Religion
Important Passages
“There is something dangerous about your description of his paintings... From the way you talk they could be of religious scenes.... Working for them has turned your head. It's made you [Greit] forget who you are and where you come from. We're a decent Protestant family whose needs are not ruled by riches or fashions." (Chevalier 62)
This passage reflects Greit’s shifting from fundamentalist Protestantism to a more liberal or even Catholic leaning form of thinking. By living around art and a more liberal lifestyle for the first time, Greit starts to enjoy her newfound freedom and the aesthetic beauty of the paintings. When she describes these paintings to her mother, her actions are labeled “dangerous”. The mother believes that living with the painter has had a very large impact on Greit and urges her to not forget “who [she] is and where [she] came from”. This conflict describes the difference of classes and culture during this time in the Netherlands. While Greit want to enjoy the beauty of the painting and further her work with the painter, her mother wants her to stay true to her roots. This small confrontation represents the internal struggle that Greit faces throughout the novel when trying to enjoy her newfound passion but not forget her past. (JP Tiernan)
"There is a difference between Catholic and Protestant attitudes toward painting," he explained as he worked, "but it is not necessarily as great as you think. Paintings may serve a spiritual purpose for Catholics, but remember too that Protestants see God everywhere, in everything. By painting everyday things. By painting everyday things — tables and chairs, bowls and pitchers, soldiers and maids — are they not celebrating God's creation as well?" (Chevalier 140)
In the society in which the novel takes place during the English Reformation period, differences in background serve to divide the public. Catholics and Protestants are pushed into two separate worlds, as are the people of different social classes.
In the passage above, Vermeer explains to Griet that Catholics and Protestants are not so different from each other in spite of how society helps to fuel the tension between them, such as separating the Catholics into the isolated living area of Papist’s Corner (a derogatory term towards Catholics) in Delft. Vermeer enlightens Griet that although both peoples may have different modes of revering God, they are regardless still celebrating God’s creations all the same. The religious gap is illustrated by Griet as she feels uneasy whenever she sees the painting of the Crucifixion and by her mother when she warns her daughter that Vermeer’s paintings may be of religious scenes. The events, practices, or objects found in the Vermeer household that are unfamiliar or strange to Griet are all categorized as Catholic. However, Griet’s uneasiness in the Catholic household seems to disappear whenever she is near Vemeer. This could be due to the fact that Vermeer was not born a Catholic. The social gap is exemplified when Griet initially refuses to wear Catharina’s clothes and pearls, as she frequently remarks that “Maids do not wear pearls.” She frequently feels the tension of the two worlds clashing with each other, as she does not want to break out of her class or role. The strict and restrictive distinctions between people of different social class or religious denominations are a reoccurring theme in the novel. (Katherine Pham)
“From the front of the house the New Church tower was visible just across the canal. A
strange view for a Catholic family, I thought. A church they will never even go inside.” (Chevalier 7)
Calvinism was the state religion in the Dutch Republic during the Dutch Golden Age. Also, mostly Protestants were among the wealthier groups. On the other hand, Catholics weren't treated in high regards. This passage gives the audience some subtle religious context at the time without going into too much detail. The tone of the Griet's voice almost seems as if Vermeer's family should be distancing themselves from the Protestants. The quote "A church they will never even go inside" gives us an insight that during the Dutch Golden Age the citizens of the Dutch Republic weren't united under one religion. The word "strange" is used quite often in the text when Griet's experiences something new or out of the ordinary. The audience almost gets the sense that she is instinctively repulsed when the word "strange" is used instead of being curious. The usage of the word suggest that ideas relating to Catholicism weren't prevalent during the time period. The quote "From the front of the house the New Church tower was visible just across the canal." suggests that Catholics were allowed to live in close proximity to a Protestant area. During this time, religion wasn't the only fact in your social status. Wealth could defend itself and hold grounds. This passage suggests that Vermeer would have been still respected within the Dutch community despite his faith in Catholicism. (Ky Lee)
“I was also longing to walk in familiar streets on my own, not to have a constant reminder of my new life chattering at my side. As I stepped into Market Square, leaving Papists’ Corner behind, I breathed in deeply. I had not realized that I had been holding myself in tight all the time I was with the family.” (Chevalier 18).
