Griet And The Crucifixion

The social and cultural backgrounds play a role in shaping and forming the overall tone of the novel by the interaction of its characters. Notably, the differences in religion, particularly of Griet and Vermeer, influence their ways of living and how they deal with their personal interactions. Like the majority of Delft’s population, Griet is a Protestant and is unfamiliar and hesitant about dealing with the extravagance and opulence of Catholics and their homes. As a result of this, the painting of the Crucifixion painting in Vermeer’s household has never been something Griet ever became comfortable as “[she] shivered, thinking of the painting… hung over [her] bed in the cellar”. (Chevalier 140) The Catholics are a minority group in the population and are harder to

Of course, as the youngest housemaid from the household and the most recent addition with the least working experience, Griet is given the worst and most difficult chores in the household. Chronicled as her body suffers from physical pain from long, dreaded hours of hard labour as “it was… expected [she] would have the hardest tasks”.(Chevalier 21) Moreover, the customs and practices of the novel’s time period and historical era accurately emulates many of the morals, consciences and decisions each character makes and their reasons behind it. Women, in particular, have an interesting yet extremely limited and discriminating courses of action in life in which they are forced to choose from - to either marry a rich, wealthy man who can support your family or to live your entire life working long hard hours as a maid scrubbing someone’s floor and washing someone else’s clothing.