Plagiat Merupakan Tindakan Tidak Terpuji

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

AN ANALYSIS OF GRIET’S STRUGGLE FOR LIFE

IN TRACY CHEVALIER’S GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Saarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

SARIANI PUTRANTI Student Number: 04 1214 087

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2011

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

AN ANALYSIS OF GRIET’S STRUGGLE FOR LIFE

IN TRACY CHEVALIER’S GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Saarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

SARIANI PUTRANTI Student Number: 04 1214 087

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2011 i

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work

or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the

references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, July 29, 2011

The Writer

Sariani Putranti 041214087

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

LEMBAR PERYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH

UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:

Nama : Sariani Putranti Nomor Mahasiswa : 041214087

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

AN ANALYSIS OF GRIET’S STRUGGLE FOR LIFE

IN TRACY CHEVALIER’S GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING

Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikannya secara terbatas, memplubikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis. Demikian surat pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta,

Pada tanggal: 29 Juli 2011 Yang menyatakan,

(Sariani Putranti)

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As long as you live, keep learning how to live...

(Sacitta)

This thesis is dedicated to:

My Lord, Jesus Christ in the kingdom of heaven

My beloved family

and Leo Agung Christa Maharddikha

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to God, finally I could finish this thesis. First of all, I would like to give my deepest gratitude to my Lord, Jesus Christ who has accompanied me in time of difficulty. He has been there to protect me, when I have no strenght to do anything.

Second, I give my profound thanks to my sponsor, Drs. L. Bambang

Hendarto Y., M.Hum., who has guided and helped me during this thesis writing process. I would like him to know that every time I meet him in Kota Baru, I always get new spirit indirectly. I would also to thank him for teaching me to keep my spirit in fighting this life. My gratitude also goes to all PBI lectures and staff, who have given me valuable lessons and experiences during my study at Sanata

Dharma University. My appreciation also goes to all the staff in the library for helping me so much in finding books and references.

My deepest gratitude also goes to my beloved parents, Bapak Y. S.

Sariadi and Ibu Theresia Pawit Supriyani. Thank you for trusting and supporting me during my study at Sanata Dharma University. Thank you for your love, prayer, and patience..

Thanks to “Batman” for his prayer, care and support, and to my ‘big’ little brother, Gugus Febri Putranto who has motivated me very much and who has kept asking me my thesis progress. Thanks also to my sister Ester

Kurniasari, Lukas Juniarsa, Olivia Lewi Pramesti, Andizoe, Mas Andik, Mas

Chiki and also Mas Dhany whose never ending support and short messages have burnt my spirit to complete this thesis.

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My special thanks goes to Ika Widhyasti Dasmitta who always supports me in my desperation. Thanks for being my best friend, for this beautiful friendship, and for offering me to proofread my thesis. I thank her for her suggestion and corrections for every page of my thesis. Thanks also to Hana, Yuni, Rita, Rina,

Indri, Eriska, Aline, Yanu, Tutik, Pius, Ahmed, and PBI students of 2004. My appreciation also goes to Anik, Thomas, Adhis, Dita, Ichak and Atta who have helped me much. I thank them for supporting and sharing some materials for my thesis.

I give my profound thanks to Budhe Lucy PRK and Romo Sardi S.J. who have never been tired to motivate me during this completion of this thesis. Thanks also to Bu Titik, Tim-Tim, Andre, Mas Iwan and all of MUDIKA St. Joseph family for their togetherness. I thank Dwi, Monic, Dewi, and Deka for every craziness we have had in the boardinghouse.

Thank you so much for the big family of Cantus Firmus Choir, especially for Mas Mbong, Rosalinda, Oon, Lany, Budi, and Mas Alex for every beautiful song we have sung together. My appreciation also goes to PURIKIDS, ALL

PLUS and ALAM BAHASA family, especially for Paramita, Resty, Novika,

Bunga, Michiko, and Mbak Selly who have always been great partners to work.

Thanks also to THOSE who have made me stronger by giving tears and pain.

Finally, I would like to thank every single cup of coffee which accompanies me every day. Thanks for the life lessons given to me through the bitterness and sweetness.

Sariani Putranti

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TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE PAGE ...... i

PAGES OF APPROVAL ...... ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ...... iv

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI...... v

PAGE OF DEDICATION...... vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... ix

ABSTRACT ...... xi

ABSTRAK ...... xii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ...... 1

A. Background of the Study ...... 1

B. Problem Formulation ...... 4

C. Objectives of the Study ...... 4

D. Benefit of the Study ...... 4

E. Definition of Terms ...... 5

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ...... 7

A. Review of Related Studies ...... 7

B. Review of Related Theories...... 8

1. Character ...... 8

a. Definition of Character ...... 8

b. Kind of Character ...... 9

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2. Characterization ...... 10

a. Definition of Characterization ...... 10

b. Ways of Characterization ...... 10

3. Critical Appraoch...... 13

4. Motivation...... 14

5. Struggle for Life...... 16

B. Sociocultural-Historical Background ...... 17

1. The European Great Power ...... 18

2. Social Structure ...... 18

3. Religion ...... 19

4. Painting...... 20

C. Theoretical Framework ...... 20

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ...... 22

A. Object of the Study ...... 22

B. Approach of the Study ...... 23

C. Method of the Study ...... 24

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS ...... 26

A. The Description of Griet ...... 26

1. Brave ...... 28

2. Hardworking ...... 32

3. Quiet...... 36

4. Careful...... 38

5. Tough...... 41

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6. Smart and Artistic...... 44

B. Griet’s Struggle for a Better Life ...... 47

1. Causes of Griet’s Struggle ...... 47

a. Her Family Condition...... 49

b. Her Dreams...... 51

2. Griet’s Struggle ...... 52

a. Working as a Maid...... 54

b. Working in the Attic to Grind and Mix Colors.... . 57

c. Being a Model of Painting...... 61

CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ...... 65

A. Conclusions ...... 65

B. Suggestions ...... 67

1. Suggestion for Future Researchers ...... 67

2. Suggestion for the Implementation of the

Teaching Learning Process ...... 68

REFERENCES ...... 70

APPENDICES ...... 72

Appendix 1 Cover of Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl

Earring ...... 73

Appendix 2 Summary of Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl

Earring ...... 74

Appendix 3 The Author’s Biography ...... 76

Appendix 4 Tracy Chevalier’s Works ...... 78

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Appendix 5 Lesson Plan ...... 79

Appendix 6 Sample Material for Teaching Short Essay

Writing I...... 81

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ABSTRACT

Putranti, Sariani. 2011. An Analysis of Griet’s Struggle for Life in Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

This study analyzes a novel written by Tracy Chevalier entitled Girl with a Pearl Earring, which shows how Griet, the main character of the novel, struggles for life. The novel is worth analyzing since it tells about human being’s struggle for life as reflected in the way a girl struggle to overcome the problems she encounters in her life, and to get a better life by pursuing her dreams. The aim of this study is to analyze how Griet, the main character of the novel, manages to struggle in changing her life into a better one. In order to achieve the aim, two problems are discussed in this study. Firstly, it deals with Griet portrayal as revealed in the novel. Secondly, it deals with her struggle and how she struggles to get a better life. Library study is applied in this study, in which the primary source is obtained from the novel itself. While the secondary sources are taken from books on psychology and literary theories. The internet sources are also used as supportive data for this analysis. Theories of character and characterization are applied to answer the first problem. Theories of motivation, struggle for life, and human basic needs are used to discuss the second problem. Based on the analysis, Griet is portrayed as a brave, hardworking, quiet, careful, tough, smart and artistic. Those characteristics are revealed through her personal description, characters as seen by others, her speeches, her reactions, direct comments, her thoughts, and mannerism. Further, the analysis shows that there are two reasons that cause Griet to struggle. Firstly, it deals with her terrible family life caused by poverty and financial problems. Secondly, it deals with her dream. Therefore Griet carries out some ways to achieve a better life. The first is working as a maid. The second is working in the attic to grind and to mix colors. The third is being a model of painting. Griet also applies some categories of adjustment, there are: acceptance to the situation, problem solving, and self- defense mechanism. In her struggle, Griet is able to satisfy some of her basic needs. It is suggested for future researcher to conduct analysis of love relation between Griet and Vermeer. It is also possible to conduct analysis on the influence of family’s condition on Griet’s behavior. This study also provides suggestion for implementation of teaching Short Essay Writing I using literary work.

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ABSTRAK

Putranti, Sariani. 2011. An Analysis of Griet’s Struggle for Life in Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Skripsi ini menganalisa sebuah novel karya Tracy Chevalier yang berjudul Girl with a Pearl Earring, yang menggambarkan perjuangan hidup Griet, tokoh utama dalam novel. Novel ini bermanfaat untuk dianalisa karena menggambarkan perjuangan hidup seorang manusia, yang tercermin dari perjuangan seorang gadis yang berjuang mengatasi permasalahan dalam hidupnya dan untuk mendapatkan kehidupan yang lebih baik dengan meraih mimpinya. Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah untuk menganalisa bagaimana Griet, tokoh utama dalam novel, berhasil berjuang dalam mengubah hidupnya menjadi lebih baik. Untuk mencapai tujuannya, dua permasalahan dibahas dalam skripsi ini. Pertama, dalam hubungannya dengan gambaran Griet seperti dipaparkan dalam novel. Kedua, dalam hubungannya dengan perjuangan Griet untuk hidup yang lebih baik, yang dibagi menjadi dua bagian yaitu penyebab perjuangan dan bagaimana dia berjuang untuk memperoleh hidup yang lebih baik. Penelitian perpustakaan diterapkan dalam skripsi ini, dengan sumber utamanya adalah novel itu sendiri. Sedangkan sumber-sumber tambahan diperoleh dari buku-buku yang berhubungan dengan teori psikologi dan literature. Sumber- sumber dari internet juga digunakan sebagai data pendukung analisa. Teori tokoh dan penokohan digunakan untuk menjawab permasalahan pertama. Teori motivasi, perjuangan hidup, dan kebtuhan dasar manusia digunakan untuk menjawab permasalahan kedua. Berdasarkan analisa, Griet digambarkan sebagai seorang yang berani, pekerja keras, pendiam, teliti, tegar, pintar dan artistik. Karakter tersebut digambarkan melalui deskripsi personalnya, karakteristik sebagaimana dilihat oleh orang lain, ucapannya, komentar langsung, reaksinya, pemikirannya, dan kebiasaanya. Selanjutnya, analisa juga menunjukkan bahwa ada dua alasan yang menyebabkan Griet berjuang. Pertama, kehidupan keluarganya yang buruk yang diakibatkan karena kemiskinan dan kendala keuangan. Kedua, mimpi-mimpinya. Dengan demikian Griet melakukan beberapa cara untuk memperoleh hidup yang lebih baik. Tindakan pertama adalah bekerja sebagai pelayan rumah tangga. Tindakan kedua adalah bekerja di loteng untuk menggerinda dan mencampur warna. Tindakan ketiga adalah menjadi model lukisan. Griet juga menerapkan beberapa kategori penyesuaian, yaitu: penerimaan akan situasi, penyelesaian masalah, dan mekanisme pertahanan diri. Dalam perjuangannya, Griet dapat memenuhi beberapa kebutuhan dasarnya. Disarankan untuk peneliti yang akan datang untuk mengadakan analisa tentang hubungan pribadi antara Griet dan Vermeer. Juga dimungkinkan untuk mengadakan analisa tentang pengaruh kondisi keluarga terhadap tingkah laku Griet. Skripsi ini juga dilengkapi dengan saran untuk mengajar Short Essay Writing I menggunakan karya sastra. xiv

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents background of the study, problem formulation,

objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of term. The

background of the study gives explanation about the topic and the reason why the

writer chooses the novel and the topic. The problem formulation presents the

problems or questions which guide to the analysis of the novel. The objectives of

the study aim to answer the questions stated in the problem formulation. The

benefits of the study explain the advantages of the study. Finally, the definition of

term provides some information related to the study.

A. Background of the Study

There is no life without problems. In life, God gives us both happiness and

sorrow. Many things happen to us, to meet another, to love another, to face

problems and so on. The problems and difficulties could be in various aspects of

life; family problems, financial problems, individual problems, job, relationship

and many more. Being able to face and solve the problems will strengthen people

themselves. Poeple’s quality will be tested and improved throughout the

problems. How people face the reality, how they solve their problems and how

they struggle for life are parts of life experiences.

Life is not only about happiness. When problems come, people must face

them, whether they are ready or not. They must move to make their life better and 1

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must not stop at the moment. Even though it is very hard and difficult to solve.

People have to believe and have efforts to get happiness and better life. According

to Peale, struggle is defined as to strive, to make a great effort, to labor hard, with

a twist, or with contortions of body. Recognizing that human has intelligence and

brain to think, human also has ideas and faith to solve every problem happening in

life (http:www.brainyquote.com/words/st/struggle224910).

