The Complexity of Relationships Essay Example for Free

The Complexity of Relationships Essay What happens when a servant and a master form a secret relationship? Not in the way one would think of but a person who forms a close relationship with their master than necessary are usually looked down upon. Girl with a Pearl Earring talks about the experiences and the relationship Griet forms working for Johannes Vermeer a Dutch painter. From the outside, their relationship looks just like any other servant and master relationship. Looking closer one can see the friendship formed between them. Though it is good that a master and servant have mutual respect for each other, but the problems arise when feelings for the person comes into play. Griet crosses some boundaries when she starts to feel a romantic attraction for Johannes her master. The result can only be heartbreak for a servant who is foolish enough to seek equality with her master. The novel takes place in 1664 Holland where society like any other is based on ones status. Johannes Vermeer is a painter whose income is based on the number of paintings he is commissioned to paint and others that he is able to sell. He does not usually paint more than 3 paintings a year, so Johannes is not wealthy. He also has to support a mother, wife, five children and pay for a maid. Even with his economic situation, he goes out to find and additional servant to clean his studio. This is where Griet comes into the picture. Griet is hired to clean Johannes’s studio but his wife Catharina is not fond of Griet. Griet is aware of her precarious position and states, â€Å"It had been clear from the moment she’d seen me chopping vegetables in my mother’s kitchen that she disliked me. † (Chevalier, p. 49) Catharina cannot express her opinion or dislike of Griet because she is not making money for the family and is not in charge of making decisions for the family. She can only obey Johannes’s command. Catharina can not afford to make her husband angry as he is the only thing she has. The funny thing is, even Catharina is not allowed into Johannes’s paint studio which tells the reader that Griet is someone Johannes really trusts. Catharina is very jealous of Griet because Griet is the first and only one to help Johannes. As time goes by, Johannes starts to open up more to Griet through his paintings. Griet also shows a great interest in his paintings. Their similar interests draw them closer and they are able to feel more comfortable around each other. Problems arise when they have to keep their friendship away from their families and Catharina. If anyone were to ever find out about their friendship, all the blame would go to Griet for breaking up a family. Due to their society back then, having a relationship between a master and a servant was looked down upon because they would always assume it involved them having an affair. They would only prefer and appreciate a more formal attitude towards each other so they would not cross any boundaries in status and moral values. Through the complexity and intricacies of human social groups, people of society just would not accept having a close relationship with others whom they believe to be lower than they are. Even more problems arise when a wealthy man named van Ruijven asks Johannes to commission a painting of Griet. Van Ruijven is known for molesting servant girls, and so when Johannes is asked to paint Griet, he becomes very worried of this man’s interest in Griet. This shows Johannes’s care for Griet which she will later on misinterpret for something more. Johannes actually just sees her as a maid and a person who is a part of his family. He feels obligation to protect her because of this. Van Ruijven’s smile made me shiver. There was a long silence. I glanced at my master. He was struggling to maintain a calm expression, but I knew he was angry. (Chevalier, p. 168) Difficulties arise when Griet and Johannes have to lie and hide the fact from others that Johannes has been commissioned to paint Griet. If Catharina were to find out, as much as the painting was asked to be commissioned to van Ruijven, she would not accept it because since Johannes has never painted her, Griet should not have the right to be painted by Johannes. To protect Griet from the consequences, Johannes makes her live in the attic above his painting studio to lessen the suspicion when he has to paint her so she would not have to sneak into the room to be painted. This allows them to be able to spent time alone together when Johannes is painting Griet. Her emotions for him become more evident. Others are able to see Johannes’s protectiveness of Griet as well. You see, competition makes men possessive. He is interested in you part because van Ruijven is. (Chevalier, p. 86) He is trying to protect her from being raped by van Ruijven. When one of Johannes’s friend says this, it makes Griet misinterpret Johannes’s protectiveness for something more than was intended increases her romantic attraction to Johannes. Griet also starts to believe that he starting to like her more than Catharina. When Johannes finishes the painting, he was hoping to quietly show it van Ruijven without anyone knowing or seeing. Things do not go as well as planned when Catharina becomes curious of his paintings and takes a peek at the painting. Catharina realizes the probable relationship between Griet and Johannes. She tries to accuse Griet of stealing her earrings so the others would not know the real problem. Catharina is clearly jealous because he has never painted Catharina or even the children. Griet knew that since their relationship was found out she had to leave. Griet leaves with heartbreak as she wishes that Johannes would come to her defense. I looked up and met his eyes=, holding his grey gaze for a long moment. I knew it was for the last time. I did not look at anyone else. (Chevalier, p. 15) He instead remained silent throughout the entire confrontation and he did not even watch her leave to say goodbye. One can see that Griet should have seen the result of her actions. Heartbreak is the only outcome for a servant who is foolish enough to seek equality with her master. She started off trying to avoid everyone and just do her job to earn money for her family. She ended up having feelings for her master who just thought of her as a member of the family and a maid. Griet misinterpreted Johannes’s intentions which lead to her heartbreak and shame to society.