Introduction
Morality is one who conforms and follows the moral standards. The main protagonist named Jean-Batiste Grenouille in the novel Patrick Süskind, Perfume: the story of a murderer, defies such standards. The character is a man obsessed with scent and strives to acquire what he identifies as the “master scent”. In order to obtain such scent Grenouille commences murderous behavior upon young victims, specifically virgin girls as he is lured by the purity in their aroma. Set in 18th Century France, the novel explores the meanings and emotions scent translates to him, revolving around ideas of morality where the distinction between right and wrong is challenged. This is especially symbolic as there was enormous social, economical, intellectual …show more content…
Through Grenouille’s character, Süskind explores key elements of immorality as well, through the act of killing and violating moral codes characterizing Grenouille as inhumane and immoral. Being alienated from society and driven only to achieve his ultimate goal, Grenouille’s incapability to establish normal human relations is as a result of his amoral and unsympathetic character. By Süskind exploring the growth of the development of Grenouille through different events in his lifetime such as his birth, his murders and the orgy he effectively displays the immorality of his amoral character. However, in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini, the antagonist Assef demonstrates his acts of immorality in a different way. Set in Afghanistan, from the 1970s to 2000, the influences of racism through several political reforms in Afghanistan especially in the 1990s when the Taliban had authority over Kabul fueled the antagonist with discriminative racial concepts. The antagonist represents all entities, which were considered evil; he lacks morals alongside his aspiration towards Nazism. The manifestation of the merciless and violent behavior of Assef, throughout the novel, is indicated through his sexual, verbal and physical abuse …show more content…
From the Kite Runner, Assef clearly exhibits elements of immorality. The racial discriminative situation in Afghanistan in the 1970s accompanied with his high social status within the Afghan social hierarchy, as a believer in Nazism, he exploits his power to satisfy his sadistic appetite with violence. This was evidently shown at the beginning of the novel. In addition, the power-hungry character of Assef and Grenouille did not demonstrate any signs of regret of the numerous criminal acts preformed such as rape, murder and abuse. It is indisputable that both characters explore immorality with an amoralistic persona. Similarly, they both feel superior amongst people in their society, dehumanizing them as a result. Their mindset thinking that they are more either due to race or ability, it both almost make the crimes seem acceptable as victims, in their eyes are seen as subhuman. However, the characters fulfill such misdemeanors for different goals, Assef feeds on others suffering for his own enjoyment whereas Grenouille sees his victims as vehicles of
Morality is one who conforms and follows the moral standards. The main protagonist named Jean-Batiste Grenouille in the novel Patrick Süskind, Perfume: the story of a murderer, defies such standards. The character is a man obsessed with scent and strives to acquire what he identifies as the “master scent”. In order to obtain such scent Grenouille commences murderous behavior upon young victims, specifically virgin girls as he is lured by the purity in their aroma. Set in 18th Century France, the novel explores the meanings and emotions scent translates to him, revolving around ideas of morality where the distinction between right and wrong is challenged. This is especially symbolic as there was enormous social, economical, intellectual …show more content…
Through Grenouille’s character, Süskind explores key elements of immorality as well, through the act of killing and violating moral codes characterizing Grenouille as inhumane and immoral. Being alienated from society and driven only to achieve his ultimate goal, Grenouille’s incapability to establish normal human relations is as a result of his amoral and unsympathetic character. By Süskind exploring the growth of the development of Grenouille through different events in his lifetime such as his birth, his murders and the orgy he effectively displays the immorality of his amoral character. However, in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini, the antagonist Assef demonstrates his acts of immorality in a different way. Set in Afghanistan, from the 1970s to 2000, the influences of racism through several political reforms in Afghanistan especially in the 1990s when the Taliban had authority over Kabul fueled the antagonist with discriminative racial concepts. The antagonist represents all entities, which were considered evil; he lacks morals alongside his aspiration towards Nazism. The manifestation of the merciless and violent behavior of Assef, throughout the novel, is indicated through his sexual, verbal and physical abuse …show more content…
From the Kite Runner, Assef clearly exhibits elements of immorality. The racial discriminative situation in Afghanistan in the 1970s accompanied with his high social status within the Afghan social hierarchy, as a believer in Nazism, he exploits his power to satisfy his sadistic appetite with violence. This was evidently shown at the beginning of the novel. In addition, the power-hungry character of Assef and Grenouille did not demonstrate any signs of regret of the numerous criminal acts preformed such as rape, murder and abuse. It is indisputable that both characters explore immorality with an amoralistic persona. Similarly, they both feel superior amongst people in their society, dehumanizing them as a result. Their mindset thinking that they are more either due to race or ability, it both almost make the crimes seem acceptable as victims, in their eyes are seen as subhuman. However, the characters fulfill such misdemeanors for different goals, Assef feeds on others suffering for his own enjoyment whereas Grenouille sees his victims as vehicles of