The Met Symbol in The Goldfinch

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, commonly nicknamed the Met, symbolizes the transcendent value of art and beauty in the novel. A globally famous museum with one of the most important collections of art and artifacts in the world, for Audrey and Theo the Met is almost a sacred place, somewhere they can come to exercise their devotion to art and beauty. At the same time, the Met also symbolizes the pervasive access to culture that Theo took for granted before Audrey’s death. Growing up with her in New York, Theo was constantly surrounded by art, classical music, literature, and other forms of culture. It is not until her death that he realizes that such access is not afforded to most people, and is a privilege of living somewhere like New York, which is filled with culturally significant institutions.

The fact that the Met is the target of a terrorist attack further emphasizes the idea that art and beauty carry extremely high significance. Although the novel doesn’t explore the motivation behind the attack in depth, it is noted that the perpetrators are far right extremists. This suggests that whoever carried out the attack felt threatened by what the Met stands for, which is exactly what Theo (and Hobie and Audrey) believe in above all else: the preservation and public display of beautiful things. The terrorist attack on the Met shows that art and beauty are not frivolous, but powerful and politically important.

The Met Symbol Timeline in The Goldfinch

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Met appears in The Goldfinch. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the Lower East Side. Suddenly, rain starts to pour, and Theo and Audrey run into the Metropolitan Museum of Art for shelter. (full context)

...Larry and dropped out before finishing. Now, she suggests that she and Theo “poke around” the Met while waiting for the rain to stop. Theo is reluctant because he is hungry and... (full context)

...ducks under the yellow police tape and into the thick crowd of people standing outside the Met . Theo tries to tell some ambulance workers that there are still people inside the... (full context)

...safely dispose of it, a cheer erupts. Police continue pushing the crowd east, away from the Met . The scene is chaotic; some people are trying to get cell service, others are... (full context)

...and wishes he had done something differently, so that they would have avoided going to the Met . He feels that he has “fallen off the map” and keeps telling himself that... (full context)

...While they are speaking, Mrs. Barbour notices the ring that Theo took from Welty at the Met , which he has been wearing, and compliments him on it. She asks if it... (full context)

...mothers are dead, though Theo does not mention that Audrey was killed in explosion at the Met . They hold hands. Theo says that he’s going to have to leave soon too,... (full context)

Theo asks if Pippa remembers seeing him in the Met before the explosion, and she says she doesn’t. They kiss, and Theo thinks the strange... (full context)

...nervous because he hasn’t been in such a busy environment since the terrorist attack at the Met . He imagines himself being interrogated by angry security staff in a cinderblock room. Larry... (full context)

...Boris pulls him back in again, and this brings back traumatic memoires of being inside the Met after the terrorist attack. Theo tells Boris, “Don’t ever do that to me again” and... (full context)

...the Bronx where they found three paintings, including a Rembrandt, which had been missing from the Met since the attack. (full context)

...of the article notes that the discovery has sparked hope that other works missing from the Met may be found. It explains that usually stolen artworks are quickly taken out of the... (full context)

...the teachers seem to know that he is the son of someone who died in the Met attack, and they alter their behavior toward him as a result. Over time, they seem... (full context)

With great sadness, Pippa talks about the fact that the attack at the Met ruined her chances of being a professional musician. She adds that she can’t even go... (full context)

...obsesses over the details over the day, and how she could have avoided being at the Met if she had done things differently. Theo says he feels the same way, but then... (full context)

...one a Manet painting, the other The Goldfinch. Hobie explains that Welty took Pippa to the Met especially to see The Goldfinch. Hobie asks how Theo stored the painting, and Hobie is... (full context)

The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt

The Met Symbol Analysis

The Met Symbol Timeline in The Goldfinch