The Representation of Man Through Scents in Perfume In Patrick Suskind’s novel, Perfume, scent establishes the primal instincts of man. Humans evolved into the complex creatures seen today but they can also be reduced to their primal state. Suskind creatively incorporates basic human nature into the novel as represented by scents. The setting allows for Suskind to incorporate human nature more easily. The lack of basic personal hygiene indicates that there would be an abundance of bodily aromas. The initial setting description creates an open door to the scents that Suskind can easily incorporate as to represent the primal instincts and nature of man. This approach to the representations of scent in the novel can be useful in understanding
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Without a scent, how could someone know if Grenouille poses a threat to him or her? Humans fear the unknown and again protect themselves through others’ scent. However, the lack of scent causes people to be confused as to how they should feel about Grenouille. The children in the orphanage even, “…could not stand the nonsmell of [Grenouille]. They were afraid of him” (Suskind 23). They are unsure of what to fear because they cannot truly judge Grenouille without smelling him; they simply misunderstand Grenouille. Only Madame Gaillard does not fear him due to her lack of the sense of smell. While she loses her sense of smell, “…[she loses] every sense of human warmth and human coldness—indeed, every human passion” (Suskind 19). Madame Gaillard lacks the primal instinct of self-protection because of her lack of her most important sense: smell. Suskind incorporates Madame Gaillard’s lack of smell and Grenouille’s lack of scent to establish the importance of smelling others in order to protect one’s …show more content…
We discussed the importance of setting in Grenouille’s development and how it could have led to mental disorders. In the 1700’s, it was not uncommon for an orphan like Grenouille to be mistreated. First he lives in an orphanage and, once he can work, Madame Gaillard sends him to do grueling labor as a tanner’s apprentice. It is simply the time period, nobody sees Grenouille as being mistreated because all children are mistreated. The interactive oral also raised a strong point as to how the mistreatment affects Grenouille. We discussed nature versus nurture in one’s upbringing, which is prevalent throughout Perfume. We cannot draw conclusions on Grenouille’s true nature because his extreme mistreatment molds his behavior. Grenouille’s lack of scent also drives him away from humanity, demonstrating the importance of scent in human nature. Grenouille does not hold the same primal instincts as other humans and it’s accentuated by his lack of human scent. His lack of scent only allows for more mistreatment from others. Grenouille experiences the typical dismay for being an orphan with extra hatred due to his lack of scent. He only experiences hatred from others because of their shallow and primitive ways, so he learns to hate humanity due to the nature of
Without a scent, how could someone know if Grenouille poses a threat to him or her? Humans fear the unknown and again protect themselves through others’ scent. However, the lack of scent causes people to be confused as to how they should feel about Grenouille. The children in the orphanage even, “…could not stand the nonsmell of [Grenouille]. They were afraid of him” (Suskind 23). They are unsure of what to fear because they cannot truly judge Grenouille without smelling him; they simply misunderstand Grenouille. Only Madame Gaillard does not fear him due to her lack of the sense of smell. While she loses her sense of smell, “…[she loses] every sense of human warmth and human coldness—indeed, every human passion” (Suskind 19). Madame Gaillard lacks the primal instinct of self-protection because of her lack of her most important sense: smell. Suskind incorporates Madame Gaillard’s lack of smell and Grenouille’s lack of scent to establish the importance of smelling others in order to protect one’s …show more content…
We discussed the importance of setting in Grenouille’s development and how it could have led to mental disorders. In the 1700’s, it was not uncommon for an orphan like Grenouille to be mistreated. First he lives in an orphanage and, once he can work, Madame Gaillard sends him to do grueling labor as a tanner’s apprentice. It is simply the time period, nobody sees Grenouille as being mistreated because all children are mistreated. The interactive oral also raised a strong point as to how the mistreatment affects Grenouille. We discussed nature versus nurture in one’s upbringing, which is prevalent throughout Perfume. We cannot draw conclusions on Grenouille’s true nature because his extreme mistreatment molds his behavior. Grenouille’s lack of scent also drives him away from humanity, demonstrating the importance of scent in human nature. Grenouille does not hold the same primal instincts as other humans and it’s accentuated by his lack of human scent. His lack of scent only allows for more mistreatment from others. Grenouille experiences the typical dismay for being an orphan with extra hatred due to his lack of scent. He only experiences hatred from others because of their shallow and primitive ways, so he learns to hate humanity due to the nature of