Literature provides many aspects of life; information, amusement,

entertainment and many more. By reading literature, we can get information and

life’s value in relation with human life such as psychology, social, moral, history,

and other sides of life. As stated by Rohreberger and Woods (10), literature is a

criticism of life that influences man in the society, and literature helps to express

the values of life, restraint and human dignity. Works of literature express human

life experiences. An author of a literary work expresses his feelings or reflections

of human experiences.

Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of the novels which

shares about struggle in life related to the maid life. The novel was written by

Tracy Chevalier in United State in 1999. In this story, she shows the reader about

a Dutch maid’s life around 1664-1676 in the Dutch city of Delft. The focus of the

story is Griet, a 16 year-old-girl who lives with her family in Delft. She struggles

for her better life in difficult situations and problems. Griet’s father gets an

accident when he is working as a tile maker; he loses his eyes and his eyesight, so

that he cannot work anymore to support his family life. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Through this situation, Chevalier tells the life of the main character of the

novel who faces reality, conflict, and further problems she struggles in life. In this

novel, Chevalier describes Griet as a unique person. Her struggle for life begins

when she faces bad economical problems and family problems. She has to adapt

with new situation of Dutch maid’s life, because she obtains her first job as a

servant in Vermeer’s household. Vermeer is a famous painter, his wife is

Chatarina and they have five children. Griet has to do housework of any kind. She

also cleans Vermeer’s studio of painting where Vermeer creates his masterpieces.

When Griet works as a maid in this family, there are a lot of conflicts happening.

Chatarina already dislikes her because her husband gives Griet all his attention.

Chatarina dislikes Griet because Chatarina is not allowed to enter the Master’s

studio. Meanwhile, Griet feels under pressure of Tanneke, the senior maid. One

of Vermeer’s daughters is also moody and always wants to annoy Griet, and she is

Cornelia. There are also problems coming from Vermeer’s patron and other

problems related to her relationship and her religious practice.

Griet’s struggle in her life is inspiring and interesting to discuss. The novel

provides a story of Griet’s reactions toward every condition that has happened. No

matter how hard her problems are, she always keeps her spirit on struggling and

keeps the effort to get her better life. This story provides me a valuable lesson

that life is not easy and full of obstacles. Griet’s spirit in life teaches me to keep

struggling even in the most difficult situation I have to deal with . That is why I

chose Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.

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B. Problem Formulation

In analyzing the novel, there are two problems related to the topic of the

study. The problems are formulated as follows:

1. How is Griet, the main character, described in the novel?

2. How does Griet struggle for life?

C. Objectives of the Study

The objective of the study is to find out Griet’s struggle for life as seen in

Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Therefore, there are two problems to

answer in the study. The first is to find out the description of Griet’s character in

the novel. The second is to analyze Griet’s struggle to the situation she faces in

her life.

D. Benefits of the Study

The novel deals with Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with the Pearl Earring. Firstly,

this study is hoped to enrich the students of English Language Program of Sanata

Dharma University with more literary works. Furthermore, the readers can take

the values from the novel and be inspired to implement the values in life.

Secondly, the researcher can find the meaning of struggle itself. By

analyzing the novel the writer can learn about life experience through Griet’s

struggle. How she faces and maintains her life. Although she almost gives up, she

always keeps her effort to reach her better life. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Finally, for the further researchers who conduct the same research of the

novel. It may be helpful because it gives information in studying the novel and as

a reference to write a thesis on literature concerning on struggle in life.

E. Definition of Terms

In order to avoid misconception about the content of the thesis, it is better to

define some significant terms that are used in this discussion.

1. Character

Character has an important role in the novel. Therefore, it is important to

understand what character is. Abrams (24) defines that the word character means

a person represented in a dramatic or narrative work who is interpreted by the

reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that is expressed

in what they says through dialogue and by what they do. So, the readers can

understand the characters through their thoughts, feelings, intentions and motives.

Meanwhile, according Holman and Hormon (81) character is the presence of

moral uprightness, and simpler notion of the presence of creatures in art that seem

to be human beings of sort or another. The definitions of characters will guide the

readers to comprehend the story of the novel.

2. Struggle

According to Mc Kechnie (1806), struggle is “great effort or series of

effort”. While Abate defines struggle as “make violent or determined efforts under

difficulties” (1514). In this study, struggle refers to a persons’ effort to face

difficulties and any hard conditions of her life to reach what she wanted. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

3. Housemaid

Based on Mc Kechnie (563), a housemaid means a female servant employed

to do housework. While according to Webster (881) housemaid is a women

servant in a large house. Housemaid or maid could be a woman or a girl. She is

hired to do the household, such as clean rooms, cook for the family or shopping.

In this study, a housemaid is also called a servant or a maid; she is Griet who

worked in the Vermeer’s family to do household duties and to clean the studio of

painting.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part is review of related

theories. The second part is the socio-historical background in Dutch in the 17th

century and the last part is theoretical framework.

A. Review of Related Studies

This part will present some studies related to the novel, Girl with a Pearl

Earring by Tracy Chevalier. Wijayanti (2005) in her undergraduate thesis,

analyzes the intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts that the major character

faces in Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. According to her, the

conflicts that occur inside Griet herself and between Griet and the other characters

are interesting to discuss. Griet comes to a new environment because of her

family’s economical condition and has to work as a maid in the Vermeer’s house.

Griet faces many conflicts deal with the other characters and resolves the conflicts

differently. In dealing with intrapersonal conflicts, Griet applies some strategies

like meditation, negotiation, arbitration, and avoidance. Furthermore, in dealing

with interpersonal conflict, Griet applies avoidance strategy, meditation strategy,

arbitration strategy and coercion approach. In her study, Wijayanti discusses two

main problems. First is the characterization of Griet, the main character observed

in the novel. Second is the conflict that Griet faces when she lives in the

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Vermeer’s house in the Papist’s Corner and to analyze how she deals with the

conflicts.

Another study was conducted by Sianturi (2005). She states that her

undergraduate thesis focuses on Griet’s internal and external conflicts. The

internal conflicts arise because of her difficult jobs, uncomfortable feelings, low

wages, uneasy feeling on leaving home and prohibited from seeing her family

when some of her family are ill. The external conflicts she faces are conflict with

Cornelia, the other maid in Vermeer’s house. She also suffers sexual abuse from

Van Ruijven; conflicts with Vermeer when he asks for her to be a model of

painting and conflicts with Catharina, Vermeer’s wife who is always treat her

badly.

B. Review of Related Theories

This part will present the theories of character, characterization, critical

approach, hierarchy of needs and struggle for life. It is important to understand

those theories to analyze the characters in the novel.

1. Character

a. Definition of Character

Characters take important role in analyzing and understanding the story of

the novel. Abrams (24) says that the word character means a person represented in

a dramatic or narrative work who is interpreted by the reader as being endowed

with moral and dispositional qualities that is expressed in what they says through

dialogue and by what they do. “Characters are often defined as the individuals PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

who appear in a story (Stanton, 17). Every character brings some mixture of

interest, desires, emotions and moral principal that build them in a story to be the

believable person.

b. Kind of Characters

Henkle (86-97) in Reading the Novel divides the characters into two. They

are major character and secondary character. The major character is the significant

part in the story. It deserves the fullest attention because of its structural function

and mostly appeared in the story; if we understand them, we presumably

understand the vocal experiences of the novel. The secondary characters are

characters that have only limited function and performance in the novel. The

characters only appear in certain scene of the story. These characters being

generally less complex or less intense and drawn in shallower relief, often present

one side of the experiences.

Holman and Harmon (83) categorize two types of characters into static and

dynamic. A static character is one who changes little in their actions. The pattern

of the action reveals the characters, rather than showing the changes of the

actions. A dynamic character is one who modified by actions and experiences;

one objectives of the works in which the characters appear is to reveal the

consequences of these actions.

Further, Abrams (24) states two kinds of characters, namely flat character

and round character. A flat character is built around single idea or quality and

presented in outline, without much individualizing in detail. In a flat character we

do not know enough a change about the characters. A round character embodies PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

all the variations and complexities of human nature. It can move us to any

feelings, emotions and makes the novel becomes more interesting.

2. Characterization

a. Definition of Characterization

Rohrberger and Wood, Jr. (20) state the opinion that characterization as the

process by which an author creates character. It is like the way of the author to

describe the characters to the readers. Every character in the story has different

personality and physical attributes that will differentiate with another character.

According to Baldick (34) characterization is the representation of persons

in narrative and dramatic works. This may include direct methods like the

attribution of qualities in description or commentaries, and indirect methods

inviting the readers to infer qualities from characters’ actions, speech, and

appearance.

b. Ways of Characterization

Murphy in his book Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English

Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Students (161-173) defines nine ways to

understand character. There are:

1) Personal description

The author can describe a person’s appearance and clothing. He can

describe clearly what the characters are like and tell the reader the details of the

character’s appearance: the face, skin, eyes, and clothing. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

2) Characters as seen by others

The author describe the character from others character opinion. The author

helps the reader to understand the character by revealing other character opinion

about the character being observed.

3) Speech

The author can give the readers an insight into the character of one of the

person in the story through what the person says. Whenever the person speaks,

whenever he puts forward the opinion, he is giving the readers some clues to his

characters.

4) Past Life

The author shows a person’s character by revealing the person’s past life. It

can be done by direct comment from the author, through the person’s

conversation, and through the medium of the other person.

5) Conversation of others

The author can also give the readers clues about a person’s character

through the conversation, either by other people or by the things, they say about

him.

6) Reactions

The author gives the clues by letting the readers know how the characters in

the story react to various situations. Using this kind of characterization, the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

readers may expect to find the quality of the characters in dealing with those

various situations.

7) Direct comment

Usually the author gives his comment and opinion explicitly towards his

characters in the story.

8) Thoughts

The author may give the readers direct knowledge of what a person is

thinking about. Here, he can tell the readers what different people are thinking.

9) Mannerism

The author can describe a person’s mannerism or habits both positive and

negative one, which may also tell the readers something about his character.

Little in his book Approach of Literature , states that there are three steps to

study a character (93). First is from a person’s basic characteristics. These can be

seen from the physical condition of the character including a person’s age, the

social relationship that means the personal relationship with others characters and

the mental qualities, which is the typical ways of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Second is from a person’s appearance from various points of view. These

include how the character sees herself, how various other characters see her, and

how a person develops or fails to develops during the course of story.

Third is from a person’s place in the works. It means the treatment of the

author (sketch or fully rounded, a portrayed descriptively or dramatically, treated PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

sympathetically or unsympathetically), a person’s place in the story (a leading

character or a minor one), and a person’s relationship to theme.

3. Critical Approach

Literature work has an aesthetic value of human life. After the process of

reading literary works, the readers will be able to response the aesthetic value. It is

so important to understand the critical approach to support the readers in gaining

the comprehension and to find the value. Rohrberger and Woods, Jr. state that

there are five theories of critical approach (6-15). The formalist approach

concentrates on the importance to apprehend the total integrity of the literary

object. Biographical approach is used when we have a purpose of appreciating the

ideas and personality of the author to understand the literary works. The critics of

this approach insist that a work of art is a reflection of a personality. The socio-

cultural- historical approach sees the importance of place and situation where a

work of literature was produced. The basis reference of this approach is the socio

cultural aspect combine with the interest in the biographical and interest in literary

history. The mythpoeic approach is used to discover the pattern of human thought

that may influences the literature. Finally, the psychological approach sees the

literature from psychological aspect. This approach involves the complexities of

human behavior, thoughts, actions, expressions and so on. By focusing on Griet’s

struggle in life, this study uses the psychological approach and the sociocultural –

historical approach .

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

4. Motivation

People have a drive that becomes the reason in every action of their life. It is

usually called as a motivation; which encourages him/her to keep on moving

forward to reach their goals or dreams. According to Petri (3), motivation is the

concept we use when we describe the forces acting on or within an organism to

initiate and direct behavior. Every person has motivation in doing actions. Actions

are done to achieve the goals. Motivation is like a strong reasons of doing

something. It is also like a push of reaching goals. Petri (315) points out that there

are two kinds of motivation. They are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Petri

defines intrinsic motivation as the value or pleasure associated with an activity as

opposed to the goal toward which the activity is directed. However, extrinsic

motivation, by contrast, emphasizes the external goals toward which the activity is

directed (Petri 315).

According to Maslow in Goble’s The Third Force, hierarchy of needs also

gives some explanation of basic psychological human needs. There are five basic

needs; Psychological needs, security needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-

actualizing needs. Maslow states that every person has their own satisfaction. It

depends in how she/he fulfills their needs (38).The explanation of each need is as

follows:

a. Physiological needs

Physiological needs are the most basic needs that are vital to survival. This

need deal with the physical needs. It is included the needs of food, liquid, shelter, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

sex, sleep and oxygen. When these needs are fulfilled, a person will try to gain the

next needs.

b. Security needs

Security needs are for safety and security. Safety needs emerge after

physiological needs are fulfilled. These needs emerge because of the needs to feel

secure, stable, independent, protected, free from fear, and anxiety. A person needs

to be safe from anything that is considered harmful.

c. Social needs

Social needs include belonging, love and affection. After physiological and

safety needs are fulfilled, needs for love, affection, and belongingness emerge.

