ii
iii
iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work
or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the
references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, July 29, 2011
The Writer
Sariani Putranti
v
LEMBAR PERYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Sariani Putranti Nomor Mahasiswa : 041214087
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
AN ANALYSIS OF GRIET’S STRUGGLE FOR LIFE IN TRACY CHEVALIER’S GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikannya secara terbatas, memplubikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian surat pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta,
Pada tanggal: 29 Juli 2011 Yang menyatakan,
vi
As long as you live, keep learning how to live...
(Sacitta)
This thesis is dedicated to:
My Lord, Jesus Christ in the kingdom of heaven
My beloved family
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to God, finally I could finish this thesis. First of all, I would like to
give my deepest gratitude to my Lord,
Jesus Christ
who has accompanied me in
time of difficulty. He has been there to protect me, when I have no strenght to do
anything.
Second, I give my profound thanks to my sponsor,
Drs. L. Bambang
Hendarto Y., M.Hum
., who has guided and helped me during this thesis writing
process. I would like him to know that every time I meet him in Kota Baru, I
always get new spirit indirectly. I would also to thank him for teaching me to keep
my spirit in fighting this life. My gratitude also goes to
all PBI lectures and staff
,
who have given me valuable lessons and experiences during my study at Sanata
Dharma University. My appreciation also goes to all the staff in the library for
helping me so much in finding books and references.
My deepest gratitude also goes to my beloved parents,
Bapak Y. S.
Sariadi
and
Ibu Theresia Pawit Supriyani
. Thank you for trusting and
supporting me during my study at Sanata Dharma University. Thank you for your
love, prayer, and patience..
Thanks
to
“
Batman”
for his prayer, care and support, and to my ‘big’
little brother,
Gugus Febri Putranto
who has motivated me very much and who
has kept asking me my thesis progress. Thanks also to my sister
Ester
Kurniasari
,
Lukas Juniarsa
,
Olivia Lewi Pramesti, Andizoe, Mas Andik, Mas
Chiki
and
also
Mas Dhany
whose never ending support and short messages have
burnt my spirit to complete this thesis.
My special thanks goes to
Ika Widhyasti Dasmitta
who always supports me in
my desperation. Thanks for being my best friend, for this beautiful friendship,
and for offering me to proofread my thesis. I thank her for her suggestion and
corrections for every page of my thesis. Thanks also to
Hana, Yuni, Rita, Rina,
Indri, Eriska, Aline, Yanu, Tutik, Pius, Ahmed,
and
PBI students of 2004
. My
appreciation also goes to
Anik, Thomas, Adhis, Dita, Ichak
and
Atta
who have
helped me much. I thank them for supporting and sharing some materials for my
thesis.
I give my profound thanks to
Budhe Lucy
PRK
and
Romo Sardi
S.J.
who
have never been tired to motivate me during this completion of this thesis. Thanks
also to
Bu Titik, Tim-Tim, Andre, Mas Iwan
and
all of MUDIKA St. Joseph
family
for their togetherness. I thank
Dwi, Monic, Dewi,
and
Deka
for every
craziness we have had in the boardinghouse.
Thank you so much for the big family of
Cantus Firmus Choir
, especially
for
Mas Mbong, Rosalinda, Oon, Lany, Budi, and Mas Alex
for every beautiful
song we have sung together. My appreciation also goes to
PURIKIDS, ALL
PLUS
and
ALAM BAHASA
family, especially for
Paramita, Resty, Novika,
Bunga, Michiko,
and
Mbak Selly
who have always been great partners to work.
Thanks also to
THOSE
who have made me stronger by giving tears and pain.
Finally, I would like to thank every single cup of coffee which accompanies
me every day. Thanks for the life lessons given to me through the bitterness and
sweetness.
Sariani Putranti
ix
TABLE OF CONTENT
TITLE PAGE ... i
PAGES OF APPROVAL ... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI... ... v
PAGE OF DEDICATION... vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... ix
ABSTRACT ... xi
ABSTRAK ... xii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 4
C. Objectives of the Study ... 4
D. Benefit of the Study ... 4
E. Definition of Terms ... 5
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 7
A. Review of Related Studies ... 7
B. Review of Related Theories... 8
1. Character ... 8
a. Definition of Character ... 8
x
2. Characterization ... 10
a. Definition of Characterization ... 10
b. Ways of Characterization ... 10
3. Critical Appraoch... 13
4. Motivation... 14
5. Struggle for Life... 16
B. Sociocultural-Historical Background ... 17
1. The European Great Power ... 18
2. Social Structure ... 18
3. Religion ... 19
4. Painting... 20
C. Theoretical Framework ... 20
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ... 22
A. Object of the Study ... 22
B. Approach of the Study ... 23
C. Method of the Study ... 24
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ... 26
A. The Description of Griet ... 26
1. Brave ... 28
2. Hardworking ... 32
3. Quiet... 36
4. Careful... 38
xi
6. Smart and Artistic... 44
B. Griet’s Struggle for a Better Life ... 47
1. Causes of Griet’s Struggle ... 47
a. Her Family Condition... 49
b. Her Dreams... 51
2. Griet’s Struggle ... 52
a. Working as a Maid... 54
b. Working in the Attic to Grind and Mix Colors.... . 57
c. Being a Model of Painting... 61
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ... 65
A. Conclusions ... 65
B. Suggestions ... 67
1. Suggestion for Future Researchers ... 67
2. Suggestion for the Implementation of the Teaching Learning Process ... 68
REFERENCES ... 70
APPENDICES ... 72
Appendix 1 Cover of Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring ... 73
Appendix 2 Summary of Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring ... 74
Appendix 3 The Author’s Biography ... 76
xii
Appendix 5 Lesson Plan ... 79
Appendix 6 Sample Material for Teaching Short Essay
xiii ABSTRACT
Putranti, Sariani. 2011. An Analysis of Griet’s Struggle for Life in Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This study analyzes a novel written by Tracy Chevalier entitled Girl with a Pearl Earring, which shows how Griet, the main character of the novel, struggles for life. The novel is worth analyzing since it tells about human being’s struggle for life as reflected in the way a girl struggle to overcome the problems she encounters in her life, and to get a better life by pursuing her dreams.
The aim of this study is to analyze how Griet, the main character of the novel, manages to struggle in changing her life into a better one. In order to achieve the aim, two problems are discussed in this study. Firstly, it deals with Griet portrayal as revealed in the novel. Secondly, it deals with her struggle and how she struggles to get a better life.
