How Does Griet Change In The Story Of The Vermeer Family

Before she moved across town to serve the Vermeer family, Griet, the main character, had a close bond with her family. Her mother, sister Agnes and Griet would laugh during their daily chores and she would explore the city of Delft, their dutch hometown, with her two beloved siblings, Agnes and Frans. She was able to talk and confide in her father, who helped her gain perspective and wisdom. Everything changed as Griet’s family found misfortune when her father, a tiler in Delft, lost his eyesight due to a kiln accident and was no longer able to practice his trade. This forced Griet to become a maid in the painter’s household, serving the young mistress Catharina, Vermeer’s wife, as well as cleaning his studio in a way that would look as if nothing had ever been moved. When Griet moved to work for the Vermeer’s, her family lost that closeness and it was further …show more content…
Griet’s relationship with her parents changes the most during her absence. Over the course of the story, Griet keeps the truth from her parents more than she would previously and comes to lying more often. She does this in order keep her parents from questioning her about her actions or what is happening around her. In her father’s eyes, the family lost Griet as soon as she left to work as a maid. One Sunday, Pieter the son visits their church in order to make an appearance to her family and she reassures her father that she will always be there for the family, even if Pieter the son stays in their lives. At this comment, her father frowns and admits to Griet that, “We’ve already lost you, Griet. We lost you the moment you became a maid” (Chevalier 118) telling the us, the readers,