The Miniaturist

Observation is a recurring motif in The Miniaturist. While Nella observes the members of the Brandt household, listening at doors and spying through keyholes, the miniaturist watches Nella and the other women of Amsterdam. Nella is initially disturbed by the miniaturist’s omniscience, reflecting, “[I]t’s like the miniaturist has a perfect, private view” of her life (80). However, as the protagonist’s perception alters, she welcomes the miniaturist’s gaze, viewing it as a validation of her existence. Nella understands that the miniaturist’s observations are like a mirror, enabling her to evaluate her life more clearly.

The novel’s abundant references to spying and observation also emphasize the claustrophobic atmosphere of “neighbourly surveillance” in Amsterdam. By encouraging its citizens to spy on each other to detect sin, the city’s authorities create an environment of secrecy and deceit.

Sugar is a sign of wealth in 17th-century Amsterdam. Because it’s an expensive and exotic commodity, the presence of sugar in a household signals money and status. For this reason, Nella is surprised to discover there is no marzipan in her wealthy new husband’s home.

Marin’s claim that sugar causes degeneracy of the soul establishes sugar as a symbol of corruption and ruin in the novel. References to Agnes Meermans’s plantation in Surinam provide a reminder that the wealth from the Dutch sugar trade is generated from slavery. Johannes also links sugar with the Meermanses’ greed, prompting his reluctance to sell the product for them. Ultimately, Johannes’s fate is inextricably linked to the sugar he stores in his warehouse. The gradual moldering of the Meermanses’ produce represents the Dutch merchant’s downfall.

In the novel, birds and cages act as opposing symbols of freedom and imprisonment. When Nella arrives in Amsterdam with her parakeet, Peebo, the bird’s caged confinement reflects his owner’s sense of being trapped in a strange household. Ironically, Nella eventually discovers that the “cage” of the house offers an unusual amount of liberty, while the outside world imposes restrictions on its inhabitants.

In the Prologue, the miniaturist’s attempts to release a trapped starling from the Old Church echo her efforts to show Nella, and other women, a path to autonomy. The bird’s refusal to leave suggests that it takes courage to choose liberty when one is accustomed to imprisonment.

While celebrating freedom, the symbolism of birds and cages also warns of freedom’s dangers. Nella’s gradual defiance of societal restrictions is symbolically expressed in the greater freedoms she gives Peebo, who progresses from being caged in the kitchen to flying around Nella’s bedroom. However, when the parakeet is set free to fly around the great hall, his escape through an open window signals his inevitable death. Similarly, Johannes’s declaration that Amsterdam “is not a prison […] if you plot your path correctly” (87) proves misguided when he is imprisoned like a “great owl,” “locked in an aviary” (307). His fate suggests an overconfidence in the freedoms the city will allow him.

The motif of a rising tide conveys the idea of Amsterdam as a prosperous nation facing imminent decline. Pastor Pellicorne utilizes this image in his sermon to illustrate the consequences of sin. He suggests that, while canals have provided the city’s wealth, God can turn those waters against Amsterdammers as a punishment. The concept echoes the Judeo-Christian story of God’s purging flood from which only Noah and his family were saved.

At his trial, Johannes predicts the economic decline of the Dutch empire when he declares, “[T]he waves will drown us all” (365). The imagery of a rising tide foreshadows Johannes’s death. Frans Meermans’s resentment takes on the momentum of a wave until Johannes is drowned by it.