Library study is applied in this study, in which the primary source is obtained from the novel itself. While the secondary sources are taken from books on psychology and literary theories. The internet sources are also used as supportive data for this analysis. Theories of character and characterization are applied to answer the first problem. Theories of motivation, struggle for life, and human basic needs are used to discuss the second problem.
Based on the analysis, Griet is portrayed as a brave, hardworking, quiet, careful, tough, smart and artistic. Those characteristics are revealed through her personal description, characters as seen by others, her speeches, her reactions, direct comments, her thoughts, and mannerism. Further, the analysis shows that there are two reasons that cause Griet to struggle. Firstly, it deals with her terrible family life caused by poverty and financial problems. Secondly, it deals with her dream. Therefore Griet carries out some ways to achieve a better life. The first is working as a maid. The second is working in the attic to grind and to mix colors. The third is being a model of painting. Griet also applies some categories of adjustment, there are: acceptance to the situation, problem solving, and self-defense mechanism. In her struggle, Griet is able to satisfy some of her basic needs.
xiv
ABSTRAK
Putranti, Sariani. 2011. An Analysis of Griet’s Struggle for Life in Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini menganalisa sebuah novel karya Tracy Chevalier yang berjudul Girl with a Pearl Earring, yang menggambarkan perjuangan hidup Griet, tokoh utama dalam novel. Novel ini bermanfaat untuk dianalisa karena menggambarkan perjuangan hidup seorang manusia, yang tercermin dari perjuangan seorang gadis yang berjuang mengatasi permasalahan dalam hidupnya dan untuk mendapatkan kehidupan yang lebih baik dengan meraih mimpinya.
Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah untuk menganalisa bagaimana Griet, tokoh utama dalam novel, berhasil berjuang dalam mengubah hidupnya menjadi lebih baik. Untuk mencapai tujuannya, dua permasalahan dibahas dalam skripsi ini. Pertama, dalam hubungannya dengan gambaran Griet seperti dipaparkan dalam novel. Kedua, dalam hubungannya dengan perjuangan Griet untuk hidup yang lebih baik, yang dibagi menjadi dua bagian yaitu penyebab perjuangan dan bagaimana dia berjuang untuk memperoleh hidup yang lebih baik.
Penelitian perpustakaan diterapkan dalam skripsi ini, dengan sumber utamanya adalah novel itu sendiri. Sedangkan sumber-sumber tambahan diperoleh dari buku-buku yang berhubungan dengan teori psikologi dan literature. Sumber-sumber dari internet juga digunakan sebagai data pendukung analisa. Teori tokoh dan penokohan digunakan untuk menjawab permasalahan pertama. Teori motivasi, perjuangan hidup, dan kebtuhan dasar manusia digunakan untuk menjawab permasalahan kedua.
Berdasarkan analisa, Griet digambarkan sebagai seorang yang berani, pekerja keras, pendiam, teliti, tegar, pintar dan artistik. Karakter tersebut digambarkan melalui deskripsi personalnya, karakteristik sebagaimana dilihat oleh orang lain, ucapannya, komentar langsung, reaksinya, pemikirannya, dan kebiasaanya. Selanjutnya, analisa juga menunjukkan bahwa ada dua alasan yang menyebabkan Griet berjuang. Pertama, kehidupan keluarganya yang buruk yang diakibatkan karena kemiskinan dan kendala keuangan. Kedua, mimpi-mimpinya. Dengan demikian Griet melakukan beberapa cara untuk memperoleh hidup yang lebih baik. Tindakan pertama adalah bekerja sebagai pelayan rumah tangga. Tindakan kedua adalah bekerja di loteng untuk menggerinda dan mencampur warna. Tindakan ketiga adalah menjadi model lukisan. Griet juga menerapkan beberapa kategori penyesuaian, yaitu: penerimaan akan situasi, penyelesaian masalah, dan mekanisme pertahanan diri. Dalam perjuangannya, Griet dapat memenuhi beberapa kebutuhan dasarnya.
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents background of the study, problem formulation,
objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of term. The
background of the study gives explanation about the topic and the reason why the
writer chooses the novel and the topic. The problem formulation presents the
problems or questions which guide to the analysis of the novel. The objectives of
the study aim to answer the questions stated in the problem formulation. The
benefits of the study explain the advantages of the study. Finally, the definition of
term provides some information related to the study.
A. Background of the Study
There is no life without problems. In life, God gives us both happiness and
sorrow. Many things happen to us, to meet another, to love another, to face
problems and so on. The problems and difficulties could be in various aspects of
life; family problems, financial problems, individual problems, job, relationship
and many more. Being able to face and solve the problems will strengthen people
themselves. Poeple’s quality will be tested and improved throughout the
problems. How people face the reality, how they solve their problems and how
they struggle for life are parts of life experiences.
Life is not only about happiness. When problems come, people must face
must not stop at the moment. Even though it is very hard and difficult to solve.
People have to believe and have efforts to get happiness and better life. According
to Peale, struggle is defined as to strive, to make a great effort, to labor hard, with
a twist, or with contortions of body. Recognizing that human has intelligence and
brain to think, human also has ideas and faith to solve every problem happening in
life (http:www.brainyquote.com/words/st/struggle224910).
Literature provides many aspects of life; information, amusement,
entertainment and many more. By reading literature, we can get information and
life’s value in relation with human life such as psychology, social, moral, history,
and other sides of life. As stated by Rohreberger and Woods (10), literature is a
criticism of life that influences man in the society, and literature helps to express
the values of life, restraint and human dignity. Works of literature express human
life experiences. An author of a literary work expresses his feelings or reflections
of human experiences.
Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of the novels which
shares about struggle in life related to the maid life. The novel was written by
Tracy Chevalier in United State in 1999. In this story, she shows the reader about
a Dutch maid’s life around 1664-1676 in the Dutch city of Delft. The focus of the
story is Griet, a 16 year-old-girl who lives with her family in Delft. She struggles
for her better life in difficult situations and problems. Griet’s father gets an
accident when he is working as a tile maker; he loses his eyes and his eyesight, so
Through this situation, Chevalier tells the life of the main character of the
novel who faces reality, conflict, and further problems she struggles in life. In this
novel, Chevalier describes Griet as a unique person. Her struggle for life begins
when she faces bad economical problems and family problems. She has to adapt
with new situation of Dutch maid’s life, because she obtains her first job as a
servant in Vermeer’s household. Vermeer is a famous painter, his wife is
Chatarina and they have five children. Griet has to do housework of any kind. She
also cleans Vermeer’s studio of painting where Vermeer creates his masterpieces.