As Griet was getting acquainted with her role as a maid for a Catholic family, she learned that she was going to have to get used to a brand new culture. At this point in the story, Griet realizes the vast cultural differences that exist between Catholics living in Papists’ Corner and the primarily protestant city of Delft. Papists’ Corner is a portion of Delft that was inhabited by all Catholic families. This meant that Griet was going to be surrounded by this radically different culture not only in her house with the new family, but in the entire neighborhood that she was going to live. Griet, however, only needed to walk into Market Square, the central part of the town, to feel like she was back where she belonged. In this quote Griet mentions “a constant reminder of my new life chattering at my side”. She is speaking of Vermeer’s children. His children are not allowed to enter their Father’s studio and thus have a small sense of jealousy towards Griet, who has been given permission to enter Vermeer’s studio. The children constantly remind Griet, however, that their Father paints pictures of them and sells them to affluent members of the Dutch society. Throughout the story, Griet’s vision of Papist’s Corner changes, however, as she finds the Vermeer household, specifically Vermeer’s studio as a place of refuge from the children and society. Griet spends countless hours enjoying and contemplating Vermeer’s paintings. By the end of “Girl with a Pearl Earring” Vermeer paints Griet with his wife’s pearl earrings. When Vermeer’s wife learns of this painting, she becomes very angry and Griet leaves the Vermeer house in Papists’ Corner knowing she will never return. Griet’s ever-changing relationship with Papists’ Corner demonstrates her wavering perspective of the cultural differences she experiences in Delft. (Devin Roach)
“I did not know what to do that first Sunday I was not allowed to go home. I could not go to our church either, as it was in the quarantined area as well. I did not want to remain at the house, though — whatever Catholics did on Sundays, I did not want to be among them.” (Chevalier 63)
Early on in the novel, Griet feels somewhat isolated from her new family. As a maid, she was not treated with the respect that she deserved from the other children or adults in the household. This stemmed partially from the attention that Griet received from Vermeer that made Catharina and the daughters jealous.
The quarantine around her parents’ home put Griet in a sad state of worry and loneliness. She did not have anyone she could personally reach out to, and the constant thought of losing a family member plagued her mind during this time.
The way that Griet speaks about Catholic rituals on Sunday makes it seem as if she is speaking about a corrupt cult. Even though the Dutch were tolerant of religion during the Golden Age, Catholics were confined to their own areas, and Griet is not even knowledgeable about some of their practices on Sunday. Griet ends up going to the New Church that she was baptized at while her new family is at church. She did not recognize anyone there, and she meekly hid behind a pillar during the service in constant fear that someone might approach her. Instead of spending the morning relaxing from her hard work, she placed herself in a difficult situation around strangers. This behavior revealed characteristics of Griet that may be due to the hardships she was experiencing. (John Taylor)
This passage reflects Greit’s shifting from fundamentalist Protestantism to a more liberal or even Catholic leaning form of thinking. By living around art and a more liberal lifestyle for the first time, Greit starts to enjoy her newfound freedom and the aesthetic beauty of the paintings. When she describes these paintings to her mother, her actions are labeled “dangerous”. The mother believes that living with the painter has had a very large impact on Greit and urges her to not forget “who [she] is and where [she] came from”. This conflict describes the difference of classes and culture during this time in the Netherlands. While Greit want to enjoy the beauty of the painting and further her work with the painter, her mother wants her to stay true to her roots. This small confrontation represents the internal struggle that Greit faces throughout the novel when trying to enjoy her newfound passion but not forget her past. (JP Tiernan)
"There is a difference between Catholic and Protestant attitudes toward painting," he explained as he worked, "but it is not necessarily as great as you think. Paintings may serve a spiritual purpose for Catholics, but remember too that Protestants see God everywhere, in everything. By painting everyday things. By painting everyday things — tables and chairs, bowls and pitchers, soldiers and maids — are they not celebrating God's creation as well?" (Chevalier 140)
In the society in which the novel takes place during the English Reformation period, differences in background serve to divide the public. Catholics and Protestants are pushed into two separate worlds, as are the people of different social classes.
