griet's attraction to Vermeer because of the power dynamic at play. I can see how this could really happen and read the situation more as Griet being exploited by a man in position of power. But what's in it for her is the chance to be close to the paint and the process of a great artist, which would not otherwise be available to her as a woman, no matter what class she occupied. We see this in the ways Griet complies with Vermeers escalating requests and in Catharina's frustration in being barred from her husband's world of art. Griet is presented a unique opportunity for any woman, and that Vermeer offers it to her and not to his wife Catharina drives a deep wedge between Griet and the other women of the house.

2) Griet is different from the other women of her station. She is more observant and curious than other women of work, like Tanneke, and she has a unique quality of soul that attract Vermeer to her in a different way than his physical attraction to Catharina. We know from the many children in quick succession that Jan is not in need a physical partner, and he seems to seek in Griet a more soulful connection through an appreciation of art. The thing is all people have the propensity to appreciate art, but it needs to be nurtured. Griet has been lucky to have her father and now Vermeer foster this in her. Griet's brother doesn't appreciate his opportunity to paint tiles; Vermeer does not see in Catharina an equal of soul or mind. These mismatches make the story tragic for these characters.

Griet would have wanted to be a painter herself in some capacity, and I think this shows us something universal about women throughout time who have been denied the same opportunities as men to develop an intellectual and/or artistic side. Pieter the butcher's son presents one of the best possible outcomes for her, yet she resists him for a long time. In the climax of the book, she could have avoided the scandal altogether by accepting Pieter's marriage proposal on the spot and leaving instead of going back upstairs to be painted. In this way Griet takes charge of her own destiny, for better or for worse, but in the end comes to accept her role as a working man's wife.

3) Some of Griet's first impressions of the Vermeers bothered me. She seemed instantly to have chemistry with Jan Vermeer, and I didn't really understand why! He is a famous painter and notices how she sorts vegetables... why find him alluring? It's more clear as the story goes on the Griet connects with him because of a mutual interest in art, but I didn't find it convincing at first that she would find him intriguing for any other reason than his fame. Another thing was that her dislike of Catharina seemed unearned in the early parts of the book. By the end, sure, Catharina earns some of her villain status, but Griet just seems judgmental toward her at first! Being pregnant constantly and married to an artist who does not bring in a steady income would lower anyone's patience, especially with a new maid who doesn't know basic decorum between employer and employee. I felt that Griet expected somewhat special treatment, which endeared her to Vermeer but made all the other ladies of the house resent her. And slapping the little girl right off the bat? That was a bad choice and I'm not surprised Cornelia had it out for her... Griet was not as innocent as she liked to believe about herself, which I think we all manage to realize by the end of the book, including Griet.

4) I agree with Kyland that Griet is very focused on the religious differences between her family and Vermeers. As a modern and outside observer, it doesn't seem like the difference between Catholic and Protestant would be so notable, but in taking a quick look at the history, I learned that this story happened at a point in time when the Protestant Reformation had really shaken up the social order in the Netherlands. It was still a new normal, yet the tables were already turning so that Catholics were fair game for discrimination. It also had changed the culture such that artists no longer could rely on commissions from the Catholic Church for liturgical paintings. This plays into the story because of Vermeer's dependence on commissions from wealthy people. Yet Vermeer is able to find the sacred in the everyday objects he paints, which Griet notices gives the paintings something that makes them seem Catholic, as she says. Chevalier's exploration of these elements is subtle, the discussion among characters limited and understated, but it gives modern readers a lot to unpack. While the story was slow to me at first, this layering of historical context is what made the book for me. When doing even cursory research on Vermeer and the history of his art and the time, it's possible to discover new things about the story and characters. Chevalier demonstrates the richness of her research by weaving these details into the story, blending historical elements with her fictional development of the characters to give a glimpse of how people may have truly lived and felt. The book left me with even more interest in Vermeer, his work, and this period in history.