When Griet works as a maid in this family, there are a lot of conflicts happening.
Chatarina already dislikes her because her husband gives Griet all his attention.
Chatarina dislikes Griet because Chatarina is not allowed to enter the Master’s
studio. Meanwhile, Griet feels under pressure of Tanneke, the senior maid. One
of Vermeer’s daughters is also moody and always wants to annoy Griet, and she is
Cornelia. There are also problems coming from Vermeer’s patron and other
problems related to her relationship and her religious practice.
Griet’s struggle in her life is inspiring and interesting to discuss. The novel
provides a story of Griet’s reactions toward every condition that has happened. No
matter how hard her problems are, she always keeps her spirit on struggling and
keeps the effort to get her better life. This story provides me a valuable lesson
that life is not easy and full of obstacles. Griet’s spirit in life teaches me to keep
struggling even in the most difficult situation I have to deal with . That is why I
B. Problem Formulation
In analyzing the novel, there are two problems related to the topic of the
study. The problems are formulated as follows:
1. How is Griet, the main character, described in the novel?
2. How does Griet struggle for life?
C. Objectives of the Study
The objective of the study is to find out Griet’s struggle for life as seen in
Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Therefore, there are two problems to
answer in the study. The first is to find out the description of Griet’s character in
the novel. The second is to analyze Griet’s struggle to the situation she faces in
her life.
D. Benefits of the Study
The novel deals with Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with the Pearl Earring. Firstly,
this study is hoped to enrich the students of English Language Program of Sanata
Dharma University with more literary works. Furthermore, the readers can take
the values from the novel and be inspired to implement the values in life.
Secondly, the researcher can find the meaning of struggle itself. By
analyzing the novel the writer can learn about life experience through Griet’s
struggle. How she faces and maintains her life. Although she almost gives up, she
Finally, for the further researchers who conduct the same research of the
novel. It may be helpful because it gives information in studying the novel and as
a reference to write a thesis on literature concerning on struggle in life.
E. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misconception about the content of the thesis, it is better to
define some significant terms that are used in this discussion.
1. Character
Character has an important role in the novel. Therefore, it is important to
understand what character is. Abrams (24) defines that the word character means
a person represented in a dramatic or narrative work who is interpreted by the
reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that is expressed
in what they says through dialogue and by what they do. So, the readers can
understand the characters through their thoughts, feelings, intentions and motives.
Meanwhile, according Holman and Hormon (81) character is the presence of
moral uprightness, and simpler notion of the presence of creatures in art that seem
to be human beings of sort or another. The definitions of characters will guide the
readers to comprehend the story of the novel.
2. Struggle
According to Mc Kechnie (1806), struggle is “great effort or series of
effort”. While Abate defines struggle as “make violent or determined efforts under
difficulties” (1514). In this study, struggle refers to a persons’ effort to face
3. Housemaid
Based on Mc Kechnie (563), a housemaid means a female servant employed
to do housework. While according to Webster (881) housemaid is a women
servant in a large house. Housemaid or maid could be a woman or a girl. She is
hired to do the household, such as clean rooms, cook for the family or shopping.
In this study, a housemaid is also called a servant or a maid; she is Griet who
worked in the Vermeer’s family to do household duties and to clean the studio of
7
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part is review of related
theories. The second part is the socio-historical background in Dutch in the 17th
century and the last part is theoretical framework.
A.Review of Related Studies
This part will present some studies related to the novel, Girl with a Pearl
Earring by Tracy Chevalier. Wijayanti (2005) in her undergraduate thesis,
analyzes the intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts that the major character
faces in Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. According to her, the
conflicts that occur inside Griet herself and between Griet and the other characters
are interesting to discuss. Griet comes to a new environment because of her
family’s economical condition and has to work as a maid in the Vermeer’s house.
Griet faces many conflicts deal with the other characters and resolves the conflicts
differently. In dealing with intrapersonal conflicts, Griet applies some strategies
like meditation, negotiation, arbitration, and avoidance. Furthermore, in dealing
with interpersonal conflict, Griet applies avoidance strategy, meditation strategy,
arbitration strategy and coercion approach. In her study, Wijayanti discusses two
main problems. First is the characterization of Griet, the main character observed
Vermeer’s house in the Papist’s Corner and to analyze how she deals with the
conflicts.
Another study was conducted by Sianturi (2005). She states that her
undergraduate thesis focuses on Griet’s internal and external conflicts. The
internal conflicts arise because of her difficult jobs, uncomfortable feelings, low
wages, uneasy feeling on leaving home and prohibited from seeing her family
when some of her family are ill. The external conflicts she faces are conflict with
Cornelia, the other maid in Vermeer’s house. She also suffers sexual abuse from
Van Ruijven; conflicts with Vermeer when he asks for her to be a model of
painting and conflicts with Catharina, Vermeer’s wife who is always treat her
badly.
B. Review of Related Theories
This part will present the theories of character, characterization, critical
approach, hierarchy of needs and struggle for life. It is important to understand
those theories to analyze the characters in the novel.
1. Character
a. Definition of Character
Characters take important role in analyzing and understanding the story of
the novel. Abrams (24) says that the word character means a person represented in
a dramatic or narrative work who is interpreted by the reader as being endowed
with moral and dispositional qualities that is expressed in what they says through
who appear in a story (Stanton, 17). Every character brings some mixture of
interest, desires, emotions and moral principal that build them in a story to be the
believable person.
b. Kind of Characters
Henkle (86-97) in Reading the Novel divides the characters into two. They
are major character and secondary character. The major character is the significant
part in the story. It deserves the fullest attention because of its structural function
and mostly appeared in the story; if we understand them, we presumably
understand the vocal experiences of the novel. The secondary characters are
characters that have only limited function and performance in the novel. The
characters only appear in certain scene of the story. These characters being
generally less complex or less intense and drawn in shallower relief, often present
one side of the experiences.
Holman and Harmon (83) categorize two types of characters into static and
dynamic. A static character is one who changes little in their actions. The pattern
of the action reveals the characters, rather than showing the changes of the
actions. A dynamic character is one who modified by actions and experiences;
one objectives of the works in which the characters appear is to reveal the
consequences of these actions.
Further, Abrams (24) states two kinds of characters, namely flat character
and round character. A flat character is built around single idea or quality and
presented in outline, without much individualizing in detail. In a flat character we
all the variations and complexities of human nature. It can move us to any
feelings, emotions and makes the novel becomes more interesting.