People will seek a friend, a sweetheart, a wife or husband to find the feeling of

“belong” and to feel the affection from them.

d. Esteem needs

Esteem needs related to self esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and

accomplishment. There are two categories of esteem needs- self respect and

esteem from other people. The first category is self respect. It includes desire for

confidence, competence, mastery, adequacy, achievement, independence and

freedom. The second category is respect from the others. It includes prestige,

recognition, acceptance, attention, status, reputation, and appreciation. If a person

has adequate self esteem he will more confident and capable so that he will more

productive.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

e. Self-actualizing needs

Self-actualizing needs include self aware concerned with social growth, less

concerned with the opinion of others, and interested fulfilling their potentials.

This need is the highest needs among all. Self-actualization is the desire what a

person capable to become and more than he capable of. The self-actualization is a

need for fulfillment of one’s unique potential, for example knowledge and beauty.

All the hierarchy needs mentioned above are important in human life.

Meanwhile, there is consideration that every person has their satisfactory to fulfill.

May be there will be different needs of another that have different motives or

goals in his/her life.

5. Struggle for Life

In life people meet many problems, either easy or difficult problems. What

they need is happiness. Nobody wants to be sad all the period of time. People will

give such effort to reach his/her dreams; moreover they will struggle for their

needs. The effort will appear naturally when she/he is under pressure of their

situation of life or some difficult problems. According to Mc Kechnie (1806),

struggle is “great effort or series of effort”. While Abate defines struggle as “make

violent or determined efforts under difficulties” (1514). Based on the explanation

above, struggle for life is a series of determined effort that human does under

difficult condition of her life. People will learn the positive things even though

they failed in certain problems of life. When negative things and the most difficult

problems come people will keep struggle for their satisfying goals. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Braund, Linder and Asimov (479-480) say that there are many things

happening in life. These life events will push and force people to struggle in life;

they can be death of spouse, divorce, personal injury or illness, gaining a new

family member, family members leaving home, etc. People need to adjust their

life in dealing with the problems and challenges in their life.

Adjustment is a process of coping with events, problems, challenges and

hard situations happen in life. This adjustment is divided into three main

categories. There are: problem solving, acceptance of the situation, and defense

mechanism. The first is problem solving. People will seek for the solution when

she/he is in troubles or difficult conditions. They will struggle for the best

solutions. Therefore, people’s problem solving skill may develop when they face

problems and difficulties. The second is acceptance of the situation. Problems and

life events bring their consequences; either negative or positive. In certain

situation where there is no more solution, people are challenged to be brave and

honest to accept every situation even though it must be avoided. The third is

defense mechanism such as pressure and denial. This defense is important to

reduce the stress and under pressure feeling dealing with the situation.

Meanwhile, there is a danger too if it is overused. This defense will create certain

disturbance.

B. Sociocultural - Historical Background

This part deals with the sociocultural-historical background of Tracy

Chevalier’s Girl with Pearl Earrings. Since the novel was inspired by the

historical painting and the real life of Johannes Vermeer, an artist of painting from PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Dutch; it is important to understand the socio-historical background in Dutch

especially in 17th century. According to Harold’s History of the Netherland and

Dutch Revolt (http://www.historyworld.net), there are some explanations of

Dutch’s history as follows:

1. The European Great Power

The setting of the novel is in Dutch. 17th century in Dutch was considered as

Golden Age. It was a period in which Dutch trade, science, art and military were

among the most acclaimed in the world. In this era the Dutch East India Company

(Dutch: Vereningde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC) was founded. It was the

first ever multinational corporation, financed by shares that established the

modern stock exchange. This company received Dutch monopoly on Asian trade

and would keep this for two centuries. It became the world’s largest commercial

enterprise of the 17th centuries. Spices were imported in the bulk and brought huge

profit, due to the efforts and risks involved and seemingly insatiable demand.

The Dutch also dominated trade between European countries. Dutch trader

shipped wine from France and Portugal to the Baltic lands and returned with grain

destined for countries around the Mediterranean Sea. By the 1680s, an average of

nearly 1000 Dutch ships entered the Baltic Sea each year.

2. Social Structure

The main character of the novel, Griet comes from a poor family of tile

painter. To earn some money and to support her family, she works at a master of

painting house. There is social clash that differentiate the position of Griet,

Vermeer’s family and other characters in the novel. In Netherland one’s social PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

status in the 17th centuries was largely determined by income. Social classes

existed but in a new way. Aristocracy, or nobility, had sold out most its privileges

to cities, where merchant and their money were dominant. Aristocrats also mixed

with the members of the other classes in order to be able to support themselves.

Next to aristocrats and patricians came the affluent middle class, consisting

of Protestant minister, lawyers, physicians, small merchants, industrialists and

clerks of state institutions. The lower status was attributed to small shop owners,

specialized workers, craftsmen, administrators, and farmers. Below that stood

skilled laborers, house attendants and others service personnel.

3. Religion

The Dutch are known for their religious tolerance, only Dutch Reformed

Protestant profited directly from the Golden Age. The cities with a predominantly

Catholic background such Utrecht and Gouda, did not enjoy the benefits of the

Golden Age. As for the Protestant towns, unity and belief was also far from

standard. Catholic tended to keep to themselves in their own section of each town

despite making one of the largest single denominations (for example, the Catholic

painter Johannes Vermeer lived in the “Papist Corner” of the town of Delft. In

Tracy Cevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, Griet as the main character is a

Protestant and Vermeer’s family is Catholic. It will make some religious

misconceptions and weird feeling of Griet because she feels like a minority person

both in family and social life.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

4. Painting

Dutch Golden Age paintings were followed many of tendencies that

dominated Baroque art in other parts of Europe, such as Caravaggesque and

naturalism, but were the leader in developing the subject of life, landscape, and

gesture painting. Portraits were also popular, but the history painting-traditionally

the most elevated genre struggled to find buyers. Church art was virtually non-

existent, and little sculpture of any kind of produced. Today, the best known

painters of the Dutch Golden Age are the period’s most dominant figure

Rembrandt, the Delfi master of genre Johannes Vermeer, the innovative landscape

painter Jacob van Ruisdael and Frans Hal who infused new life into portrait.

Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a pearl earring was famous as Dutch’s Monalisa

painting.

C. Theoretical Framework

There are two problems stated in the previous chapter in order to discuss the

struggle for life of Dutch maid character, Griet, in Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a

Pearl Earring. The first problem formulation is about the characterization of Griet

herself. In order to answer this question, the theories of character are needed to

describe exactly what Griet’s characteristics are. I use the theory of character by

Henkle, the theory of characterization by Rohrberger and Woods Jr, and also by

Murphy to analyze the character of Griet.

The second problem formulation to analyze is about Griet’s struggle for

life. Here the theory of struggle, the hierarchy of needs, the theory of social- PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

cultural background review, the theory of motivation and psychological approach

are used to answer this question. The theory of struggle is used to analyze the

causes of Griet’s struggle in life. The hierarchy of needs, the theory of motivation,

the psychological approach and the theory of socio-cultural background review

are used to analyze the struggle of the character who is a maid in 17th century of

Dutch and the complexities of her needs, problems and also conflict in her life. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology in analyzing Tracy Chevalier’s

novel. There will be three sections in this chapter. They are object of the study,

approach of the study and method of the study. The object of study describes the

novel and some sources that support the study. The approach of the study will

describe of the approach that is used in the analysis. In the last part, the method of

the study, it is about description of the steps and procedure of the study.

A. Object of the Study

The novel Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier was written in

United Sates in 1999 and published by Harper Collins Company. This study used

the paperback edition published in 2000. In this novel, the author presents the

story into 4 parts. The first part is in 1664; the second part is in 1665; the third

part is in 1666 and the last past is in 1676. Girl with a Pearl Earring consists of

256 pages and was published by HarperCollins Ltd, London.

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a book based on the creation of the famous

painting by Vermeer. The novel belongs to best-selling historical novel. There

was also a successful film based on the novel and received three Academy Award

nominations in 2004. It also won the Orange Prize.

The story of the novel is set on Delft, the city of Dutch in the 17th century,

where people are still influenced by rich feeling and social status. The narrator of

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

the story is Griet as the main character of the novel. Generally, the novel is about

16-years-old girl named Griet from a family that has fallen in hard times. She

takes a job as a servant in the household of the famous painter Johannes Vermeer.

In the new situation of her life, she faces many experiences of life; her personal

and social relationship, unusual love with Vermeer, problems related to her works,

conflict with the other maids and so on . During this time, Griet become a model

of painting by Vermeer. She should wear a pearl earring whose Vermeer’s wife

have. This situation is the significant moment in the novel and it caused Griet run

away from the house.

B. Approach of The Study

In this study, the writer applies psychological approach in analyzing the

struggle for life of the character Giet and the aspect of psychological factors that

influences her struggle for life. According to Rohrberger and Woods (5-6) in

Reading and Writing about Literature, the psychological approach is “the effort to

locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns, but from a different body of

knowledge that is psychology. This approach uses the psychological theories to

explain human motivation, personality, and behavior patterns written in literary

objects.”

The writer also uses the socio-historical approach. This approach is

employed to analyze the socio-historical backgrounds in Dutch in 17th century of

Dutch. This approach is applied to see whether the socio-cultural in Dutch

influences the struggle of main characters or not.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

C. Method of the Study

In this study, the writer employed a library research as the method of

gathering the information and sources. The primary source used in this study is

the novel Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. The secondary sources

that the writer used were Murphy’s Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to

English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Students, Henkle B. Rodger in

Reading the Novel, Abrams’ A Glossary in Literary Terms, C. Hugh Holman and

William Harmon’s A Handbook of Literature Terms, Little’s Approach to

Literature and some theories of motivation. Besides, the writer was also browsing

some information in relation with the novel Girl with a Pearl Earring in the

internet.

The writer did some steps in analyzing the novel for the research. The first

step was reading and rereading the novel itself to have deep understanding about

the story. After that, the writer focused on the Dutch maid character, Griet and

formulated problems into questions. The second step was finding some theory of

literature and other books related to the topic of this thesis. The writer also found

data by browsing in the Internet.

Next step was trying to answer the questions in problem formulation. In

answering the first problem formulation, the writer used the theory of to analyze

the character of Griet. The other theories of character were also used to determine

Griet’s characterization. After finding the general description of Griet, the writer

tried to analyze Griet’s struggle for life. It was done by using the theories of

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

struggle, theory of motivation, hierarchy of needs and the theory of socio-

historical of Dutch in 17th centuries.

The last step was drawing conclusion from the analysis of the problem

formulation. It was done by relating all the data into general statements.

Furthermore, the writer also stated some suggestions for future researchers who

conduct study on the same novel and give the implementation for teaching

learning activities.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the

description of Griet’s life, as a housemaid, in the 17th century in Netherland,

through the theory of character and characterization. The second part is the

discussion of the struggle of Griet in life.

A. The Description of Griet

Characters take an important role in analyzing and understanding the story

of the novel. According to Henkle (86-97), character is divided into two. They are

major character and secondary character. The major character is the significant

part in the story. It deserves the fullest attention because of its structural function

and mostly appeared in the story; if we understand it, we presumably understand

the vocal experiences of the novel. The secondary characters are characters that

have a limited function and performance in the novel. The characters only appear

in certain scene of the story.

Based on the theory proposed by Henkle, Griet is considered as the major

character in which the readers put their fullest attention. Griet mostly appears in

the story, plays the significant role and becomes the focus of the story. Holman

and Harmon (83) point out that a character may be static or dynamic based on

their development and changes. Griet is included in dynamic character because

there are many changes which make Griet’s character develop in the story. 26 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Another theory proposed by Abrams (24), states two kinds of characters,

namely flat character and round character. A flat character is built around single

idea or quality and presented in outline, without much individualizing in detail. A

round character embodies all the variations and complexities of human nature. In

line with Abrams theory, Griet is considered as a round character because she has

complex aspects in her motivation and temperament. She has a complex

personality and traits in her character.

To analyze the character of Griet, the theories of characterization by

Murphy and Little are applied. According to Murphy there are nine ways to

understand character (161-173). They are: personal description, character as seen

by another, speech, past life, conversation with others, reactions, direct comment,

thought, and mannerism. Furthermore, Little states that there are three steps to

study a character (93). First is from a person’s basic characteristics. These can be

seen from the physical condition of the character including a person’s age, the

social relationship and the mental qualities. Second is from a person’s appearance

from various points of view. Third is from a person’s place in the works, a

person’s place in the story (a leading character or a minor one), and a person’s

relationship to theme. To reveals Griet characteristics there are only some ways of

characterization by Murphy and Little are used. Griet, the main character of the

novel, is a tile maker’s daughter. She lives with her family in Rietveld Canal,

Dutch. She is a 16 year-old girl with wide eyes and she is not big, quite small but

she can help her mother to do the household duties (Chevalier 4). In this novel PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Griet is described as a brave, hardworking, quiet, careful, tough, smart and artistic

person.

