Pelissier The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing Analysis

Inside a busy city there lays a large portrait, housed within a museum of modern art. To the untrained eye, there is nothing particularly extraordinary about it, but experts claim it is worth millions. All the while, in the outskirts of the city, a gorgeous, sprawling mural covers the side of an abandoned building, catching the attention of everyone who catches sight of it, yet it is labeled as vandalism, as mere graffiti. What is the role of art in our modern society, and what is the true nature of human self-expression? Perhaps, in the realm of art, there are those who use it purely for self-expression, those who force it through inorganic processes and formulas, and those who exploit it for materialistic desires. In Patrick Suskind’s …show more content…
One such character, Pelissier, exemplifies this, as the narrator proclaimed, “In the classical arts of scent, the man was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In short, he was a monster with talent. And what was worse, a perverter of the true faith.” (Suskind 61). Pelissier is perhaps a foil of Baldini, due to the fact the he is both talented and successful in the perfume business. His fame is completely spread among Paris, and further still, as a result of the many popular scents he had released, and continues to release, throughout his career. This line is quite powerful in showing the author’s true feelings about the exploitation of art. Suskind uses this analogy to explain that, despite his exceptional ability, Pelissier’s art is far from genuine. Being a “wolf in sheep 's clothing,” implies that Pelissier is not an artist by nature, but rather a con man. A crook who uses his gift to extort the passion of the public for such a medium of art. By acting as a “perverter of the true faith,” his exploitation of his craft, though it may be fine craftsmanship, is still to the detriment of the spirit of art