2. Characterization
a. Definition of Characterization
Rohrberger and Wood, Jr. (20) state the opinion that characterization as the
process by which an author creates character. It is like the way of the author to
describe the characters to the readers. Every character in the story has different
personality and physical attributes that will differentiate with another character.
According to Baldick (34) characterization is the representation of persons
in narrative and dramatic works. This may include direct methods like the
attribution of qualities in description or commentaries, and indirect methods
inviting the readers to infer qualities from characters’ actions, speech, and
appearance.
b. Ways of Characterization
Murphy in his book Understanding Unseens:An Introduction to English
Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Students (161-173) defines nine ways to
understand character. There are:
1) Personal description
The author can describe a person’s appearance and clothing. He can
describe clearly what the characters are like and tell the reader the details of the
2) Characters as seen by others
The author describe the character from others character opinion. The author
helps the reader to understand the character by revealing other character opinion
about the character being observed.
3) Speech
The author can give the readers an insight into the character of one of the
person in the story through what the person says. Whenever the person speaks,
whenever he puts forward the opinion, he is giving the readers some clues to his
characters.
4) Past Life
The author shows a person’s character by revealing the person’s past life. It
can be done by direct comment from the author, through the person’s
conversation, and through the medium of the other person.
5) Conversation of others
The author can also give the readers clues about a person’s character
through the conversation, either by other people or by the things, they say about
him.
6) Reactions
The author gives the clues by letting the readers know how the characters in
readers may expect to find the quality of the characters in dealing with those
various situations.
7) Direct comment
Usually the author gives his comment and opinion explicitly towards his
characters in the story.
8) Thoughts
The author may give the readers direct knowledge of what a person is
thinking about. Here, he can tell the readers what different people are thinking.
9) Mannerism
The author can describe a person’s mannerism or habits both positive and
negative one, which may also tell the readers something about his character.
Little in his book Approach of Literature , states that there are three steps to
study a character (93). First is from a person’s basic characteristics. These can be
seen from the physical condition of the character including a person’s age, the
social relationship that means the personal relationship with others characters and
the mental qualities, which is the typical ways of thinking, feeling, and acting.
Second is from a person’s appearance from various points of view. These
include how the character sees herself, how various other characters see her, and
how a person develops or fails to develops during the course of story.
Third is from a person’s place in the works. It means the treatment of the
sympathetically or unsympathetically), a person’s place in the story (a leading
character or a minor one), and a person’s relationship to theme.
3. Critical Approach
Literature work has an aesthetic value of human life. After the process of
reading literary works, the readers will be able to response the aesthetic value. It is
so important to understand the critical approach to support the readers in gaining
the comprehension and to find the value. Rohrberger and Woods, Jr. state that
there are five theories of critical approach (6-15). The formalist approach
concentrates on the importance to apprehend the total integrity of the literary
object. Biographical approach is used when we have a purpose of appreciating the
ideas and personality of the author to understand the literary works. The critics of
this approach insist that a work of art is a reflection of a personality. The
socio-cultural- historical approach sees the importance of place and situation where a
work of literature was produced. The basis reference of this approach is the socio
cultural aspect combine with the interest in the biographical and interest in literary
history. The mythpoeic approach is used to discover the pattern of human thought
that may influences the literature. Finally, the psychological approach sees the
literature from psychological aspect. This approach involves the complexities of
human behavior, thoughts, actions, expressions and so on. By focusing on Griet’s
struggle in life, this study uses the psychological approach and the sociocultural –
4. Motivation
People have a drive that becomes the reason in every action of their life. It is
usually called as a motivation; which encourages him/her to keep on moving
forward to reach their goals or dreams. According to Petri (3), motivation is the
concept we use when we describe the forces acting on or within an organism to
initiate and direct behavior. Every person has motivation in doing actions. Actions
are done to achieve the goals. Motivation is like a strong reasons of doing
something. It is also like a push of reaching goals. Petri (315) points out that there
are two kinds of motivation. They are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Petri
defines intrinsic motivation as the value or pleasure associated with an activity as
opposed to the goal toward which the activity is directed. However, extrinsic
motivation, by contrast, emphasizes the external goals toward which the activity is
directed (Petri 315).
According to Maslow in Goble’s The Third Force, hierarchy of needs also
gives some explanation of basic psychological human needs. There are five basic
needs; Psychological needs, security needs, social needs, esteem needs, and
self-actualizing needs. Maslow states that every person has their own satisfaction. It
depends in how she/he fulfills their needs (38).The explanation of each need is as
follows:
a. Physiological needs
Physiological needs are the most basic needs that are vital to survival. This
sex, sleep and oxygen. When these needs are fulfilled, a person will try to gain the
next needs.
b. Security needs
Security needs are for safety and security. Safety needs emerge after
physiological needs are fulfilled. These needs emerge because of the needs to feel
secure, stable, independent, protected, free from fear, and anxiety. A person needs
to be safe from anything that is considered harmful.
c. Social needs
Social needs include belonging, love and affection. After physiological and
safety needs are fulfilled, needs for love, affection, and belongingness emerge.
People will seek a friend, a sweetheart, a wife or husband to find the feeling of
“belong” and to feel the affection from them.
d. Esteem needs
Esteem needs related to self esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and
accomplishment. There are two categories of esteem needs- self respect and
esteem from other people. The first category is self respect. It includes desire for
confidence, competence, mastery, adequacy, achievement, independence and
freedom. The second category is respect from the others. It includes prestige,
recognition, acceptance, attention, status, reputation, and appreciation. If a person
has adequate self esteem he will more confident and capable so that he will more
e. Self-actualizing needs
Self-actualizing needs include self aware concerned with social growth, less
concerned with the opinion of others, and interested fulfilling their potentials.
This need is the highest needs among all. Self-actualization is the desire what a
person capable to become and more than he capable of. The self-actualization is a
need for fulfillment of one’s unique potential, for example knowledge and beauty.
All the hierarchy needs mentioned above are important in human life.
Meanwhile, there is consideration that every person has their satisfactory to fulfill.
May be there will be different needs of another that have different motives or
goals in his/her life.