1. Brave

When she is 16 years old, Griet as a teenager has to face many problems. It

begins with family problems and financial problems. Her father gets an accident

when he is working as a tile maker; he loses his eyes and his eyesight, so that he

cannot work anymore to support his family life. Griet as the member of the family

has to support her family life. She is the one who has the responsibility to live her

family. Her brother is not settled enough as a tile maker and he cannot contribute

much to their family. In her teenage years, she has to make a hard decision. Griet

is brave to be a maid, to leave her home and to adapt with the new situation of her

life.

I walked away from our house, carrying my things tied up in an apron. It was still early – our neighbor were throwing buckets of water on their steps and the street in front of their houses, scrubbing them clean. Agnes would do that now, as well many of my other tasks. She would have less time to play in the street and along the canals. Her life was changing too. People nodded at me and watched curiously as I passed. No one asked where I was going or called out kind words. They do not need to- they knew what happened to families when a man lost his trade. I would be something to discuss later- young Griet become a maid, her father brought the family low. I walked along that street all my life, but had never been so aware that my back was to my home.” (Chevalier 11)

According to Harold’s History of the Netherland and Dutch Revolt

(http://www.historyworld.net), the Dutch are known for their religious tolerance,

Protestants are the majority and Catholics are the minority. Catholics tend to keep

themselves in their own section of each town despite making one of the largest

single denominations. In this novel, Griet works in Johannes Vermeer’s house in PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Papist Corner of the town of Delft. Griet’s bravery can be seen through her

decision to adapt and to socialize with the Catholicism in Vermeer’s house. It

causes some religious misconceptions and makes Griet feel like a minor person,

both in family and social life. In this situation, Griet is brave to face a new

environment where she is not comfortable with.

On the wall directly opposite hung a painting that was larger than me. It was Christ on the Cross, surrounded by the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and St John. I tried not to stare but I was amazed by its size and subject. ‘Catholics are not so different from us,’ my father had said. But we did not have such pictures in our houses, or our churches, or anywhere. Now I would see this painting every day. I was always to think of that room as the Crucifiction room. I was never comfortable in it (Chevalier 18).

Griet is also brave to express her anger, even to her mistress’ daughter. Her

bravery is shown when she slaps Cornelia, the sly and troublesome daughter, who

hates her since the first time she meets Griet. Cornelia always annoys Griet and

disturbs her when she works. One day, when Griet takes some water in the canal,

she disturbs Griet again and again. Griet becomes angry, and then she slaps

Cornelia without worrying the consequences and punishment from her mister or

mistress. Cornelia’s face turns red, but she does not cry. She runs and her two

sisters, Aleydis and Lisbeth peer down solemnly (Chevalier 23).

Cornelia does not like Griet, and she always tries to find her mistakes, so

that Griet will be punished by her parents. Again she throws stones into the pot to

make it sink in the canal a couple minutes after Griet slaps her. It makes Griet

angry, but she is brave to warn her not to do that or Griet will slap her again.

‘I’ll slap you again if you don’t stop.’ ‘I’ll tell our mother. Maid don’t slap us.’ PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Cornelia threw another stone. ‘Shall I tell your grandmother what you’ve done?’ A fearful look crossed Cornelia’s face. She dropped the stones she held (Chevalier 23).

Griet’s bravery is also seen when she begins to get used to lie. Actually she

does not want to lie, but the condition forces her to do so. She is brave to face

bigger consequences in the following days. Her master asks her to do some extra

tasks. She has to help him grind and mix colors in the attic. She has to cover it to

anyone, because it will cause some problems when everyone knows it. She lies to

Chatarina, Tanneke, Maria Thins, Cornelia and her parents. One day, when she

begins to work in the kitchen, Tanneke recognizes that there is a slash of red dust

in Griet’s apron. She considers that it is not blood on the apron. She becomes so

jealous and angry because she knows that it is their master’s mixtures of color.

‘What’s that there? Are you bleeding?’ I looked down. A slash of red dust crossed my stomach like a streak on a window pane. For a moment I thought of the aprons of Pieter the father and son. Tanneke leaned closer. ‘That’s not blood. It looks like powder. How did that get there?’ I gazed at the streak. Madder, I thought. I ground this a few weeks ago. Cornelia had been waiting for this mischief. I did not make up an answer fast enough. As I hesitated, Tanneke’s suspicious grew. ‘Have you been in the master’s thing? She said in an accusing tone. She had, after all, modelled for him and knew what he kept in the studio. ‘No, it was-‘I stopped (Chevalier 120).

Tanneke gives Griet a hard and angry look, but behind, she has a desire to

tell this case to her beloved mistress, Chatarina. She has a wish to punish Griet but

she has not had enough evidence, so that she says nothing about Griet’s attic work

to Chatarina or the girls or to anyone. She becomes much harder to Griet. Her

father also becomes suspicious when he smells linseed oil in Griet. ‘You smell of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

linseed oil (Chevalier 183)’. He does not believe that simply cleaning a painter’s

studio would make the smell linger on her clothes, her skin, and her hair. He

guesses that Griet does more than cleaning the studio. In this situation Griet is

brave to take the hard risk of Chatarina’s and the girl’s jealousy or Maria Thins’s

anger that may make her be fired out from the house.

Griet’s bravery can also be seen through her struggle in finding the

information related to the plague happening in her hometown, Rietveld Canal. She

tries to find the information by asking a soldier. Although she is very young, she

is brave and tough to ask the soldier about the situation in Rietveld Canal. Being

far away and having no information about her beloved family really make her sad

and down. In this condition she becomes brave. Unfortunately, the soldier cannot

provide any information about the plague. They underestimate Griet by asking

some payment if they could find any information about her family. Griet also

shows her bravery trough her speech. She does not like the manner of the soldier

that takes advantages from this misery.

I tried to speak to another soldier on a barrier at a different street. Through friendlier, he too could tell me nothing about my family. ‘I could ask around, but not for nothing,’ he added, smiling and looking me up and down so I would know he didn’t mean money. ‘Same on you,’ I snapped,’ ‘for seeking to take advantage of those misery.’ But he did not seem ashamed. I had forgotten that soldiers think of just one thing when they see a young woman (Chevalier 70).

When the plague and quarantine happen in Griet’s hometown, she also tries

hard to make herself tougher by praying hard for her family. She is brave to go to

the strange church alone. Beside, Pieter, the butcher’s son, also helps her find out

the information of the plague and the quarantine. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

I did not want to face a strange church alone again. We found one not far away, and although the service did not comfort me, I prayed hard for our family (Chevalier 73).

Through Griet’s speeches, her reactions in dealing with the various

situations, her thoughts, and her conversation with others, we can conclude that

Griet is a brave person. She is brave to face a new environment where she is not

comfortable to work as a maid. Griet is brave to warn her master’s daughter. She

slaps Cornelia when she finds Cornelia disturb her work. Her bravery is also seen

when she begins to get used to lie to others. She has extra tasks in the attic to help

Vermeer and no one knows this except Maria Thins. Griet is brave to face the

bigger consequences of her actions. She is also brave when she asks a soldier

related to the plague in Rietveld Canal.

2. Hardworking

Griet is a hardworking person. She does all of her duties well. There are so

many tasks for Griet to do: laundering, ironing, cleaning the house and her

master’s studio, helping Tanneke cook the food, shopping, and taking care of the

children. She never grumbles and complains with the tasks she gets. She is always

responsible of her works and she can finish it well. Her master and mistress are

pleased with it. At the beginning of her works, Griet is not used to do the routine

and hard jobs even though she used to help her mother do household duties in her

own house.

‘I was so exhausted I could hardly think. At home I worked just as hard but it was never so tiring as in a strange house where everything was new and I always tense and serious. At home I had been able to laugh with my mother or Agnes or Frans. Here there was no one to laugh with. (Chevalier 31)

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

On her first day she works, Tanneke, the other maid, does not only explain

to her about her tasks, but also introduces her to some rooms and corners in

Johannes Vermeer’s house. The tasks are harder than those in her own house. She

begins her task with laundering and ironing the clothes.

We crept downstairs again. When we were back in the washing kitchen Tanneke said,’You’re to take on the laundry house.’ She pointed to the great mound of clothes- they had fallen far behind with their washing. I would struggle to catch up. (Chevalier 21)

Griet has to do the laundering of many members of the Vermeer’s family.

She spends much of her time to finish the tasks. Moreover, there are some

children and one baby who will make more clothes dirty than the rest.

Even though it is hard and makes some injures in Griet’s body, she is

always responsible for all the tasks she has in Vermeer’s house. She soaks the

laundry a day before she can wash it, takes some pewter water pots and a chopper

kettle in the storage room that leads down to the cellar. She does the laundry well

and finishes it with ironing them neatly. Laundering is her everyday task which

makes her hands become chap and crack from the soap and water. Her face is red

from standing over the steam, her back is painful from lifting the wet cloth and

her arm is burnt by the iron (Chevalier 21).

Griet has the sole responsibility to clean her master’s painting studio. Only a

few of the family members might enter this room. Even Tanneke, the senior maid,

cannot enter this studio to clean it. This room is a restricted area; Chatarina, Maria

Thins and the children are afraid to clean and to move anything in this studio. The

distractions can disturb the master’s concentration in painting the object and can

change the lighting which also changes the tone of the painting. This duty to clean PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

the studio is Griet’s extra task. She has to clean the studio without moving

anything. The small things on the table are easy to clean, but the furniture is

harder. She use her feet, her knees, sometimes her shoulders and chin with the

chairs.

I dusted and swept and mopped- the floor, the walls, the windows, and the furniture- with satisfaction of tackling a room in need of a good cleaning. In the far corner, opposite the table and window, a door led to a storeroom, filled with the paintings and canvases, chairs, chest, dishes, bedpans, a coat rack and a row of books. I cleaned it there too, tidying the things away so that there was more order to the room (Chevalier 37).

Griet often has a little time to rest, because she has to help Tanneke prepare

the meals for the family after she has finished her daily tasks. Through her actions

in helping and completing the jobs, she can be considered as a hard worker. Once

she cleans the studio and goes to the fish stall or the Meat Hall. After that she

begins working on the laundry, sorting, soaking and working on the stains. On the

other day, she scrubs, rinses, boils, and wrings the clothes before hanging them to

dry in the noon sun. The next day, she irons, mends and folds the clothes. At some

points she always stops to help Tanneke with the midday meal. Afterwards they

clean up, and then they have a little time to rest on the bench out front, or back in

the courtyard (Chevalier 43).

Through the conversation between Griet, her father, and her mother when

she is going home also shows her hard working character. One day, her father

rubs her palms when she gives her hands to guide him over the front stop. Griet’s

father can assume that Griet works very hard in Vermeer’s house. He thinks that

she must have a lot of things to do as her daily tasks which cause chap on her

hands. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

My father came sit outside with us and hear about my new life. I gave my hands to him to guide him over the front stop. As he sat down on the bench he rubbed my palms with his thumb. ‘Your hands are chapped,’ he said. ‘So rough and worn. Already you have the scars of hard work.’ ‘Don’t worry.’ I answered lightly. ‘There was so much laundry waiting for me because they didn’t enough help before. It will get easier soon.’ My mother studied my hands. ‘I’ll soak some mallow in oil,’ she said. ‘That will keep your hands soft. Agnes and I will go to the country to pick some’ (Chevalier 48-49).

On one occasion, Johannes Vermmer’s family wants to celebrate the new

member of the family, baby Franciscus. Chatarina likes to hold a big feast. Thus,

Tanneke and Griet have to prepare the things for the birth feast. They have ten

days to prepare it, ten days for cleaning and cooking. Maria Thins hires two girls

for a week to help Tanneke with the food and Griet with the cleaning. They have

to work extra hard and they have not enough time to take a rest.

One day we washed, whether they were clean already or no, all the table cloths and napkins that would be needed for the feast, as well as all the clothes in the house- shirts, linens took another day. Then we washed all the tankards, glasses, earthenware plates, jugs, copper, pots, pancake pans, neighbor who lent them for the occasion. We polished the brass and the copper and the silver. We took curtains and rugs. We polished the wood of the beds, the cupboards, the chairs and tables, the windowsills, until everything gleamed. By the end my hands were cracked and bleeding (Chevalier 84).

Griet’s interaction with Pieter, the butcher’s son, also points out that Griet

has to work hard not only as a maid but also as Vermeer’s assistant in grinding

and mixing colors in the attic. One April morning when they are walking along

the Koornmarkt to the apothecary, Pieter catches some tired look on Griet’s face.

He considers that her eyes are red. Pieter cares about Griet, and feels that Griet

works too hard and has no time to sleep. He knows that Griet’s has extra duties to PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

do. Vermeer gives Griet so much bone to grind that forces Griet to wake up very

early to finish it. And at night after the household duties are finished, Tanneke

asks Griet stay to rewash the kitchen floor. Griet does not want to blame her

master because of her extra works. She does not complain when Tanneke gives

her more tasks to do. Griet tries to finish all of her job without murmuring

(Chevalier 122-123).

