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
