Girl With A Pearl Earring Gender Analysis

A third example of gender roles in Girl With A Pearl Earring and Snow White is the idea that men have dominance over females. In Girl With A Pearl Earring, Griet is expected to do what Vermeer tells her to do without any complaint. After van Ruijven pressures Vermeer to paint Griet for him, Vermeer goes into the studio with Griet. He tells Griet to sit down but does not tell Greit what he is doing. Confused, Griet listens to him. When she questions him, Vermeer says, “Don’t talk.” Then, he commands her to “look out the window” right before he tells her to look at him. When Vermeer decides to paint Griet, he does not tell her or even ask her for permission. He knows that since he is a man, he has dominance over Griet and expects her to do what she is told to.

Griet is serving Vermeer by listening to him and letting him paint her, and has no say as a woman. Since Vermeer is a man, he has authority over Griet and can tell her what to do. In a likewise manner, the Dwarfs are dominant over Snow White and expect her to listen to them. After Snow White is accepted into the Dwarf’s house, she is told by the Dwarfs to be careful and to not let anyone in because it could be the evil Queen. When they leave, the Queen tries to get inside the Dwarf’s house and kill Snow White. Snow White responds to the Queen by saying, "Go away, I cannot let anyone come in." She explains “The seven dwarfs have forbidden me”(Grimm Brothers, Snow White). The Dwarfs give Snow White a specific order right before they leave. They are confident that since they Snow White is a woman, she will listen to them. When the Queen tries to go inside the house, Snow White tells the Queen that she cannot let her in because the Dwarfs have forbidden