Through Griet’s speeches, her past life, her conversation with others, her

thoughts, and her reactions in dealing with the various situations, we can say that

she is a hardworking person. She keeps working hard to support her family life

and save them from poverty. She wants to help her family’s conditions, to have

bread and food. She also learns a lot how to be a new good maid in the Vermeer’s

family by working hard so that she does not lose her job.

3. Quiet

Griet is an honest and quiet girl who does not like to talk so much. She likes

to tell the truth, but she does not like to share what is on her mind. Through her

appearance, we can say that she is a quiet and calm girl because she wears a cap

differently with the other girl in her town in Delft. She makes her face hidden so

that people cannot see clearly her face from both sides. With this kind of cap,

people cannot see her face directly and they only guess her expression (Chevalier

11). She is a quiet and calm girl.

Despite her being quiet, the new situation in Vermeer’s house, some family

members who do not like Griet make her become quieter. She has to adapt with a PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

strange house where everything is new and she is always tense and serious

(Chevalier 31).

Griet is mature enough to maintain her family condition. She keeps her

quietness because she does not want to make her family sad and worry about her.

After she works in Vermeer’s family, she has to hide many things from her family

to make her family happy. She loves her family so much, especially her sister,

Agnes. Since her brother Frans leaves their house, she tries to take care of Agnes

and be a good friend of her.

‘Tell us!’ Agnes cried. ‘Tell us about them. I told them. Only a few things I didn’t mention- how tired I was at night; how the Crucifixion scene hung at the foot of my bed; how I had slapped Cornelia; how Maertge and Agnes were the same age. Otherwise I told them everything (Chevalier 49).

Griet does not want Agnes, her beloved sister, to be sad and to think that she

will be replaced by Maertge. She knows that Agnes is too sensitive to hear this

kind of story, and it makes Griet not to tell the truth related to Maertge.

Pieter’s direct opinion about Griet also shows Griet’s quietness. One day

Griet meets Pieter around the corner of Oude Langendijk near the market. They

have a conversation related to Vermeer who will make Griet as the model of

painting. Pieter is jealous with her; he does not want the master to sketch Griet.

Pieter intends to propose Griet. He asks Griet to run their own business, earn their

own money and rule their own life, but Griet cannot answer it clearly. Thus, it

makes Pieter confused about her.

‘I never know what you’re thinking Griet,’ he tried again. ‘You’re so calm and quiet, you never say. But there are things inside you. I see them sometimes, hiding in your eyes.’ PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

I smoothed my cap, checking with my fingers for stray hairs. ‘All I mean to say this is no painting.’ I declared, ignoring what he had just said (Chevalier 170).

Through her appearance and clothing, other character’s opinion about Griet,

her actions and her thought in dealing with some situations, we can say that she is

a quiet girl. Griet shows it through her clothing, especially the way she wears a

cap. She is also quiet in keeping her opinion and thought. She also becomes a

quiet girl because she is a new maid in a strange house; she has to adapt with the

new situation in her life.

4. Careful

Since her father gets an accident which causes him to lose his eye sight,

Griet tries to be careful in placing anything. Her carefulness to place something in

the right place helps her father so much in finding things easily. She gets used to

clean her house without moving anything. Her mother knows that her daughter

will be able to work in Vermeer’s house, especially in his studio of painting. Her

main duty in Vermeer’s studio is to clean the studio without replacing anything

and put them back in the right place. No one is allowed to clean this place, except

Griet.

Then your father heard that your new master was looking for a maid who could clean his studio without moving anything, and he put forward your name, thinking that as headman, and knowing your circumstances, Vermeer would be likely to try to help. I sifted through what she had said. ‘How do you clean a room without moving anything? ‘Of course you must move things, but you must find a way to put them back exactly so it looks as if nothing has been disturbed. As you do for your father now that he cannot see’ (Chevalier 8-9).

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Griet is careful in doing and completing the duties given to her. She prefers

asking Chatarina, her mistress first, to making her unpleasant with Griet’s works.

She wants to do her job well and does not want to make mistakes.

I took up my broom, bucket of water and dust cloth and began to clean. I started in the corner where the scene of the painting had been set up, where I knew I must not move a thing. I kneeled on the chair to dust the window I had struggled to open, and the yellow curtain that hung to one side of it in the corner, touching it lightly so that I would not disturb its fold. The panes of glass were dirty and needed scrubbing with warm water, but I was not sure if he wanted them clean. I would have to ask Chatarina (Chevalier 35).

Her carefulness can be seen through her actions when she is cleaning her

master’s studio. Even she has to spend more time to clean and some effort to put

them back. Griet does not want to make her master disappointed with her works.

She tries to make Vermeer satisfied and impressed with a good work. She works

very carefully, and finally she finds the way to clean the studio as her master

wishes without moving any single thing in the studio. She can finish her task in

this studio well.

I had best get it done. From the letter I measured with my hand to the powder brush, then placed my fingers at various points around one side on the brush. I removed it, dusted, replaced it, and measured the space between it and the letter. I did the same with the bowl. This was how I cleaned without seeming to move anything. I measured each thing in relation to the objects around it and the space between them (Chevalier 36).

Because of her carefulness, she also considers the lighting in the studio. She

knows that cleaning the window might change the lighting and the changes of

lighting might change the colors of the painting. She decides to ask this task to

Chatarina. One day Chatarina is unlocking the studio door, and then Griet asks her

if she should clean the window. First, Chatarina agrees if Griet cleans it but when PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Griet explains the light’s changes, she goes downstairs to ask Vermeer. She does

not recognize the lighting and it seems that she never enters the studio. Chatarina

finally asks Griet not to clean the window (Chevalier 44).

Through Griet’s way of thinking and her conversation with Chatarina, it can

be seen that she is a careful person. She even recognizes something which

someone does not think before. In this case, she is careful in capturing the

lighting. Because of this, she is trusted by his master to assist him, and becomes

the only one in the household who is allowed to enter Vermeer’s studio. She has a

sole responsibility for cleaning the studio. The other day she is cleaning the

studio, she tries not to displace everything in the studio by measuring one thing to

another thing. She is able to clean the area almost quickly and confidently. Griet

begins to clean the dark blue cloth and yellow curtain with a damp rag, pressing it

carefully so that it picks up dust without disturbing the folds (Chevalier 55).

Griet also shows her carefulness when she goes to the Meat Hall and buys

meat there. She chooses carefully the meat she wants to buy. When she knows

that it is not fresh, she asks the butcher to substitute it with the fresher and better

one. She smells the meat and check it one more time to make sure whether it is

fresh or not; and then she decides to take it home.

I repeated my request of mutton, keeping my eyes on his father. Pieter rummaged through his meat and pulled out a joint for me, laying it in the counter. Two sets eyes watched me. The joint was grey at the edges. I sniffed the meat. ‘This is not fresh,’ I said bluntly. ‘Mistress will be none too pleased that you expect her family to eat meat such this.’ My tone was haughtier than I had intended. Perhaps it needed to be (Chevalier 42).

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Beside her manners, Griet carefulness is also proved by others’ reactions to

her works. Maria Thins, Chatarina’s mother, feels satisfied with her works. She

often gives her praises. Vermeer’s daughter, Maertge, also gives her compliments

to her satisfying works. However, Griet likes to be humble in receiving it. She

does not want Tanneke to feel jealous with her and to make their relationship get

worse.

I was careful to deflect any praise for better housekeeping from myself. I did not want to make enemies. If Maria Thins likes the meat, I suggested it was Tanneke’s cooking that made so. If Maertge said her apron whiter than before, I said it was because the summer sun was particularly strong now (Chevalier 51-52).

Through Griet’s speeches, conversations with other characters, her reactions

towards various situations, her ways of thinking and others reactions towards her

actions, it can be said that Griet is a maid who works carefully to satisfy her

master and mistress. Her carefulness in doing her job is shown especially when

she cleans the studio and does the household duties.

5. Tough

Being raised in poor condition makes Griet accustomed to suffering and

poverty. This situation builds her toughness towards her misfortune. Moreover,

her father loses his eyesight and his trade. Meanwhile, Griet’s family needs

money to survive. Thus, Griet decides to be a maid in her teenage years and

leaves her house to struggle for her family’s better life. At the beginning she

feels upset to work and to be a maid, but the situation forces Griet’s family and

gives no opinions. She really loves her family, especially Agnes. Since her PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

brother, Frans leaves their house to work in as tile maker, Griet gives all of her

attention to Agnes. She does not want to make her feel alone and tries to make her

happy. Griet also makes her father feel comfortable and assures her father that

being blind is not the end of the world. She patiently takes care of her parents,

especially her father (Chevalier 7).

The conversation between Griet and Agnes in their bed before they sleep

shows Griet’s toughness. Griet says that she does not want to leave their house,

but she has to. She explains to her sister, Agnes, that they need money to survive.

By working in Vermeer’s house, Griet will be paid eight stuviers a day. It will

help the family to eat properly (Chevalier 9).

One occasion, Griet goes to the canal to get some water, suddenly her pot

falls. She meets a man in a boat near the falling pot, and she asks him for a help.

Her toughness can be seen when she refuses the man to get her kiss. She has a

principle, and she does not like the stranger’s manner even he has helped her to

catch the falling pot. She does not respond his request and goes away.

I blushed . ‘Please sir,’ I began, ‘Can you help me to get that pot?’ ‘Oh, you’re looking at me now that you want something from me, are you? There’s a change!’ Cornelia was watching me curiously. I swallowed. ‘I can’t reach the pot from here. Perhaps you could-‘ The man leaned over, fished out the pot, dumped the water from it, and held it out to me. I ran down the steps and took it from him. ‘Thank you. I’m most grateful.’ He did not let go the pot. ‘Is that all I get? No kiss?’ he reached over and pulled my sleeve. I jerked my arm away and wrestled the pot from him. ‘Not this time,’ I said as lightly as I could. I was never good at the sort of talk. He laughed, took up his pole and pushed off (Chevalier 24).

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Through the way she speaks to the children when they want to accompany

her to the market, it can be said that she is a tough girl. She has a rule and

principle. She will say firmly when she does not want the children to accompany

her. She shows the children even though she is only a maid in Vermeer’s house,

she has an authority to refuse and to accept what the children say. Griet thinks that

she has her own privacy in her life without being disturbed by the children or her

daily tasks. One day, Maertge and Lisbet ask Griet to go with her to the Market

Square. Griet says that they have something to eat and help Tanneke. Griet does

not want the girl to accompany her to the market. She wants to be alone and lets

no one disturb her private time (Chevalier 40).

Further, Griet hears that her sister, Agnes dies. She is very sad to hear that

Agnes dies because of the plague. She shows her toughness by growing stronger

and bringing the happiness to her family as before. She becomes the only daughter

in the family who will try to cheer her parents after losing Agnes. Griet also

applies some adjustment to herself since Agnes’s death by making her busy of

doing her tasks in Vermeer’s house (Chevalier 78-79).

One occasion, Pieter tells her that he wants to propose her. Griet replies his

proposal with firm words. She says that she is too young and she refuses his

proposal (Chevalier 170). Through her reactions towards various situations and

events, her speech, and her conversation with other characters, we can conclude

that Griet is a tough girl because she can manage and solve her problems toughly.

Moreover, she has a principle in her life.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

6. Smart and Artistic

Griet is smart and artistic. Even though she has no education experiences,

she shows her talent especially related to art and painting. According to Harold’s

History of the Netherland and Dutch Revolt (http://www.historyworld.net), there

are some explanations of Dutch’s history. One of them is related to social

structure. In Netherland, one’s social status in 17th centuries was largely

determined by income. Griet, as a maid, is considered as the lower status. It makes

her lack of education because her poor family has no money even to support the

daily life. Her smartness can be seen through her actions in learning something by

herself in a short time.

Through Griet’s talent in recognizing colors, we can see that she is smart

and artistic. At the beginning of the story, when Vermeer and Chatarina come to

her house, Griet is chopping vegetables, and separates them into colors. She has a

short conversation with Vermeer related to colors and she can answer every

question clearly. She does something that some people even do not think about it.

Griet can see art and beauty through the objects around her, even vegetables.

I always laid the vegetables out in a circle, each with its own section like a slice of pie. There were five slices: red cabbage, onions, leeks, carrots, and turnips. I had used a knife edge to shape each slice, and placed a carrot in a disc in the centre. The man tapped his finger on the table. ‘Are they laid out in the order in which they will go into the soup?’ he suggested, studying the circle.‘No sir.’ I hesitated. I simply set them as I felt they should be. ‘I see you have separated the whites,’ he said, indicating the turnips and onions. ‘And then the orange and the purple, they do not sit together. Why is that?’ he pick up a shred of cabbage and a piece of carrot and shook them like dice in his hand. I looked at my mother, who nodded slighty. ‘The color will fight when they are side by side, sir.’ (Chevalier 5)

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Griet also shows her smartness through her reactions when she is asked by

Chatarina to clean the windows in the studio. She has an opinion that cleaning the

window will change the lighting. If the lighting is changed, the tone and the color

of the painting will also change. She decides to ask Chatarina about this problem,

but Chatarina does not understand about the lighting and art well (Chevalier 43).