5. Struggle for Life
In life people meet many problems, either easy or difficult problems. What
they need is happiness. Nobody wants to be sad all the period of time. People will
give such effort to reach his/her dreams; moreover they will struggle for their
needs. The effort will appear naturally when she/he is under pressure of their
situation of life or some difficult problems. According to Mc Kechnie (1806),
struggle is “great effort or series of effort”. While Abate defines struggle as “make
violent or determined efforts under difficulties” (1514). Based on the explanation
above, struggle for life is a series of determined effort that human does under
difficult condition of her life. People will learn the positive things even though
they failed in certain problems of life. When negative things and the most difficult
Braund, Linder and Asimov (479-480) say that there are many things
happening in life. These life events will push and force people to struggle in life;
they can be death of spouse, divorce, personal injury or illness, gaining a new
family member, family members leaving home, etc. People need to adjust their
life in dealing with the problems and challenges in their life.
Adjustment is a process of coping with events, problems, challenges and
hard situations happen in life. This adjustment is divided into three main
categories. There are: problem solving, acceptance of the situation, and defense
mechanism. The first is problem solving. People will seek for the solution when
she/he is in troubles or difficult conditions. They will struggle for the best
solutions. Therefore, people’s problem solving skill may develop when they face
problems and difficulties. The second is acceptance of the situation. Problems and
life events bring their consequences; either negative or positive. In certain
situation where there is no more solution, people are challenged to be brave and
honest to accept every situation even though it must be avoided. The third is
defense mechanism such as pressure and denial. This defense is important to
reduce the stress and under pressure feeling dealing with the situation.
Meanwhile, there is a danger too if it is overused. This defense will create certain
disturbance.
B. Sociocultural - Historical Background
This part deals with the sociocultural-historical background of Tracy
Chevalier’s Girl with Pearl Earrings. Since the novel was inspired by the
Dutch; it is important to understand the socio-historical background in Dutch
especially in 17th century. According to Harold’s History of the Netherland and
Dutch Revolt (http://www.historyworld.net), there are some explanations of
Dutch’s history as follows:
1. The European Great Power
The setting of the novel is in Dutch. 17th century in Dutch was considered as
Golden Age. It was a period in which Dutch trade, science, art and military were
among the most acclaimed in the world. In this era the Dutch East India Company
(Dutch: Vereningde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC) was founded. It was the
first ever multinational corporation, financed by shares that established the
modern stock exchange. This company received Dutch monopoly on Asian trade
and would keep this for two centuries. It became the world’s largest commercial
enterprise of the 17th centuries. Spices were imported in the bulk and brought huge
profit, due to the efforts and risks involved and seemingly insatiable demand.
The Dutch also dominated trade between European countries. Dutch trader
shipped wine from France and Portugal to the Baltic lands and returned with grain
destined for countries around the Mediterranean Sea. By the 1680s, an average of
nearly 1000 Dutch ships entered the Baltic Sea each year.
2. Social Structure
The main character of the novel, Griet comes from a poor family of tile
painter. To earn some money and to support her family, she works at a master of
painting house. There is social clash that differentiate the position of Griet,
status in the 17th centuries was largely determined by income. Social classes
existed but in a new way. Aristocracy, or nobility, had sold out most its privileges
to cities, where merchant and their money were dominant. Aristocrats also mixed
with the members of the other classes in order to be able to support themselves.
Next to aristocrats and patricians came the affluent middle class, consisting
of Protestant minister, lawyers, physicians, small merchants, industrialists and
clerks of state institutions. The lower status was attributed to small shop owners,
specialized workers, craftsmen, administrators, and farmers. Below that stood
skilled laborers, house attendants and others service personnel.
3. Religion
The Dutch are known for their religious tolerance, only Dutch Reformed
Protestant profited directly from the Golden Age. The cities with a predominantly
Catholic background such Utrecht and Gouda, did not enjoy the benefits of the
Golden Age. As for the Protestant towns, unity and belief was also far from
standard. Catholic tended to keep to themselves in their own section of each town
despite making one of the largest single denominations (for example, the Catholic
painter Johannes Vermeer lived in the “Papist Corner” of the town of Delft. In
Tracy Cevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, Griet as the main character is a
Protestant and Vermeer’s family is Catholic. It will make some religious
misconceptions and weird feeling of Griet because she feels like a minority person
4. Painting
Dutch Golden Age paintings were followed many of tendencies that
dominated Baroque art in other parts of Europe, such as Caravaggesque and
naturalism, but were the leader in developing the subject of life, landscape, and
gesture painting. Portraits were also popular, but the history painting-traditionally
the most elevated genre struggled to find buyers. Church art was virtually
non-existent, and little sculpture of any kind of produced. Today, the best known
painters of the Dutch Golden Age are the period’s most dominant figure
Rembrandt, the Delfi master of genre Johannes Vermeer, the innovative landscape
painter Jacob van Ruisdael and Frans Hal who infused new life into portrait.
Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a pearl earring was famous as Dutch’s Monalisa
painting.
C. Theoretical Framework
There are two problems stated in the previous chapter in order to discuss the
struggle for life of Dutch maid character, Griet, in Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a
Pearl Earring. The first problem formulation is about the characterization of Griet
herself. In order to answer this question, the theories of character are needed to
describe exactly what Griet’s characteristics are. I use the theory of character by
Henkle, the theory of characterization by Rohrberger and Woods Jr, and also by
Murphy to analyze the character of Griet.
The second problem formulation to analyze is about Griet’s struggle for
social-cultural background review, the theory of motivation and psychological approach
are used to answer this question. The theory of struggle is used to analyze the
causes of Griet’s struggle in life. The hierarchy of needs, the theory of motivation,
the psychological approach and the theory of socio-cultural background review
are used to analyze the struggle of the character who is a maid in 17th century of
22
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the methodology in analyzing Tracy Chevalier’s
novel. There will be three sections in this chapter. They are object of the study,
approach of the study and method of the study. The object of study describes the
novel and some sources that support the study. The approach of the study will
describe of the approach that is used in the analysis. In the last part, the method of
the study, it is about description of the steps and procedure of the study.
A. Object of the Study
The novel Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier was written in
United Sates in 1999 and published by Harper Collins Company. This study used
the paperback edition published in 2000. In this novel, the author presents the
story into 4 parts. The first part is in 1664; the second part is in 1665; the third
part is in 1666 and the last past is in 1676. Girl with a Pearl Earring consists of
256 pages and was published by HarperCollins Ltd, London.
Girl with a Pearl Earring is a book based on the creation of the famous
painting by Vermeer. The novel belongs to best-selling historical novel. There
was also a successful film based on the novel and received three Academy Award
nominations in 2004. It also won the Orange Prize.
