4 2. What are the true meanings of the pearl earrings to the three main
characters?
D. Definition of Terms
The following part is the meaning of certain words used in the study. The purpose was to avoid misunderstanding in perceiving some important terms in this
research.
1. Love
Love is the most powerful of incitements to ambition. A lover will do anything and endure anything to win the admiration of his “beloved” and avoid
disgracing himself in his eyes. The goal of love, as Socrates conceives it, is not incorporation with a mate of flesh and blood, nor even lifelong “marriage” with a
“kindred mind,” but the soul with the “eternal wisdom” in a region “all breathing human passion far above” Taylor, 1963, p. 213-223. Vermeer, Catharina, and
Griet, the main characters in this novel, are experiencing a complicated relationship. Even though Vermeer already has a wife, he has another affection
towards Griet. Vermeer and Griet develop a complex emotional relationship that causes
jealousy to his wife, Catharina. This condition drives him into a triangle love. Catharina and Vermeer’s love is a commitment and companionate—“the decision
to maintain the love and the relationship and an intimate and long-term commitment” Sternberg, 1987, p. 341. Griet and Vermeer’s love is a romantic
love that “bonds individuals emotionally through intimacy and physically through
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
5 passionate arousal, but neither is sustained without commitment” Sternberg,
1987, p. 341.
2. Pearl Earrings
Pearls are linked with vanity but also with virginity. The most beautiful pearl in Vermeer’s work is undoubtedly that worn by the Girl with a Pearl
Earring—a massive creation of highlights and shadows and obscure shadows Janson, 2006. According to Ruby 2011, pearls are recognized as,
“The emblem of modesty, chastity and purity. They have also come to symbolize a happy marriage. Pearls can stimulate your femininity and help with self-
acceptance. They lift our spirits and make you feel calm and beautiful. Pearls not only provide a mirror in which to see ourselves, but give us insight into how we
appear to others. In the seventeenth-century, pearls were probably an extremely important status symbol. Pearls symbolize innocence and a pure heart, and help
us get in touch with the simple honest things”.
Here, wearing the pearl earrings can be the symbol of Griet that is being raped by Vermeer, because her ears are not pierced yet. Griet does not want to wear the
pearl earrings but Vermeer forces her to wear them. Nevertheless, she is just a maid who has no power to disobey her master’s command.
3. True Meaning
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