Perfume, written by Patrick Suskind, explores the effect of a loveless life on the main character, Grenouille. From the first breath he draws, Grenouille must fight for himself. Through his tick-like nature, Grenouille absorbs power from his authority figures, leaving them lifeless while simultaneously achieving his goal. As his goals shift Grenouille moves from submission to dominance, and ultimately achieves total control over humanity. Suskind uses Grenouille’s journey to comment on the universal struggle of mankind to find his place in the world.
Grenouille dominates the authoritative figures in his life from a submissive position. At his birth Grenouille recognizes the necessity of bowing to those above him in order to survive. As his mother gives birth and “wishes only for the pain to stop” so she could “live for a while yet and perhaps even marry,” Grenouille lays silent under the fish stand (Suskind 5). This pattern continues as Grenouille fights to find his identity among the rest of the world. Moving on from his mother, Grenouille quietly observes all the rules set by Madame Gaillard, meekly allows Grimal to treat him as a slave, and willingly grants Baldini’s life goal of becoming the best perfumer in all of France. By allowing himself to act submissively, Grenouille earns the trust of the authorities, which gives him the freedom to become a tick. For instance, Grimal sees only the profit in Grenouille whose “Life was worth precisely as much as the work he could accomplish” (Suskind 31). Once Grenouille overcomes his bout of anthrax, Grimal allows Grenouille more freedom. Grenouille maintains his submissiveness, waiting for the right time to strike, just as a tick waits for the right moment to bite.
As Grenouille gain...
... middle of paper ...
...uggle of finding his place among humankind, he achieves total control through a systematic system of feeding off of his authorities. He begins with small goals to overtly dominate these authorities until he becomes strong enough to face and defeat them head on. Once Grenouille becomes the curator of total control and all his goals met, he sees no reason to continue living. In his tick-like nature Grenouille moves from submissiveness to dominance to total control by absorbing the powers from his former authority figures. Suskind uses this representation to demonstrate the brutal nature of society as an ‘every man for them self’ organization. Much like Grenouille, social climbers use their positions to better themselves and achieve their goals.
Works Cited
Süskind, Patrick. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. Tr. John E. Woods. New York: Vintage
International, 2001.
Perhaps the most evident display of transformation comes in the form of Isabelle’s social and moral evolution which is stimulated by her illicit relationship with Stephen in Part 1 of Faulks’ naturalistic novel. Isabelle’s husband, Azaire is a symbol of the “old wealth” in the Belle Époque era; he is a factory owner and enjoys an important social presence within Amiens: “There would have been no doubt that this was a property of a substantial man”...
This ‘beast’, the protagonist of the story, fights an internal struggle, of which is a part of the Hero’s Journey. Grendel is unable to decide what to make of himself and of the world surrounding him. He has only ever known the world as wild and mechanical, yet he is charmed by the artistic brilliance of the Shaper’s words. Grendel ultimately meets a brutal yet peaceful demise. Standing on the face of the same cliff he found himself in the beginning of the novel, surrounded by mindless eyes, he states, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident. So may you all.” (Grendel, John Gardner, pg.174) Previous to this, he questions if what he is feeling is joy. The reader is lead to believe that Grendel must feel nothing but peace. This, is the concluding moment of his
Throughout John Gardner’s Grendel, the audience bears witness to a creature who has been ostracized by the world around him. Throughout his journey, the stories protagonist tries to live out his own life the way he wants to, despite being labeled as evil by those around him. Due to this constant criticism by his peers, he develops an inferiority complex that he desperately tries to make up for as the story progresses. Throughout his development, Grendel very rapidly moves past his existentialist beginning, through a brief phase of forced skepticism, and into a severely nihilistic point of view.
Grendel, surprisingly, adapts quite well to his society despite its detestation of his existence. Grendel live is a rattlesnake-guarded cave, which allows himself to detach from his society, giving him the necessary space to cope with the troublesome thoughts among his people about Grendel. Unlike Frankenstein, Grendel tries to associate with the members of his civilization but is rejected every time he tries to do so. Every night Grendel goes to Herot to listen to the Sharper’s stories because the history interests him. He is quite intrigued and appreciative of the tales he hears, but when he comes in contact with those from Herot, they do not reciprocate the appreciation of his presence in Herot. The ones he admires so much taunt and torture him to the point they try to kill him for “intruding.” As retaliation, Grendel fights back and raids Herot every night.
In Grendel, by John Gardner, there is considerable disquietude, but there are also moments of pleasure as well. The cause of these contrasting feelings is most often Grendel himself. As he changes from a purposeful and almost kind creature to a very cruel monster that scorns hope, we find ourselves feeling both pleased and upset at different times. In this element, though, lies a much greater purpose than simply good literature - it helps the reader understand the importance of human values.