By helping the master in the studio, Griet’s talent becomes better. She learns

that there is more than one color in one thing. Through her conversation with

Vermeer, it can be seen that she finds out there are some blue, yellow, and grey on

the color of clouds. The clouds color is not only white.

‘What color are those clouds?’ ‘Why, white sir.’ He raised his eyebrows slightly. ‘Are they?’ I glanced at them. ‘And grey. Perhaps it will snow.’ ‘Come Griet, you can do better than that. Think of your vegetables.’ ‘My vegetables sir?’ He moved his head slightly. I was annoying him again. My jaw tightened. ‘Think of how you separated the whites. Your turnips and your onions-are they the same white?’ Suddenly I understood. ‘No. the turnips has green in it, the onion yellow.’ ‘Exactly. Now, what color do you see in the clouds?’ ‘There is some blue in them.’ I said after studying them for a few minutes. ‘And yellow as well. And there is some green!’ I became so excited I actually pointed (Chevalier 107-108).

Griet even makes some changes when she is cleaning her master’s studio.

She thinks that moving some objects of paintings will make the painting becomes

more attractive. She often shares her ideas and opinion with Vermeer. Griet also

gives suggestion to her master’s painting and how he can improve it. She explains

that the painting needs some disorder in the scene, to contrast the tranquility. It

needs something to tease and to please the eye as well. Griet says that the cloth

and the arm of the painting are in the same position, and it is not balanced. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Vermeer finally considers her explanation and he feels surprise that he will learn

something from a maid (Chevalier 144).

By seeing her master grinding and mixing colors, she can learn how to do it

fast. Vermeer only gives her suggestion if she feels difficult in doing her job in the

attic. Griet tries to memorize what the steps are and practice how to make the

colors by herself. With her talent, she can help Vermeer finish his painting faster

than before. His master and Maria Thins are pleased with her jobs. From Vermeer

she learns how to wash substances to get rid of the impurities and brings out the

true color. She uses a series of shell as shallow bowls, rinses and rerinses colors.

Sometimes she does it thirty times, to rinse the chalk, sand or gravel. It is long and

tedious work, but very satisfying to see the color grow cleaner with each wash,

closer to what it is needed (Chevalier 115).

In conclusion, Griet is a sort of person who is brave, hardworking, quiet,

careful, tough, smart and artistic. She is a brave person. She has courage to face

every new and difficult situation throughout her life. She decides to be a maid in a

painter’s family and works for her family living. Griet is brave to face a soldier

when she needs some information related to the plague and quarantine in her

hometown. Griet is a hard worker as well. She can finish her tasks as a maid in

Vermeer’s house pleasantly. Griet also does her job to be Vermeer’s assistant

satisfyingly. She grinds and mixes colors well; she also does what Vermeer’s asks

even to buy some coloring matters in the apothecary far from Papist’ Corner.

Although she faces many difficulties in handling her job, Griet is a tough person.

She has a principle to hold on. She does not want to be underestimated by men, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

and Griet never gives up, even in the worst situation. When her sister dies because

of the plague, she tries to cheer up her family. Though quiet, she is also careful.

Her carefulness makes her finish her tasks successfully. Her master and mistress

are so pleased with her works. Griet’s smartness and sense of art also help her

achieve an excellent work. She has a curiosity to ask and to try something new in

a short time. Griet shares her opinion and ability to Vermeer in relation with his

painting. Based on the analysis, it is obvious that Griet is a sort of person who

really wants to struggle for life and to change her life to be better.

B. Griet’s Struggle for a Better Life

In life people meet many problems, either easy or difficult. People will put

some effort to reach his/her dream; moreover they will struggle for their needs.

According to Mc Kechnie (1806), struggle is “great series of effort”. While Abate

defines struggle as “make violent or determined effort under difficulties (1514).

Problems and life events will force people to struggle in life. In this novel, Griet’s

struggle appears naturally when she is under pressure of her life’s conditions and

her difficult problems. Griet also puts some effort in dealing with her problems.

She struggles to achieve her dreams and to get a better life.

1. Causes of Griet’s Struggle

Every person has their satisfactory to fulfill their needs. There might be

different needs, motives, and goals in each person’s life. Maslow in Goble’s The

Third Force states that each person has their own satisfaction. It depends on how

she/he fulfills their needs (38). The human basic needs can be mentioned as the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

causes why people struggle. They are physiological needs, security needs, social

needs, esteem needs, and self-actualizing needs. It can be said that motivation is a

part of human basic needs. When people has difficult problems, dreams and needs

to achieve, they also has motivation to struggle and to reach what they want.

While Petri says that motivation is the concept we use when we describe the

forces acting on or within an organism to initiate and direct behavior (3). Every

person has motivation in doing actions. Actions are done to achieve the goals.

Motivation is like a strong reason for doing something. It is also like a push of

reaching goals. People have a motivation that becomes the reason for every action

they do in their life. A motivation will encourage him/her to keep on moving

forward to reach their goals or dreams. In line with those theories, Griet’s struggle

is caused by her human basic needs. Her condition shows her lack of human basic

needs. Griet’s lack is mainly caused by her family condition; her father who loses

his eyesight and cannot work anymore, her mother who cannot afford their family

needs, her unsettled brother as a tile painter, and her jobless young sister. This

condition forces her to struggle and to get a better life. She struggles in many

ways to fulfill her human basic needs.

Her dreams to fulfill her family needs and to make them happy also cause

Griet’s struggle. Petri (3) adds, when a person has intrinsic and extrinsic

motivations they will performs their effort to cope and to emphasize their goals.

Although she is only a maid and she has no education background, Griet struggles

to make her dreams come true and to fulfill her basic needs.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

The following are the explanations of the causes of Griet’s struggle:

a. Her Family Condition

Life in Griet’s family has changed since the factory accident happening to

Griet’s father. One day the kiln at Griet’s father work place explodes, and it takes

his eyes and his trade. Griet’s father is the lucky one- two other men dies

(Chevalier 7). From the information of his coworker in Guild of St. Luke, he

knows that Johannes Vermeer is looking for a maid. Vermeer wants a maid who

can work as an ordinary maid and also can clean his studio without moving

anything. Considering that Vermeer is the headman of The Guild of St. Luke and

he knows about the kiln accident, Griet’s father puts forward Griet’s name to be

his maid. He hopes that Vermeer will be likely to try to help. In this situation,

Chevalier shows that the role of the father is very important. Griet’s father is the

one who has the main responsibility to maintain the family needs. When his father

loses his trade, it can be concluded that they have no money to survive. The

family has no enough food to eat, and they cannot live properly (Chevalier 9).

Griet’s mother is a housewife. She does the daily tasks in their house and

finishes the household duties. At first she decides to stay at home to take care of

her husband who is blind. Griet’s mother cannot work outside the house. Agnes is

too young to take care of her father and to help her father in doing his daily

activities. Furthermore, Griet’s mother makes something from spinning the wool

for others (Chevalier 128). It is like a homemade wool craft, but she cannot earn

much money from that spinning wool. Her unstable income is not enough to feed

the whole family. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Frans as the oldest in the family is only a labor worker in a tile factory.

According to Harold’s History of the Neherland and Dutch Revolt in

(http://www.historyworld.net), next to aristocrats and patricians were the affluent

middle class, consisting of Protestant minister, lawyers, physicians, small

merchants, industrialists and clerks of state institutions. The lower status was

attributed to small shop owners, specialized workers, craftsmen, administrators,

and farmers. Below that stood skilled laborers, house attendants and others service

personnel. In line with this theory, Griet’s family belongs to the lower class.

Frans’s job, as a tile laborer also belongs to this class. Moreover, Frans is an

apprentice worker. He is leaving home when he turns thirteen and his salary is

very low. Frans works hard all day long; he looks exhausted and has burnt up and

down his arms from pulling tiles from the kiln. Frans tells Griet that he works

from dawn until so late that at times he is too tired even to eat; ‘Father never told

me it would be this bad.’ He mutters resentfully (Chevalier 10). One day Griet

goes to Frans’ factory. He shares that he is exhausted with his job.

‘You don’t understand what it’s like’ Frans muttered. ‘Working here, it’s exhausting, it’s boring. It was something to think about, that’s all. You have no right to judge. Easy for you to say what my life should be when all I can see endless tiles and long days.’ (Chevalier 176).

The youngest child in the family, Agnes is 10 years old. She is too young and

too weak to work. In 17th century, uneducated people might only work as a laborer

or a servant. Agnes has no skill in doing the household tasks as a maid and has no

effort in working as a laborer in a factory. She just stays at home and sometimes

she helps her mother. As a kid, she needs to be protected and grows normally.

Agnes is as old as Maertge, one of Vermeer’s daughters. They are only children PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

and they like to play anytime. Based on the family’s condition, it can be

concluded that each of the family members has to survive. To afford the family

needs especially the physiological needs, including Griet, they have to work hard.

Griet finally becomes an obedient girl, who obeys her parents to work in Johannes

Vermeer’s family as a maid. Although she is small, Griet is strong enough to work

as a maid. She used to help her mother to do all the household duties and to help

her father to do his daily activities. She can clean things without moving anything.

Griet is accustomed to helping her father by putting her father’s stuff at the right

place so that it is easy for her father to find what he needs. Moreover, Griet has

the sense of art; it will help her work in a painter’s house.

b. Her Dreams

Being very poor and under privilege, Griet is also lack of education. She

cannot study in a proper school. In 17th century, uneducated people could only

work as servants or laborers. They did not have any choice to work in a higher

social class because they were in the lowest class. It is described in the novel that,

Griet’s parents have not ever offered her to study. They force Griet to work as a

maid to live their family (Chevalier 6). In this difficult situation, Griet’s dream is

to make her family happy by working as a maid. Being a maid is more appropriate

for her than being a laborer. She wishes for a happy life and a better life like what

others also wish. Although her wages is low, it will keep the family survive. She

can buy some bread and a bit of cheese (Chevalier 9). It is stated that the most

powerful and important of all basic needs are the needs for physical survival,

which include the needs for foods, liquids, sex, shelter, sleep and oxygen (Maslow PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

in Goble 38). Furthermore, when Griet has worked as a maid, she has an extra

work to grind colors in the attic. She also becomes a model of painting. All of

those actions are done because she wants to make her family happy and to get a

better life. She does not want to be fired out, because she can only be a maid.

Those are the reasons why Griet keeps struggling in her miserable life.

2. Griet’s Struggle

Griet’s life is certainly far from happiness. Maslow in Goble’s The Third

Force (38), gives some explanation of basic psychological human needs. There

are five basic needs; Physiological needs, security needs, social needs, esteem

needs, and self-actualizing needs. Maslow states that every person has their own

satisfaction and motivation. It depends on how she/he fulfills their needs. These 5

human basic needs become Griet’s motivation to struggle from her awful life.

Griet always tries to find strategies in solving her problems in life. She keeps

struggling in order to fulfill her needs and to change her life to be better.

As she struggles for a better life, Griet faces many problems in her life. She

has a lot of household duties to finish and some extra tasks as Vermmer’s

assistant. Chatarina, her mistress, is very grumpy. She is also jealous with Griet.

Cornelia, one of the Vermeer’s daughters, always annoys her from the first time

they meet. One of Vermmer’s clients, called Van Ruijven even does an impolite

action to her. The other problems come from the senior maid. Tanneke sometimes

treats her badly by giving her a hard and angry look. She feels jealous with Griet

because Griet has the sole responsibility to clean the studio where no one is

allowed to enter it. All of these complicated situations make her life harder. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

However, she has a strong motivation to reach her dreams and to get a better life.

Petri (315) points out that motivation is like a strong reason of doing something. It

is also like a push of reaching goals. There are two kinds of motivation. They are

intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. These motivations, which refer to Griet’s

dreams and her needs, are strong enough to lead Griet to do some actions in

pursuing her dreams. By having these motivations, Griet is also able to struggle

even in a worst situation she has to deal with.

While Braund, Linder and Asimov (479-480) say that there are many things

happening in life. These life events will push and force people to struggle in life;

they can be death of spouse, divorce, personal injury or illness, gaining a new

family member, family members leaving home, etc. People need to adjust their

life in dealing with the problems and challenges in their life. In line with this

theory, Griet is forced to struggle in life because of her family conditions and her

dreams. Her family lives in poverty and bad financial problems. Her dreams are to

make her family happy and live properly. In solving her problems in life and

trying to put her dreams into reality Griet applies adjustment strategy. Adjustment

is a process of coping with events, problems, challenges and hard situations

happening in life. This adjustment is divided into three main categories. There are:

problem solving, acceptance of the situation, and defense mechanism. In fulfilling

her dreams and her basic needs, Griet applies these kinds of adjustment in her life.

