Grenouille: An Ordered Mind Amidst a Chaotic World Readers of Patrick Süskind’s Perfume generally interpret Grenouille as fundamentally separate from other humans, as, unlike other humans, Grenouille has no smell. As a genius antihero, Grenouille has no love for humanity, nor does humanity like Grenouille. Grenouille’s revulsion towards chaos and love for order initially alienate him from humanity, but ultimately these allow him to ascend beyond humanity. Because Grenouille does not fit with the smelly chaos characteristic of humans, even as a small child, society fears and avoids him. Süskind describes the stench of Paris, stating that “there was no human activity, either constructive or destructive, no manifestation of germinating or decaying life that was not accompanied by stench” (4). Süskind conveys that nothing
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Grenouille’s hatred for humanity’s disorder causes him to flee humans, and he gains “an ever increasing sense of euphoria. He had escaped the abhorrent taint! He was truly completely alone!” (121). Grenouille’s jubilation at the absence of humans demonstrates the severity of his loathing of chaos. By describing humanity as an ‘abhorrent taint’ Süskind conveys that Grenouille finds humanity to be a flaw in his otherwise flawless system. During his isolation, Grenouille once more implements his catalog of scents and inclination towards organization to create and “he saw that it was good and that the whole earth was saturated with his divine Grenouille seeds” (126). This time, though, Grenouille’s creation exists only in his mind. Grenouille’s ability to create an ‘empire’ in his head reveals the complexity of Grenouille’s mind. Grenouille’s genius level of thinking does not mesh well with the mess of society, so he enjoys isolation where he can create perfection without the marring influence of
Grenouille’s hatred for humanity’s disorder causes him to flee humans, and he gains “an ever increasing sense of euphoria. He had escaped the abhorrent taint! He was truly completely alone!” (121). Grenouille’s jubilation at the absence of humans demonstrates the severity of his loathing of chaos. By describing humanity as an ‘abhorrent taint’ Süskind conveys that Grenouille finds humanity to be a flaw in his otherwise flawless system. During his isolation, Grenouille once more implements his catalog of scents and inclination towards organization to create and “he saw that it was good and that the whole earth was saturated with his divine Grenouille seeds” (126). This time, though, Grenouille’s creation exists only in his mind. Grenouille’s ability to create an ‘empire’ in his head reveals the complexity of Grenouille’s mind. Grenouille’s genius level of thinking does not mesh well with the mess of society, so he enjoys isolation where he can create perfection without the marring influence of