Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier tells the story of a young girl named Griet who is hired to work as a maid for a famous painter. Griet is a headstrong and clever girl who is deeply loyal to her family, especially her Father, who was injured in a kiln accident. When Griet first meets her Master and Mistress, she takes an instant interest in him.
Throughout the story, we see a common theme of art and obsession. The master is obsessed with making great pieces of art. He often takes months to create one piece, often going back and changing things or putting in small details, somehow bringing the art to life. He spends most of his time locked in his studio, where no one is allowed to enter, not even his wife. That is until Griet is hired to clean it. Griet’s interest in her Master becomes a fascination for both his art and him. When she first sees that painting he had been working on, she instantly falls in love with it, wishing she could someday be in one. As the story goes on and her connection with her master becomes more intimate we see her learning to see as an artist does. We find out early on in the story that Griet has an eye for color and detail. We see this by the way she color coordinates the vegetables for the soup and by how carefully she cleans his studio. She makes sure to be precise when picking objects up and then putting them back in the exact same spot.
This novel is a great coming-of-age story and I’m interested to see Griet’s progression into becoming a woman.
Though Griet is strong and knows better than to give in to the temptation of men (like Pieter the son or the Guard who wouldn’t give her information about her family). As the story continues, I know we will see how fascination can quickly change into something deeper between her and her Master.