The story of the novel is set on Delft, the city of Dutch in the 17th century,
the story is Griet as the main character of the novel. Generally, the novel is about
16-years-old girl named Griet from a family that has fallen in hard times. She
takes a job as a servant in the household of the famous painter Johannes Vermeer.
In the new situation of her life, she faces many experiences of life; her personal
and social relationship, unusual love with Vermeer, problems related to her works,
conflict with the other maids and so on . During this time, Griet become a model
of painting by Vermeer. She should wear a pearl earring whose Vermeer’s wife
have. This situation is the significant moment in the novel and it caused Griet run
away from the house.
B. Approach of The Study
In this study, the writer applies psychological approach in analyzing the
struggle for life of the character Giet and the aspect of psychological factors that
influences her struggle for life. According to Rohrberger and Woods (5-6) in
Reading and Writing about Literature, the psychological approach is “the effort to
locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns, but from a different body of
knowledge that is psychology. This approach uses the psychological theories to
explain human motivation, personality, and behavior patterns written in literary
objects.”
The writer also uses the socio-historical approach. This approach is
employed to analyze the socio-historical backgrounds in Dutch in 17th century of
Dutch. This approach is applied to see whether the socio-cultural in Dutch
C. Method of the Study
In this study, the writer employed a library research as the method of
gathering the information and sources. The primary source used in this study is
the novel Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. The secondary sources
that the writer used were Murphy’s Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to
English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Students, Henkle B. Rodger in
Reading the Novel, Abrams’ A Glossary in Literary Terms, C. Hugh Holman and
William Harmon’s A Handbook of Literature Terms, Little’s Approach to
Literature and some theories of motivation. Besides, the writer was also browsing
some information in relation with the novel Girl with a Pearl Earring in the
internet.
The writer did some steps in analyzing the novel for the research. The first
step was reading and rereading the novel itself to have deep understanding about
the story. After that, the writer focused on the Dutch maid character, Griet and
formulated problems into questions. The second step was finding some theory of
literature and other books related to the topic of this thesis. The writer also found
data by browsing in the Internet.
Next step was trying to answer the questions in problem formulation. In
answering the first problem formulation, the writer used the theory of to analyze
the character of Griet. The other theories of character were also used to determine
Griet’s characterization. After finding the general description of Griet, the writer
struggle, theory of motivation, hierarchy of needs and the theory of
socio-historical of Dutch in 17th centuries.
The last step was drawing conclusion from the analysis of the problem
formulation. It was done by relating all the data into general statements.
Furthermore, the writer also stated some suggestions for future researchers who
conduct study on the same novel and give the implementation for teaching
26
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the
description of Griet’s life, as a housemaid, in the 17th century in Netherland,
through the theory of character and characterization. The second part is the
discussion of the struggle of Griet in life.
A. The Description of Griet
Characters take an important role in analyzing and understanding the story
of the novel. According to Henkle (86-97), character is divided into two. They are
major character and secondary character. The major character is the significant
part in the story. It deserves the fullest attention because of its structural function
and mostly appeared in the story; if we understand it, we presumably understand
the vocal experiences of the novel. The secondary characters are characters that
have a limited function and performance in the novel. The characters only appear
in certain scene of the story.
Based on the theory proposed by Henkle, Griet is considered as the major
character in which the readers put their fullest attention. Griet mostly appears in
the story, plays the significant role and becomes the focus of the story. Holman
and Harmon (83) point out that a character may be static or dynamic based on
their development and changes. Griet is included in dynamic character because
Another theory proposed by Abrams (24), states two kinds of characters,
namely flat character and round character. A flat character is built around single
idea or quality and presented in outline, without much individualizing in detail. A
round character embodies all the variations and complexities of human nature. In
line with Abrams theory, Griet is considered as a round character because she has
complex aspects in her motivation and temperament. She has a complex
personality and traits in her character.
To analyze the character of Griet, the theories of characterization by
Murphy and Little are applied. According to Murphy there are nine ways to
understand character (161-173). They are: personal description, character as seen
by another, speech, past life, conversation with others, reactions, direct comment,
thought, and mannerism. Furthermore, Little states that there are three steps to
study a character (93). First is from a person’s basic characteristics. These can be
seen from the physical condition of the character including a person’s age, the
social relationship and the mental qualities. Second is from a person’s appearance
from various points of view. Third is from a person’s place in the works, a
person’s place in the story (a leading character or a minor one), and a person’s
relationship to theme. To reveals Griet characteristics there are only some ways of
characterization by Murphy and Little are used. Griet, the main character of the
novel, is a tile maker’s daughter. She lives with her family in Rietveld Canal,
Dutch. She is a 16 year-old girl with wide eyes and she is not big, quite small but
Griet is described as a brave, hardworking, quiet, careful, tough, smart and artistic
person.
1. Brave
When she is 16 years old, Griet as a teenager has to face many problems. It
begins with family problems and financial problems. Her father gets an accident
when he is working as a tile maker; he loses his eyes and his eyesight, so that he
cannot work anymore to support his family life. Griet as the member of the family
has to support her family life. She is the one who has the responsibility to live her
family. Her brother is not settled enough as a tile maker and he cannot contribute
much to their family. In her teenage years, she has to make a hard decision. Griet
is brave to be a maid, to leave her home and to adapt with the new situation of her
life.
I walked away from our house, carrying my things tied up in an apron. It was still early – our neighbor were throwing buckets of water on their steps and the street in front of their houses, scrubbing them clean. Agnes would do that now, as well many of my other tasks. She would have less time to play in the street and along the canals. Her life was changing too. People nodded at me and watched curiously as I passed. No one asked where I was going or called out kind words. They do not need to- they knew what happened to families when a man lost his trade. I would be something to discuss later- young Griet become a maid, her father brought the family low. I walked along that street all my life, but had never been so aware that my back was to my home.” (Chevalier 11)
According to Harold’s History of the Netherland and Dutch Revolt
(http://www.historyworld.net), the Dutch are known for their religious tolerance,
Protestants are the majority and Catholics are the minority. Catholics tend to keep
themselves in their own section of each town despite making one of the largest
Papist Corner of the town of Delft. Griet’s bravery can be seen through her
decision to adapt and to socialize with the Catholicism in Vermeer’s house. It
causes some religious misconceptions and makes Griet feel like a minor person,
both in family and social life. In this situation, Griet is brave to face a new
environment where she is not comfortable with.