Since Griet is a smart girl, she is able to choose which kind of adjustment that is

appropriate for certain problems happening in her life.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Griet’s struggles for a better life can be analyzed as follows:

a. Working as a Maid

Being raised in a poor family, Griet never has enough food and a proper life.

She always tries to get a better life and to be responsible to her family. Griet also

struggles for her dreams even though she faces many problems throughout her

miserable life. As a smart girl, she is able to cope with the problems happening

and never gives up. Because she has no educational background, the only way to

help the family is being a maid. Griet is not strong enough to be a laborer in a

factory. She decides to work as a maid in Vermeer’s house and does the

household duties because she has to (Chevalier 9). Although the salary is low, it

will keep the family survive. She can buy some bread and a bit of cheese for her

family.

Maslow states that the most powerful and important of all basic needs are

physiological needs. They include the needs for food, liquid, shelter, sex, sleep

and oxygen (Goble 38). While, Braund, Linder, and Asimov (478) define

adjustment as a process of coping with events, problems, challenges and hard

situations happen in life. People will seek for the solution when she/he is in

troubles or difficult conditions. They will struggle for the best solutions.

Therefore, people’s problem solving skill may develop when they face problems

and difficulties. Griet’s physiological need becomes her primary motivation to

struggle in life. In line with the theory of adjustment, her decision to be a maid is

her way to solve her problems. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

In Vermeer’s house, Griet does everything related to what a new ordinary

maid usually does. Her first job is to do the laundry and to iron the clothes. It will

be her everyday tasks. Her hands become rugged and cracked because of the soap

and water. Her back aches from lifting wet clothes, and her arms are burnt by the

iron (Chevalier 21). She dusts and sweeps the floor, the walls, the windows, and

the furniture. Griet also cleans the paintings, canvases, chair, chest, dishes,

bedpans, a coat rack and a row of book (Chevalier 37). Griet often has a little

time to rest because she has to help Tanneke prepare the meals for the family after

she has finished the daily tasks. Once a week she goes to the fish stall or the Meat

Hall. There are so many tasks for Griet to do: laundering, ironing, cleaning the

house and her master’s studio, helping Tanneke cook the foods, shopping, and

taking care of the children.

In this case, Griet applies the second category of adjustment called

acceptance of the situation. While facing these problems Griet prefers to accept

this situation since in fact her master and mistress have the biggest control of

authority in the house. As a maid, she cannot rebel against her master and

mistress. At the beginning of her works, Griet is not used to do the routine and

hard jobs even though she used to help her mother to do household duties in her

own house. Griet never grumbles and complains with the tasks she gets. She

honestly accepts the situation she faces in her workplace. She is always

responsible for her works and she can finish them well. Her master and mistress

are pleased with her works.

‘I was so exhausted I could hardly think. At home I worked just as hard but it was never so tiring as in a strange house where everything was new and I PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

always tense and serious. At home I had been able to laugh with my mother or Agnes or Frans. Here there was no one to laugh with. (Chevalier 31)

Cornelia, her mistress’ daughter, does not like Griet, and always tries to find

her mistakes, so that Griet will be punished by her parents. Again she throws

stones into the pot to make it sink in the canal a couple minutes after Griet slaps

her. It makes Griet angry, but brave to warn her not to do that or Griet will slap

her again. In line with the theory of adjustment by Braund, Linder and Asimov

(478), Griet applies the third category called self defense mechanism such as

pressure and denial. This defense is important to reduce the stress and under

pressure feeling dealing with the situation. Meanwhile, there is a danger too if it is

overused. This defense will create certain disturbance. In this case, Griet shows

her defense to Cornelia when she disturbs Griet again and again. Griet feels under

pressure and she wants to show her denial by slapping Cornelia.

Although many problems always exist in her process of her struggle as an

ordinary maid, Griet always tries to apply the most appropriate strategies in each

problem she faces. Her bravery and hardworking character help her so much in

overcoming the problems.

It can be said that, through her actions, Griet applies some categories of

adjustment proposed by Braund, Linder, and Asimov (478) in overcoming her

problems as an ordinary maid. First, she applies problem solving. Griet’s

physiological need becomes her primary motivation to struggle in life. Moreover,

her decision to be a maid is her way to solve her problems. Second, she applies

acceptance to the situation. In facing the problems related to the household tasks, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Griet prefers to accept this situation, since in fact her master and mistress have the

biggest control of authority in the house. As a maid, she cannot rebel against her

master and mistress. Third, Griet applies the third category called self defense

mechanism such as pressure and denial. She shows her defense to Cornelia when

she disturbs Griet again and again. Griet feels under pressure and she wants to

show her denial by slapping Cornelia. Furthermore, by handling up several tasks

as a maid, Griet is able to satisfy her physiological needs.

b. Working in the Attic to Grind and Mix Colors

Because of her carefulness, smartness and sense of art, she has a sole

responsibility to clean her master’s painting studio. Moreover, she is asked by her

master to help him grind and mix colors in the attic. Griet learns many things

about colors. By helping the master in the studio Griet’s talent becomes better.

She learns that there is more than one color in one thing. Through her

conversation with Vermeer, it can be seen that she finds out there are some blue,

yellow, and grey on the color of clouds. The cloud’s color is not only white.

Recognizing Griet’s talents, Vermeer asks Griet to help him grind and mix

colors. Griet has to cover it from everyone in the house except Maria Thins. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Chatarina, the daughter, even Tanneke, the other maid can be jealous if they know

this. By seeing her master grinding and mixing colors she can learn it fast.

Vermeer only gives her suggestion if she finds some difficulty in doing her job in

the attic. Griet tries to memorize what the steps are, and how to mix colors by

herself. With her talent, she can help Vermeer finish his painting faster than

before. His master and Maria Thins are pleased with her jobs. From Vermeer she

learns how to wash substances to get rid of the impurities and to bring out the true

color. She uses a series of shell as shallow bowls, rinses and rerinses colors.

Sometimes she does it thirty times, to get out the chalk, sand or gravel. It is long

and tedious work, but very satisfying for her to see the color grows cleaner with

each wash, closer to what is needed (Chevalier 115). She loves her extra works

even more, though she has to wake up early in the morning and to sleep late in

finishing her tasks.

I come to love grinding the things he bought from the apothecary- bones, white lead, madder, massicot- to see how bright and pure I could get the colors. I learned that the finer the materials were ground, the deeper the color. From rough, dull grains madder became a fine bright red powder and, mixed with linseed oil, a sparkling paint. Making it and the other color was magical (Chevalier 116).

Based on Braund, Linder, and Asimov’s theory, Griet uses the second

category of adjustment to face the problem. She accepts the duties and the extra

tasks given by her master. Griet takes a high consequence and helps her master

grind and mix colors. She does all of the tasks because she does not want to lose

her job as a maid in Vermeer’s house. She wants to struggle for her better life and

to keep her family survive. In line with Maslow’s theory in Goble’s The Third

Force, Griet also fulfills her esteem needs and self-actualizing needs. By grinding PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

and mixing colors she can fulfill her desire in art competence, and gets personal

worth from her master. She has desire to achieve a good mixture of colors and to

please Vermeer. Griet also wants to show her talent in arts and painting. Besides,

she fulfills her self-actualizing needs by improving her potency and getting

compliment from Vermeer.

One day, when they are working together in the kitchen, Tanneke feels

suspicious of Griet. She recognizes that there is a slash of red dust in Griet’s

apron. She considers that it is not blood as Griet says. Tanneke becomes so

jealous and angry because she knows that it is their master’s mixture of colors.

Tanneke gives Griet a hard and angry look, but behind she has a desire to tell this

case to her beloved mistress, Chatarina. She has a wish to punish Griet, but she

has had no enough evidence, so that she says nothing about Griet’s attic work to

Chatarina or the girls or anyone. She becomes much harder to Griet.

‘What’s that there? Are you bleeding?’ I looked down. A slash of red dust crossed my stomach like a streak on a window pane. For a moment I thought of the aprons of Pieter the father and son. Tanneke leaned closer. ‘That’s not blood. It looks like powder. How did that get there?’ I gazed at the streak. Madder, I thought. I ground this a few weeks ago. Cornelia had been waiting for this mischief. I did not make up an answer fast enough. As I hesitated, Tanneke’s suspicious grew. ‘Have you been in the master’s thing? She said in an accusing tone. She had, after all, modeled for him and knew what he kept in the studio. ‘No, it was-‘I stopped (Chevalier 120).

Her father also becomes suspicious when he smells linseed oil in Griet.

‘You smell of linseed oil (Chevalier 183)’. Griet tries to do some adjustment in

dealing the problems. In line with Braun, Linder and Asimov’s theory (478), Griet

solves the problems by lying and keeping her attic’s work from others. She keeps PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

her secret and tries covering it with other evidence. Furthermore, when she feels

under pressure of the situation, she chooses to meet the butcher’s son. Pieter is her

escape and her reminder that there is another world she can join (Chevalier 152).

Griet thinks that Pieter can save her from the troublesome situations in Vermeer’s

house; even she just meets and shares some stories with him. In this situation,

Griet applies the third category of adjustment. It is about defense mechanism such

as pressure and denial. This defense is important to reduce stress and under

pressure feeling dealing with the situation. Griet shows her defense by looking for

someone who can save and protect her. Based on Maslow theory, Griet also

fulfills her safety needs. Safety needs emerge after physiological needs are

fulfilled. These needs emerge because of the needs to feel secure, stable,

independent, protected, free from fear, and anxiety. A person needs to be safe

from anything that is considered harmful (Goble 38).

Through her actions in overcoming her problem when she works in the attic

to grind and mix colors, Griet applies some theories of adjustment by Braund,

Linder and Asimov (478). First, she applies acceptance to the situation. She

accepts the duties and the extra tasks given by her master. Griet takes a high

consequence and helps her master grind and mix the colors. She does all of the

tasks because she does not want to lose her job as a maid in Vermeer’s house.

Second, Griet applies problem solving. She solves the problems by lying and

keeping her attic’s work from others. She keeps her secret and tries covering it

with other evidence. Third, Griet applies self-defense mechanism such as pressure

and denial. Griet shows her defense by looking for someone who can save and PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

protect her. Moreover, by working in the attic to grind and to mix colors, Griet

gains her esteem, self-actualizing, and safety needs.

c. Being a Model of Painting

One of Vermeer’s patrons called Van Ruijven admires Griet very much. He

becomes so obsessed of Griet. He asks Vermeer to draw Griet. Late in the

evening, he manages to push Griet in the corner of the hallway. He tries to seduce

her, grabs her chin in his hand, and the other hand pulls the candle up to Griet’s

face. Griet does not like the way Van Ruijven looks at her (Chevalier 88). Her

master is frowning when he asks for Griet’s painting, but he cannot say anything

to his patron. He accepts Van Ruijven request to draw Griet.

His eyes locked with mine. I could think of nothing except how their grey was like the inside of an oyster shell. He seemed to be waiting for something. My face began to strain with the fear that I was not giving him what he wanted. ‘Griet.’ He said softly. It was all he had to say. My eyes filled with tears I did not shed. I knew now. ‘Yes. Don’t move.’ He was going to paint me (Chevalier 180).

Always working together in the studio, Griet and her master fall in love

each other, but they keep it as a silent love. They only admire each other without

saying anything to express their feeling. Griet sometimes studies Vermeer’s firm

chin, eyes and thin lips without her being aware of it. Griet feels that she is

burning and her heart is pounding when she gets close to Vermeer (Chevalier 190-

191). Based on Maslow’s theory, Griet fulfills her social needs. Social needs

include belonging, love and affection. After physiological and safety needs are

fulfilled, needs for love, affection, and belongingness emerge. People will seek a

friend, a sweetheart, a wife or husband to find the feeling of “belong” and to feel

the affection from them (Goble 38). Although Griet has Pieter as her close friend, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

she cannot deny that she loves Vermeer. Through her reactions we can say that

she loves her master. To solve this problem, Griet uses the third category of

adjustment. She defenses herself by denying her feeling to Vermeer. Griet always

considers that her position as a maid cannot help her in getting Vermeer’s love

and attention. She tries to get closer to Pieter, the butcher’s son.

Another problem comes in the process of painting. Vermeer feels that there

is something missing in his painting. The missing is related to the point of the

brightness, which Vermer has used to catch the eye in the other painting

(Chevalier 203). He thinks that he needs to add an object to complete the painting.

Then, he decides to add Chatarina’s pearl earring in the painting. Without the

pearl earring, there are only Griet’s eyes, mouth, the band of her chemise and the

dark space between her ears (Chevalier 206). To get this, Vermeer helps Griet

pierce her ear. He insists Griet to wear both of the earrings. He says that it is

weird to wear just one. He uses a needle, clove oil, and begins to pierce her ear.

