Examples Of Betrayal In Girl With A Pearl Earring

Emma Westendorp

Ms. DiLeonardo

ENG2D

Friday, January 13th, 2023

An Examination of Betrayal in the Novel Girl with a Pearl Earring

Betrayal is a stab to the back; it doesn’t kill but leaves long-lasting wounds. The worst part of betrayal is that it is unexpected. It comes from the ones you trust, the ones you hold close. Authentic examples of this breach of trust can be found throughout Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. The novel takes place in 16th Century Delft and brings to life a fictional version of the girl from Vermeer’s famous painting. The girl, Griet, is the daughter of a former tile painter who lost his vision in a tragic kiln accident. Due to the accident, the then 16-year-old is forced to take up work as a maid to provide

In this novel, Maria Thins is a bystander. She was conscious of Griet’s assistance, aware of Van Ruijven’s intentions, and knew that Griet was not a thief. With all this knowledge, she remained silent and, through her silence, her betrayal was bestowed. To start, Maria Thins betrays her daughter, Catharina, when she doesn’t tell her that Griet is assisting her husband. It can be seen that among all the great and gruesome tasks that Griet performs, there is one that she takes comfort in, cleaning Vermeer’s studio. This specific task makes Catharina jealous because she is not even allowed in the studio. As time passes, Griet takes on extra tasks for the painter, causing her to spend more time with him, unbeknownst to Catharina. Maria Thins is aware, yet she chooses to keep quiet, “‘You help him to paint faster, girl,’ she said in a low voice, ‘and you’ll keep your place here. Not a word to my daughter’” (Chevalier 110). Maria Thins knows this secret could destroy Catharina’s marriage, therefore she is betraying her daughter by not telling her. Moreover, Maria Thins betrays Griet by breaking her promise to protect her. When the wealthy client of Vermeer, Van Ruijven, requests a painting of the young maid, he has underlying intentions. Maria Thins knows the dangers of his intentions and tells Griet, “‘Don’t worry, girl… We’ll take care of this.’” (Chevalier 157). Despite this promise, the creation of

This interest later caused him to betray his wife, children, and Griet herself. To begin, Vermeer betrays his wife, Catharina, through his relationship with Griet. When Vermeer begins to paint Griet, the tension between them is evident, “His fingers brushed against my neck and along my jaw. He traced the side of my face up to my cheek, then blotted the tears that spilled from my eyes with his thumb” (Chevalier 208). Through this intimacy, Vermeer acted on selfish desire over marriage, betraying his wife. Furthermore, Vermeer betrays his children through his death. During the war with France, Vermeer was unable to sell his paintings and the family fell into serious debt. As Catharina explains to Griet, “He was not really ill until a day or two before his death. It was the strain of the debt that drove him into a frenzy” (Chevalier 231). Through his death, Vermeer left behind his eleven children to struggle through the debt without a father figure. Lastly, Griet is betrayed by the selfish desires of the painter. After Vermeer tells Griet that she will be wearing his wife’s pearls for her portrait, she contemplates the repercussions, “It would complete the painting. It would also put me on the street… He used what he wanted for his paintings, without considering the results. When Catharina saw her earring in the painting she would explode” (Chevalier 195).