On the wall directly opposite hung a painting that was larger than me. It was Christ on the Cross, surrounded by the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and St John. I tried not to stare but I was amazed by its size and subject. ‘Catholics are not so different from us,’ my father had said. But we did not have such pictures in our houses, or our churches, or anywhere. Now I would see this painting every day. I was always to think of that room as the Crucifiction room. I was never comfortable in it (Chevalier 18).
Griet is also brave to express her anger, even to her mistress’ daughter. Her
bravery is shown when she slaps Cornelia, the sly and troublesome daughter, who
hates her since the first time she meets Griet. Cornelia always annoys Griet and
disturbs her when she works. One day, when Griet takes some water in the canal,
she disturbs Griet again and again. Griet becomes angry, and then she slaps
Cornelia without worrying the consequences and punishment from her mister or
mistress. Cornelia’s face turns red, but she does not cry. She runs and her two
sisters, Aleydis and Lisbeth peer down solemnly (Chevalier 23).
Cornelia does not like Griet, and she always tries to find her mistakes, so
that Griet will be punished by her parents. Again she throws stones into the pot to
make it sink in the canal a couple minutes after Griet slaps her. It makes Griet
angry, but she is brave to warn her not to do that or Griet will slap her again.
Cornelia threw another stone.
‘Shall I tell your grandmother what you’ve done?’
A fearful look crossed Cornelia’s face. She dropped the stones she held (Chevalier 23).
Griet’s bravery is also seen when she begins to get used to lie. Actually she
does not want to lie, but the condition forces her to do so. She is brave to face
bigger consequences in the following days. Her master asks her to do some extra
tasks. She has to help him grind and mix colors in the attic. She has to cover it to
anyone, because it will cause some problems when everyone knows it. She lies to
Chatarina, Tanneke, Maria Thins, Cornelia and her parents. One day, when she
begins to work in the kitchen, Tanneke recognizes that there is a slash of red dust
in Griet’s apron. She considers that it is not blood on the apron. She becomes so
jealous and angry because she knows that it is their master’s mixtures of color.
‘What’s that there? Are you bleeding?’
I looked down. A slash of red dust crossed my stomach like a streak on a window pane. For a moment I thought of the aprons of Pieter the father and son.
Tanneke leaned closer. ‘That’s not blood. It looks like powder. How did that get there?’ I gazed at the streak. Madder, I thought. I ground this a few weeks ago. Cornelia had been waiting for this mischief.
I did not make up an answer fast enough. As I hesitated, Tanneke’s suspicious grew. ‘Have you been in the master’s thing? She said in an accusing tone. She had, after all, modelled for him and knew what he kept in the studio.
‘No, it was-‘I stopped (Chevalier 120).
Tanneke gives Griet a hard and angry look, but behind, she has a desire to
tell this case to her beloved mistress, Chatarina. She has a wish to punish Griet but
she has not had enough evidence, so that she says nothing about Griet’s attic work
to Chatarina or the girls or to anyone. She becomes much harder to Griet. Her
linseed oil (Chevalier 183)’. He does not believe that simply cleaning a painter’s
studio would make the smell linger on her clothes, her skin, and her hair. He
guesses that Griet does more than cleaning the studio. In this situation Griet is
brave to take the hard risk of Chatarina’s and the girl’s jealousy or Maria Thins’s
anger that may make her be fired out from the house.
Griet’s bravery can also be seen through her struggle in finding the
information related to the plague happening in her hometown, Rietveld Canal. She
tries to find the information by asking a soldier. Although she is very young, she
is brave and tough to ask the soldier about the situation in Rietveld Canal. Being
far away and having no information about her beloved family really make her sad
and down. In this condition she becomes brave. Unfortunately, the soldier cannot
provide any information about the plague. They underestimate Griet by asking
some payment if they could find any information about her family. Griet also
shows her bravery trough her speech. She does not like the manner of the soldier
that takes advantages from this misery.
I tried to speak to another soldier on a barrier at a different street. Through friendlier, he too could tell me nothing about my family. ‘I could ask around, but not for nothing,’ he added, smiling and looking me up and down so I would know he didn’t mean money.
‘Same on you,’ I snapped,’ ‘for seeking to take advantage of those misery.’ But he did not seem ashamed. I had forgotten that soldiers think of just one thing when they see a young woman (Chevalier 70).
When the plague and quarantine happen in Griet’s hometown, she also tries
hard to make herself tougher by praying hard for her family. She is brave to go to
the strange church alone. Beside, Pieter, the butcher’s son, also helps her find out
I did not want to face a strange church alone again. We found one not far away, and although the service did not comfort me, I prayed hard for our family (Chevalier 73).
Through Griet’s speeches, her reactions in dealing with the various
situations, her thoughts, and her conversation with others, we can conclude that
Griet is a brave person. She is brave to face a new environment where she is not
comfortable to work as a maid. Griet is brave to warn her master’s daughter. She
slaps Cornelia when she finds Cornelia disturb her work. Her bravery is also seen
when she begins to get used to lie to others. She has extra tasks in the attic to help
Vermeer and no one knows this except Maria Thins. Griet is brave to face the
bigger consequences of her actions. She is also brave when she asks a soldier
related to the plague in Rietveld Canal.
2. Hardworking
Griet is a hardworking person. She does all of her duties well. There are so
many tasks for Griet to do: laundering, ironing, cleaning the house and her
master’s studio, helping Tanneke cook the food, shopping, and taking care of the
children. She never grumbles and complains with the tasks she gets. She is always
responsible of her works and she can finish it well. Her master and mistress are
pleased with it. At the beginning of her works, Griet is not used to do the routine
and hard jobs even though she used to help her mother do household duties in her
own house.
On her first day she works, Tanneke, the other maid, does not only explain
to her about her tasks, but also introduces her to some rooms and corners in
Johannes Vermeer’s house. The tasks are harder than those in her own house. She
begins her task with laundering and ironing the clothes.
We crept downstairs again. When we were back in the washing kitchen Tanneke said,’You’re to take on the laundry house.’ She pointed to the great mound of clothes- they had fallen far behind with their washing. I would struggle to catch up. (Chevalier 21)
Griet has to do the laundering of many members of the Vermeer’s family.
She spends much of her time to finish the tasks. Moreover, there are some
children and one baby who will make more clothes dirty than the rest.
Even though it is hard and makes some injures in Griet’s body, she is
always responsible for all the tasks she has in Vermeer’s house. She soaks the
laundry a day before she can wash it, takes some pewter water pots and a chopper
kettle in the storage room that leads down to the cellar. She does the laundry well
and finishes it with ironing them neatly. Laundering is her everyday task which
makes her hands become chap and crack from the soap and water. Her face is red
from standing over the steam, her back is painful from lifting the wet cloth and
her arm is burnt by the iron (Chevalier 21).