Griet sits all morning, and Vermeer paints the earring he can see on Griet’s ear

(Chevalier 222). As a maid, she cannot do anything and she obeys what her

master says. Again, she struggles for her better life and her dreams. She does not

want to be fired out from the house. Griet always wants to make her family happy

with a proper life. In line with Brain, Linder and Asimov’s theory, Griet applies

the acceptance of the situations. She challenges herself to be brave and honest to

accept every situation happening in the house.

Furthermore, Chatarina becomes more suspicious than before to Griet. One

occasion she checks the studio and finds Griet’s painting. She is so jealous and PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

angry with Griet. Finding her pearl earring in the painting, she blames Griet as a

thief. She cannot keep her anger and tries to break the painting with the palette

knife. She cries and screams loudly. Vermeer moves quickly to catch her by the

wrist and stops her actions (Chevalier 228). Griet realizes that she has made a big

mistake. She uses the first and third category of adjustment. She solves and

defenses herself from the problems. Chatarina wishes to take her into prison. Griet

decides to run away from the house. Griet leaves the house and agrees to marry

with Pieter, the butcher’s son. In line with Maslow’s theory, Griet also wants to

fulfill her safety needs and social need. As a woman she wants to be loved and

protected. With Pieter she can get a better life and keep her family survive.

Through her actions, Griet applies some adjustment when she is being a

model of painting. First, she applies self defense mechanism. She defenses herself

by denying her feeling to Vermeer. Griet always considers that her position as a

maid cannot help her in getting Vermeer’s love and attention. She tries to get

closer to Pieter, the butcher’s son. Second, she applies acceptance to the situation.

She challenges herself to be brave and honest to accept every situation happening

in the house. She cannot refuse to be a model of painting. As a maid, she cannot

do anything and she obeys what her master says. Third, she also applies self

defense mechanism to other situation. When Chatarina wishes to take her into

prison, Griet decides to run away from the house. Griet defenses herself by

leaving the house and agrees to marry Pieter, the butcher’s son. After long process

dealing with difficult and terrible situation, finally Griet can fulfill her needs and

her dreams. Based on Maslow’s theory, Griet is able to satisfy her most basic PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

needs, which is her physiological needs, and to change her life into a better one.

Griet fulfills her love and belonging needs by having a relation with Pieter. Griet

also fulfills her safety needs by leaving the house and asking a protection from

Pieter. When she is married to Pieter, the butcher’s son, her life becomes more

settled and prosperous.

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

REFERENCES

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Abrams, M. H. (1981). A Glossary of Literary Terms. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Print.

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Henkle, R. B. (1977). Reading the Novel: An Introduction to the Techniques of Interpreting Fiction. New York: Harper & Row Publishing House, Inc. Print.

Holman, C. H. & William H. (1986). A Handbook of Literature Terms. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc. Print.

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McKechnie, J. L. (1987). A Webster’s Dictionary: New York: Prentice Hall Press. Print.

Murphy, M. J. (1972). Understanding Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students. London: George Allan & Unwin, Ltd.,. Print.

Petri, H. L. (1981). Motivation: Theory and Research. Belmont: A Division of Wadsworth, Inc.,. Print.

Rorhberger, M. & Samuel. H. W., Jr. (1971). Reading and Writing about Literature. New York: Random House. Print.

Sianturi, N. (2005). Griet’s Conflict as Housemaid in Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Unpublished Thesis. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University. Print.

Stanton, R. (1965). An Introduction to Fiction. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Print.

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Wijayanti, O. (2005). A Study of Griet’s Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Conflicts as Seen in Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Unpublished Thesis. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University. Print.

Online Sources:

Girl with a Pearl Earring. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://www.tchevalier.com/gwape/film/index.html

Golden Age in Dutch. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Golden_Age

Harold. (2009). History of the Netherland and Dutch Revolt. Retrieved December 12, 2010, from http://www.historyworld.net

Narrative Text. Retrieved May 6, 2010 from http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsANarrativ eText.htm

Peale. (2008). Definition of Struggle. Retrieved November 10, 2010 from http:www.brainyquote.com/words/st/struggle224910

Review of Girl with a Pearl Earring. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://www.readinggroupAQguides.com/guide_g/girl_with_a_pearl_earring 1.ap

Summary of Girl with a Pearl Earring. Retrieved February 14, 2011, from http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Pearl-Earring-Tracy-Chevalier/dp/452282152

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APPENDICES

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Appendix 1

COVER OF TRACY CHEVALIER’S GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING

http://tchevalier.com/cover/

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Appendix 2

SUMMARY OF TRACY CHEVALIER’S GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING

Griet is a young woman living in the Dutch Republic in the 1660s. Her father, a Delftware painter, has recently gone blind, rendering him unable to work and putting his family in dire straits. Subsequently, Griet is sent to work as a maid in the home of the painter Johannes Vermeer.

Furthermore, the novel tells the life of Vermeer, and the relative paucity of his masterworks, continues to be provoke to the literary imagination, as witnessed by this third fine fictional work on the Dutch artist in the space of 13 months. Not as erotic or as deviously suspenseful as Katharine Weber's The Music Lesson, or as original in conception as Susan Vreeland's interlinked short stories, Girl in

Hyacinth Blue, Chevalier's first novel succeeds on its own merits. Through the eyes of its protagonist, the modest daughter of a tile maker who in 1664 is forced to work as a maid in the Vermeer household because her father has gone blind,

Chevalier presents a marvelously textured picture of 17th-century Delft. The physical appearance of the city is clearly delineated, as is its rigidly defined class system, the grinding poverty of the working people and the prejudice against

Catholics among the Protestant majority. From the very first, 16-year-old narrator

Griet establishes herself as a keen observer who sees the world in sensuous images, expressed in precise and luminous prose. Through her vision, the personalities of coolly distant Vermeer, his emotionally volatile wife, Catharina, his sharp-eyed and benevolently powerful mother-in-law, Maria Thins, and his increasing brood of children are traced with subtle shading, and the strains and PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

75 jealousies within the household potently conveyed. With equal skill, Chevalier describes the components of a painting: how colors are mixed from apothecary materials, how the composition of a work is achieved with painstaking care. She also excels in conveying the inflexible class system, making it clear that to members of the wealthy elite, every member of the servant class is expendable.

Griet is almost ruined when Vermeer, impressed by her instinctive grasp of color and composition, secretly makes her his assistant, and later demands that she pose for him wearing Catharina's pearl earrings. While Chevalier develops the tension of this situation with skill, several other devices threaten to rob the narrative of its credibility. Griet's ability to suggest to Vermeer how to improve a painting demands one stretch of the reader's imagination. And Vermeer's acknowledgment of his debt to her, revealed in the denouement, is a blatant nod to sentimentality.

Still, this is a completely absorbing story with enough historical authenticity and artistic intuition to mark Chevalier as a talented newcomer to the literary scene.

Adapted from: http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Pearl-Earring-Tracy-Chevalier/dp/452282152

Hardcover edition.

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Appendix 3

THE AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY

Tracy Chevalier (born in 1962 in Washington, DC) is a bestselling historical novelist. She lives in London with her husband and son. Chevalier was raised in Washington, D.C and graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High

School in Bethesda, Maryland. After receiving her B.A. in English from Oberlin

College, she moved to England in 1984 where she worked several years as a reference book editor. Leaving her job in 1993, she began a year-long M.A in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Her tutors on the course were novelists Malcolm Bradbury and Rose Tremain.

Her career began with the book The Virgin Blue but she became known with her novel Girl with a Pearl Earring, a book based on the creation of the famous painting by Vermeer. Her second novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring, won the Barnes and Noble Discover Award. It has sold almost 4 million copies worldwide and was made into a film starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

The film based on the novel received three Academy Award nominations in 2004. Burning Bright, published in March 2007, concerns two children who become neighbors of William Blake in London in 1792.[4] Her latest novel is

Remarkable Creatures, based on the life of the English 19th-century fossil collector Mary Anning.

http://www.tchevalier.com/gwape/film/index.html

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Appendix 4

Tracy Chevalier’s Works

(2009) (2007) (2003)

(2001) (1997) http://www.tchevalier.com/gwape/film/index.html

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Appendix 5 Lesson Plan Course Title : Short Essay Writing I Level : 3rd Semester of English Education Study fiProgram Time Allocation : 2 x 50 minutes class meeting Material : the summary of Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring

1. Competence Standard On completing the course, students are able to: a. identify the main idea of the reading passage b. identify the generic structure of the reading passage c. analyze the features of the narrative text d. produce a narrative text (short story) 2. Basic Competence Students are able to write well using narrative genre 3. Learning Indicators a. Students are able to mention the generic structure of narrative text b. Students are able to compose narrative paragraph 4. Teaching and Learning Activities A. Pre-Activities

a. The teacher greets the students

b. The teacher asks the students about what they have learned in the previous meeting.

B. Main-Activities

a. The teacher asks the students to mention some examples of narratives

b. The teacher distributes the handouts to the students

c. The teacher explains the definition of narrative text and its generic structure.

d. The teacher asks the students to read the narrative text and discuss the difficult vocabularies.

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e. The teacher asks the students to discuss the generic structure of the narrative text.

f. The teacher asks the students to produce a narrative writing.

C. Post-Activities

a. The teachers asks the students to do peer corrections

b. The teacher asks the students to revise their works and then submit it

c. The teacher concludes today’s materials

5. Sources http://www.tchevalier.com/gwape/film/index.html http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guide_g/girl_with_a_pearl_earring1.ap

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Appendix 6 Sample Material for Teaching Short Essay Writing I

Narrative Text

PURPOSE: To amuse or to entertain To deal with actual or imaginative experiences in different ways

TEXT ORGANIZATION: 1. Orientation ( who/what, when, where) Introducing the characters of the story, time and place (setting), and the story happened 2. Complication (what problem did the characters have?) Series of events in which the main character attempts to solve the problems (conflicts) 3. Resolution (how was the problem solved/ended?) Ending of the story containing a solution

POINTS TO REMEMBER 1. Narrative focuses on specific or individualized participant 2. Using past tenses.

TYPES Fables, fairytales, historical stories, folktales, mysteries, science fictions, romances, horror stories, adventure stories, myth, slice of life, personal experiences.

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Task 1 Read the following passage! Griet was a young woman living in the Dutch Republic in the 1660s. Her father, a Delftware painter, had recently gone blind, rendering him unable to work and putting his family in dire straits. Subsequently, Griet was sent to work as a maid in the home of the painter Johannes Vermeer. In the course of their interactions as master and servant, Vermeer and Griet became casually acquainted and he learned of her interest in painting and her knowledge of color and artistic composition. Vermeer subsequently began giving her lessons in mixing paints and other tasks, taking care to keep their meetings secret from his wife Catharina, who would react very negatively if she found out that Griet and Vermeer were spending so much time together. In contrast, Vermeer's pragmatic mother-in-law sees Griet as a catalyzing and stabilizing force in Vermeer's career. On a routine trip outside the house, Griet also befriended with a young man named Pieter, the Vermeers' butcher's son, who was quickly taken with her, thought that she was slow to return his affections. On the other day, Vermeer's patron Van Ruijven saw Griet on a visit to the Vermeer household and asked the painter if he would give her up to him to work in his own house. When Vermeer refused, Van Ruijven commissioned him to paint a portrait of Griet for him. Vermeer accepted the commission, both to remain in Van Ruijven's good graces and because of his own fascination with Griet. As Vermeer secretly worked on the eponymous painting, he and Griet grew closer. While Griet suffered through her fascination with Vermeer and his paintings, she also had to fend off Van Ruijven's attempt to rape her. Soon afterward, Catharina's mother summoned Griet and informed her that Catharina was to be away for the day, then handed over her daughter's pearl earrings and instructed Griet to finish the painting today. After the final painting session in which Vermeer pierced Griet's earlobe so she could wear one of his wife's pearl earrings for the portrait, Griet returned the earrings to Catharina's mother and run to Pieter to be consoled. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Catharina's growing jealousy of Griet became more and more apparent, and she finally discovered the theft of her earrings, accusing her mother of complicity and ordering Vermeer to show her the painting he and Griet had been working on. Heartbroken that Vermeer did not consider her worthy of being painted because she "didn't understand," Catharine in a fit of rage tried to destroy the painting, but failed. Catharina then banished Griet from the house forever. Vermeer did not object, and Griet left the house in shock. Later, she was visited by one of her friends from the house, who came bearing a gift: a sealed packet containing the blue scarf she wore in the painting, which was wrapped around Catharina's pearl earrings.

(Adapted from the summary of Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.)

Task 2 Comprehensive questions 1. What is the type of the narrative text? 2. Identify the generic structure of the text (orientation, conflict, resolution)

Task 3 Make one page of narrative story based your own ideas; Minimum 3 paragraphs. Make sure you follow the text orientation!

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Task 4 Exchange your work with your partner and give comments on your partner’s work! Grammar Average Good Outstanding

Suggestion Vocabulary Average Good Outstanding

Suggestion

Clarity Average Good Outstanding

Suggestion

Task 5 Revise your work and submit it! PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Name : ______Score: St# : ______

______

GOOD LUCK!