Literary Analysis Essay on Perfume

Introduction

Perfume is a work of fantasy that so far has gained recognition by significant media accessible sources. The story is of Grenouille, a man who was depicted to not having human body odor or scent but seems to have the gift of a sharp sense of scent. The gift gives him the power to recognize and create smells that are appealing to other individuals. Grenouille journey was to explore all human scents available in Paris, intending to own his scent. He needed a scent that would make him have the body odor that every individual had that he never had and his journey made him commit numerous despicable murders.

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Across the globe, Patrick Suskind novel of Perfume is widely acknowledged for the literary skills he used to bring out the symbolism and undertones in the story. The story has embedded symbolism talking of the society dualities like people owning gifts and others being normal, of being an outcast or accepted or of authenticity or superficial things. Suskind novel has utilized metaphors like having Baldini as the perfumer yet with no skills to make perfumes. However, through his technical knowledge, he becomes a perfumer, and after making his apprentice, he shares with Grenouille. On the contrary, is another man with no body odor or human scent, but with his sense of smell, he makes attractive perfumes making even Baldini rich (Suskind, 85). The novel attempts to make an emphasis to all, that individuals in the society are not always as they are perceived to appear as is the case with Grenouille and Baldini. Baldini is symbolized as one who gets things done out of his technical skills but has no passion for what he is doing. Contrary Grenouille despite not having the purest intentions, he seems to have the passion concerning scents that his dedication and fascination leads to him killing to get the essence of the smell of a human.

The heart of the story is seen from how best Patrick Suskind used irony to bring out how the world is full of hatred. One instance was when Grenouille had attained his objective of making the Perfume acceptable to people, but still, he did not find contentment as he knew he was not likable, but merely due to the Perfume he wore he began being likable. In that hate, Grenouille got the strength and felt that it is useless that all people now adore him and later he travelled to Paris where he found his untimely death. Grenouille death was the metaphor for life purposes and life itself; his death was a symbol that for the fact that he has left his legacy, then he found no meaning to life. Patrick Suskind has given the readers a picture that if one's work is meaningless in the world, of which it does not bring any contentment, then there was no purpose to live. For people in the world, they never comprehended the importance of humanity because of the much bitterness there was in their hearts. The hatred of understanding has overpowered consuming every moment to the extent that it conquers the power of control to human emotions.

The world is full of hatred as seen in the novel perfume; the death proved the appreciation of life lived by Grenouille. People should ascertain life as something to look forward to and be optimistic about it. As depicted in the novel, his death served as a means of change as his death brought to halt despair in people creating peace amidst them. The Perfume served the objective to benefit the society as since then people seem more civil and consider life as being more cordial; in other words, more "humane." In my views, the Perfume as used in the novel depicts life; it could be either the love for life or hatred for life. People are to realize that when individuals live life for their reasons, then even by having all that life requires, later still, an entity would not have any meaning. Therefore, if we are to live legacy in the life we live in the universe, then people should love by caring for all "the humanity" thus live life fit to remember.

The novel has made smells sovereign that it is what has control over human behavior, especially on an unconscious level. In people's minds, they have tended to create kinds of impossible beings by the magnification of either a single asset or flaw to present ideas like religion, superstition, nationalism, racism or science on the grounds of false beliefs to believe of the wholly evil of others. Today, according to the novel Perfume, most humans do not recognize themselves and have no clue of what they love or desire. However, they have the notion that through common sense, science, or religion, then humanity strangely misunderstands itself (Suskind, 115). As Grenouille does to have the geniuses or misfortune of comprehending the world deeper truths, then they are entirely out of place and ultimately in the world as a misunderstood force that face hatred.

Conclusion

Conclusively, through the character of Grenouille, Patrick, the author gives the readers a spine-chilling story of a murderer. From the novel, it clearly shows that Perfume goes broad into the idea of humanity as it explores whether humans are always cruelly inhuman. Additionally, the concept explores themes like hatred for humanity, scent sovereignty, and the search for acceptance. The subjects symbolize the Perfume to be explaining that people can be disengaged to society and are inhuman as depicted from Grenouille character.

Works Cited

Agustia, Nessie. The Unconscious Mind Of A Psychopath In Patrick Suskind's Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer. Diss. Thesis) English Department, Faculty Of Humanities, Andalas University, Padang. Retrieved from http://repository. unand. ac. id/17372/1/skripsi_nessie. pdf, 2011.

Suskind, Patrick. Perfume: The story of a murderer. Vintage, 2001, pp. 1-263.