Griet has the sole responsibility to clean her master’s painting studio. Only a
few of the family members might enter this room. Even Tanneke, the senior maid,
cannot enter this studio to clean it. This room is a restricted area; Chatarina, Maria
Thins and the children are afraid to clean and to move anything in this studio. The
distractions can disturb the master’s concentration in painting the object and can
the studio is Griet’s extra task. She has to clean the studio without moving
anything. The small things on the table are easy to clean, but the furniture is
harder. She use her feet, her knees, sometimes her shoulders and chin with the
chairs.
I dusted and swept and mopped- the floor, the walls, the windows, and the furniture- with satisfaction of tackling a room in need of a good cleaning. In the far corner, opposite the table and window, a door led to a storeroom, filled with the paintings and canvases, chairs, chest, dishes, bedpans, a coat rack and a row of books. I cleaned it there too, tidying the things away so that there was more order to the room (Chevalier 37).
Griet often has a little time to rest, because she has to help Tanneke prepare
the meals for the family after she has finished her daily tasks. Through her actions
in helping and completing the jobs, she can be considered as a hard worker. Once
she cleans the studio and goes to the fish stall or the Meat Hall. After that she
begins working on the laundry, sorting, soaking and working on the stains. On the
other day, she scrubs, rinses, boils, and wrings the clothes before hanging them to
dry in the noon sun. The next day, she irons, mends and folds the clothes. At some
points she always stops to help Tanneke with the midday meal. Afterwards they
clean up, and then they have a little time to rest on the bench out front, or back in
the courtyard (Chevalier 43).
Through the conversation between Griet, her father, and her mother when
she is going home also shows her hard working character. One day, her father
rubs her palms when she gives her hands to guide him over the front stop. Griet’s
father can assume that Griet works very hard in Vermeer’s house. He thinks that
she must have a lot of things to do as her daily tasks which cause chap on her
My father came sit outside with us and hear about my new life. I gave my hands to him to guide him over the front stop. As he sat down on the bench he rubbed my palms with his thumb.
‘Your hands are chapped,’ he said.
‘So rough and worn. Already you have the scars of hard work.’ ‘Don’t worry.’ I answered lightly.
‘There was so much laundry waiting for me because they didn’t enough help before. It will get easier soon.’ My mother studied my hands.
‘I’ll soak some mallow in oil,’ she said.
‘That will keep your hands soft. Agnes and I will go to the country to pick some’ (Chevalier 48-49).
On one occasion, Johannes Vermmer’s family wants to celebrate the new
member of the family, baby Franciscus. Chatarina likes to hold a big feast. Thus,
Tanneke and Griet have to prepare the things for the birth feast. They have ten
days to prepare it, ten days for cleaning and cooking. Maria Thins hires two girls
for a week to help Tanneke with the food and Griet with the cleaning. They have
to work extra hard and they have not enough time to take a rest.
One day we washed, whether they were clean already or no, all the table cloths and napkins that would be needed for the feast, as well as all the clothes in the house- shirts, linens took another day. Then we washed all the tankards, glasses, earthenware plates, jugs, copper, pots, pancake pans, neighbor who lent them for the occasion. We polished the brass and the copper and the silver. We took curtains and rugs. We polished the wood of the beds, the cupboards, the chairs and tables, the windowsills, until everything gleamed. By the end my hands were cracked and bleeding (Chevalier 84).
Griet’s interaction with Pieter, the butcher’s son, also points out that Griet
has to work hard not only as a maid but also as Vermeer’s assistant in grinding
and mixing colors in the attic. One April morning when they are walking along
the Koornmarkt to the apothecary, Pieter catches some tired look on Griet’s face.
He considers that her eyes are red. Pieter cares about Griet, and feels that Griet
do. Vermeer gives Griet so much bone to grind that forces Griet to wake up very
early to finish it. And at night after the household duties are finished, Tanneke
asks Griet stay to rewash the kitchen floor. Griet does not want to blame her
master because of her extra works. She does not complain when Tanneke gives
her more tasks to do. Griet tries to finish all of her job without murmuring
(Chevalier 122-123).
Through Griet’s speeches, her past life, her conversation with others, her
thoughts, and her reactions in dealing with the various situations, we can say that
she is a hardworking person. She keeps working hard to support her family life
and save them from poverty. She wants to help her family’s conditions, to have
bread and food. She also learns a lot how to be a new good maid in the Vermeer’s
family by working hard so that she does not lose her job.
3. Quiet
Griet is an honest and quiet girl who does not like to talk so much. She likes
to tell the truth, but she does not like to share what is on her mind. Through her
appearance, we can say that she is a quiet and calm girl because she wears a cap
differently with the other girl in her town in Delft. She makes her face hidden so
that people cannot see clearly her face from both sides. With this kind of cap,
people cannot see her face directly and they only guess her expression (Chevalier
11). She is a quiet and calm girl.
Despite her being quiet, the new situation in Vermeer’s house, some family
strange house where everything is new and she is always tense and serious
(Chevalier 31).
Griet is mature enough to maintain her family condition. She keeps her
quietness because she does not want to make her family sad and worry about her.
After she works in Vermeer’s family, she has to hide many things from her family
to make her family happy. She loves her family so much, especially her sister,
Agnes. Since her brother Frans leaves their house, she tries to take care of Agnes
and be a good friend of her.
‘Tell us!’ Agnes cried. ‘Tell us about them.
I told them. Only a few things I didn’t mention- how tired I was at night; how the Crucifixion scene hung at the foot of my bed; how I had slapped Cornelia; how Maertge and Agnes were the same age. Otherwise I told them everything (Chevalier 49).
Griet does not want Agnes, her beloved sister, to be sad and to think that she
will be replaced by Maertge. She knows that Agnes is too sensitive to hear this
kind of story, and it makes Griet not to tell the truth related to Maertge.
Pieter’s direct opinion about Griet also shows Griet’s quietness. One day
Griet meets Pieter around the corner of Oude Langendijk near the market. They
have a conversation related to Vermeer who will make Griet as the model of
painting. Pieter is jealous with her; he does not want the master to sketch Griet.
Pieter intends to propose Griet. He asks Griet to run their own business, earn their
own money and rule their own life, but Griet cannot answer it clearly. Thus, it
makes Pieter confused about her.