First of all, one in life wants to be accepted in society. In this novel this is a major theme portrayed because
Despite her limited involvement in his life, Grendel’s mother indubitably impacts her son. Because she cannot speak to Grendel in a way that he understands, Grendel becomes very lonely. He wonders, “Why can’t I have someone to talk to” (Gardner 53)? This lack of communication causes Grendel to feel very distant from his own mother. As a result of his increased solitary time, he begins to isolate himself and becomes alienated. Grendel cries, “I shake my head, muttering darkly on shaded paths, holding conversation with the only friend and comfort this world affords, my shadow” (Gardner 8). Rather than looking to his mother for advice, the outcast is forced to rely on himself, thus, making him more independent and free to do as he pleases. One time Grendel asked his mother, “Why are we here” (Gardner 11)? His mother’s blank response enabled him to formulate his own austere answer to the question, resulting in his adverse and destructive ways of
Charlie Goldman, as portrayed in Ann Packer’s Nerves, is a thirty-something man-child who is losing his wife and comes to realize that it is he who is lost, somewhere in the streets of New York City. Gripped with overwhelming fears and psychosomatic ailments or hypochondria, Charlie suppresses the true causes of his condition while making a futile attempt to save his marriage. His childlike approach to life and his obsessive approach to marriage pushes his wife Linda towards a career in San Francisco and ultimately divorce. This essay will explore the broader themes of growing up, obsession and love.
In the novel Grendel the title character works throughout his whole life to understand his purpose and place in a world that constantly makes him feel like an outcast, yet gives him a role to fulfill through being the outcast, the Cain to man’s Abel, the antagonist to humanity. It is no surprise, then, that throughout Grendel’s journey he encounters serious questions about his and humanity 's existence, the meaning or lackthereof in life, and what will come of his perceived misery and tribulation experienced in life. Grendel has multiple existential crises over the duration of the novel due to this questioning of life and meaning, leading him to his eventual end. These existential crises are turning points in Grendel 's life that make him reevaluate
The Lais of Marie de France is a compilation of short stories that delineate situations where love is just. Love is presented as a complex emotion and is portrayed as positive, while at other times, it is portrayed as negative. The author varies on whether or not love is favorable as is expressed by the outcomes of the characters in the story, such as lovers dying or being banished from the city. To demonstrate, the author weaves stories that exhibit binaries of love. Two distinct types of love are described: selfish and selfless. Love is selfish when a person leaves their current partner for another due to covetous reasons. Contrarily, selfless love occurs when a lover leaves to be in a superior relationship. The stark contrast between the types of love can be analyzed to derive a universal truth about love.
Without a doubt, certain people in the world feel like they need to change themselves in order to content the people around them. Consequently, they are forced to make decisions that they do not desire and become overwhelmed by the fact that they have blinded themselves to see who they really are. Because of the ongoing judgment society places upon us, it pressures one to alter their mindset and change the way they act. There are instances of “choking” which symbolize being vanquished by the fact that the people revolving around you are pressuring the choices you make. In the novel, Choke, Chuck Palahniuk highlights the recurring theme of feeling “choked” by society’s expectations and it results in a loss of identity and direction. This is evident when Victor Mancini, a medical dropout who becomes a sex addict, is affected by this and throughout, he constantly tries to adapt to the thoughts of the outside world continually attacking him. It is apparent that Victor feels “choked” by other people’s perception of him through his conversations with his mother, his concepts he creates for choking in restaurants, and the effects of his sex addictions.
By taking the reader back to when he was a boy in the cellar of his farmhouse, Grice shows that from a young age, it was implanted in his mind that black widows are horrible creatures. The power of the black widow is highlighted when his speaks about how his mother “narrat[ed] her technique in exactly the hushed voice she used for discussing religion or sex” (para. 7). His mother brought her children to the cellar just to show
Belasco, Susan, and Linck Johnson, eds. The Bedford Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 1, 2nd Ed., Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 1190-1203. Print.
The relationship shared by Pierre and Helene is best described as a lustful charade. It is no coincidence that Pierre, one of the most introspective characters in the novel, first marries a shallow, inwardly-ugly adulterer. His first recorded attitude towards Helene is one of admira...
In Literature and Life, Love is a powerful force. Sans love; feelings, desires and relationships may seem empty. This force however, can also be destructive, even may end a marriage. Marital discord, arising in general, due to infatuation, lust or affection for a third person, may crop up primarily facilitated by adverse familial, economic or societal conditions that do frequently find their mention in the written word. Some of these concerns like family, marriage, sexuality, society and death, are notably illustrated by the authors, Gustave Flaubert in Madame Bovary and Laura Esquivel in Like Water for Chocolate.