Girl with a Pearl Earring Reader Reponse
Irene Zhou
Ms. Ulrich
9HLA-3
23 March 2014
Faith and the Arts
The arts are universal. Just as music is the worldwide language for all people with hearing, color is the collective language for all people with sight. In fact, color is so deeply ingrained in society and religion that it has become the most basic representation of any group. In Girl With a Pearl Earring, color and religion combine to explain Griet’s life and experiences.
As I read, I noticed that religion, though infrequently mentioned directly, is significant in the novel. This novel is subtly anti-Catholic, even though Griet’s father seems to support Catholicism, claiming that “they were no different from [Protestants]. If anything they were less solemn” (Chevalier 13). However, the Vermeers’ Catholic religious beliefs are blamed for Griet’s change in personality at the end of the book, when her mother scolds her for mentioning the family troubles, since they were “a decent Protestant family whose needs are not ruled by riches or fashions” (Chevalier 137). Additionally, Griet starts lying, eavesdropping, and keeping secrets especially after the quarantine – when she wasn’t allowed to see her family on Sundays, therefore cutting her off from her religion – since she starts to drift away from her family and barely relates with them anymore on her Sundays off. I found it strange how Catholics are described as more free and liberal than Protestants, since many people describe Protestants as being much more liberal in ideology than Catholics. However, it makes sense that Griet’s Protestant family would describe the Vermeers as practicing their religion so freely that they are greedy and materialistic, since the two branches of Christianity are notorious for their opposition. Since the novel is based heavily on a painting, I realized that Griet’s life might also revolve around color, in a general sense. As Griet’s life progresses in the story, the colors that she is exposed to gradually start to change.
Ms. Ulrich
9HLA-3
23 March 2014
Faith and the Arts
The arts are universal. Just as music is the worldwide language for all people with hearing, color is the collective language for all people with sight. In fact, color is so deeply ingrained in society and religion that it has become the most basic representation of any group. In Girl With a Pearl Earring, color and religion combine to explain Griet’s life and experiences.
As I read, I noticed that religion, though infrequently mentioned directly, is significant in the novel. This novel is subtly anti-Catholic, even though Griet’s father seems to support Catholicism, claiming that “they were no different from [Protestants]. If anything they were less solemn” (Chevalier 13). However, the Vermeers’ Catholic religious beliefs are blamed for Griet’s change in personality at the end of the book, when her mother scolds her for mentioning the family troubles, since they were “a decent Protestant family whose needs are not ruled by riches or fashions” (Chevalier 137). Additionally, Griet starts lying, eavesdropping, and keeping secrets especially after the quarantine – when she wasn’t allowed to see her family on Sundays, therefore cutting her off from her religion – since she starts to drift away from her family and barely relates with them anymore on her Sundays off. I found it strange how Catholics are described as more free and liberal than Protestants, since many people describe Protestants as being much more liberal in ideology than Catholics. However, it makes sense that Griet’s Protestant family would describe the Vermeers as practicing their religion so freely that they are greedy and materialistic, since the two branches of Christianity are notorious for their opposition. Since the novel is based heavily on a painting, I realized that Griet’s life might also revolve around color, in a general sense. As Griet’s life progresses in the story, the colors that she is exposed to gradually start to change.