In the passage above, Vermeer explains to Griet that Catholics and Protestants are not so different from each other in spite of how society helps to fuel the tension between them, such as separating the Catholics into the isolated living area of Papist’s Corner (a derogatory term towards Catholics) in Delft. Vermeer enlightens Griet that although both peoples may have different modes of revering God, they are regardless still celebrating God’s creations all the same. The religious gap is illustrated by Griet as she feels uneasy whenever she sees the painting of the Crucifixion and by her mother when she warns her daughter that Vermeer’s paintings may be of religious scenes. The events, practices, or objects found in the Vermeer household that are unfamiliar or strange to Griet are all categorized as Catholic. However, Griet’s uneasiness in the Catholic household seems to disappear whenever she is near Vemeer. This could be due to the fact that Vermeer was not born a Catholic. The social gap is exemplified when Griet initially refuses to wear Catharina’s clothes and pearls, as she frequently remarks that “Maids do not wear pearls.” She frequently feels the tension of the two worlds clashing with each other, as she does not want to break out of her class or role. The strict and restrictive distinctions between people of different social class or religious denominations are a reoccurring theme in the novel. (Katherine Pham)
“From the front of the house the New Church tower was visible just across the canal. A
strange view for a Catholic family, I thought. A church they will never even go inside.” (Chevalier 7)
Calvinism was the state religion in the Dutch Republic during the Dutch Golden Age. Also, mostly Protestants were among the wealthier groups. On the other hand, Catholics weren't treated in high regards. This passage gives the audience some subtle religious context at the time without going into too much detail. The tone of the Griet's voice almost seems as if Vermeer's family should be distancing themselves from the Protestants. The quote "A church they will never even go inside" gives us an insight that during the Dutch Golden Age the citizens of the Dutch Republic weren't united under one religion. The word "strange" is used quite often in the text when Griet's experiences something new or out of the ordinary. The audience almost gets the sense that she is instinctively repulsed when the word "strange" is used instead of being curious. The usage of the word suggest that ideas relating to Catholicism weren't prevalent during the time period. The quote "From the front of the house the New Church tower was visible just across the canal." suggests that Catholics were allowed to live in close proximity to a Protestant area. During this time, religion wasn't the only fact in your social status. Wealth could defend itself and hold grounds. This passage suggests that Vermeer would have been still respected within the Dutch community despite his faith in Catholicism. (Ky Lee)
“I was also longing to walk in familiar streets on my own, not to have a constant reminder of my new life chattering at my side. As I stepped into Market Square, leaving Papists’ Corner behind, I breathed in deeply. I had not realized that I had been holding myself in tight all the time I was with the family.” (Chevalier 18).
As Griet was getting acquainted with her role as a maid for a Catholic family, she learned that she was going to have to get used to a brand new culture. At this point in the story, Griet realizes the vast cultural differences that exist between Catholics living in Papists’ Corner and the primarily protestant city of Delft. Papists’ Corner is a portion of Delft that was inhabited by all Catholic families. This meant that Griet was going to be surrounded by this radically different culture not only in her house with the new family, but in the entire neighborhood that she was going to live. Griet, however, only needed to walk into Market Square, the central part of the town, to feel like she was back where she belonged. In this quote Griet mentions “a constant reminder of my new life chattering at my side”. She is speaking of Vermeer’s children. His children are not allowed to enter their Father’s studio and thus have a small sense of jealousy towards Griet, who has been given permission to enter Vermeer’s studio. The children constantly remind Griet, however, that their Father paints pictures of them and sells them to affluent members of the Dutch society. Throughout the story, Griet’s vision of Papist’s Corner changes, however, as she finds the Vermeer household, specifically Vermeer’s studio as a place of refuge from the children and society. Griet spends countless hours enjoying and contemplating Vermeer’s paintings. By the end of “Girl with a Pearl Earring” Vermeer paints Griet with his wife’s pearl earrings. When Vermeer’s wife learns of this painting, she becomes very angry and Griet leaves the Vermeer house in Papists’ Corner knowing she will never return. Griet’s ever-changing relationship with Papists’ Corner demonstrates her wavering perspective of the cultural differences she experiences in Delft. (Devin Roach)
“I did not know what to do that first Sunday I was not allowed to go home. I could not go to our church either, as it was in the quarantined area as well. I did not want to remain at the house, though — whatever Catholics did on Sundays, I did not want to be among them.” (Chevalier 63)
Early on in the novel, Griet feels somewhat isolated from her new family. As a maid, she was not treated with the respect that she deserved from the other children or adults in the household. This stemmed partially from the attention that Griet received from Vermeer that made Catharina and the daughters jealous.
The quarantine around her parents’ home put Griet in a sad state of worry and loneliness. She did not have anyone she could personally reach out to, and the constant thought of losing a family member plagued her mind during this time.
The way that Griet speaks about Catholic rituals on Sunday makes it seem as if she is speaking about a corrupt cult. Even though the Dutch were tolerant of religion during the Golden Age, Catholics were confined to their own areas, and Griet is not even knowledgeable about some of their practices on Sunday. Griet ends up going to the New Church that she was baptized at while her new family is at church. She did not recognize anyone there, and she meekly hid behind a pillar during the service in constant fear that someone might approach her. Instead of spending the morning relaxing from her hard work, she placed herself in a difficult situation around strangers. This behavior revealed characteristics of Griet that may be due to the hardships she was experiencing. (John Taylor)