Perfume Reflective Statement and Written Assignment
Reflective Statement
In Perfume, viewing Jean-Baptiste Grenouille as a parasite and the rest of the characters as his hosts help express the novel and its purpose. “When the House of Giuseppe Baldini collapsed, Grenouille was already on the road to Orleans.” (Suskind, 115) This defines Grenouille’s role. Because Grenouille is depicted as a tick, everyone that Grenouille leaves dies. During the seminar, one could find that Patrick Suskind’s Grenouille is expressed as an outsider to society, a tick, and a murderer. To help delineate the environment in Perfume and many valuable traits of France’s culture, “In the period of which we speak, there reigned in the cities a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women.” (Suskind, 3) Patrick Suskind knows a lot about France in the slums of the 18th century.
Grenouille cannot maintain any profound relationship with anyone of the other characters within
the novel. He could care less about their looks, intelligence, or personality although he is obsessed with smell. Because of this obsession, he captures others’ scents by killing them. Grenouille would rather be alone and refrain from interacting with people. The only real reason that Grenouille interacts with others is so that he could chase his desire of odors. Grenouille is hated and dreaded subconsciously because he doesn’t have a scent. He is artificially accepted as a part of society when he creates his human scent, “But now, in the streets of Montpellier, Grenouille sensed and saw with his own eyes---and each time he saw it anew, a powerful sense of pride washed over him--- that he exerted an effect on people.” (Suskind, 152) Grenouille notices after producing the fla...
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... is consumed like meat or even an animal. This is how Grenouille and the people around him are easily controlled by their own senses, which represents imagery. For the duration of the actions in the novel, Grenouille goes through his main moment of disgust that he feels toward people. As he desires to be put out of the despair he suffers for the unfortunate curse of having no odor and for that reason no soul, Monsieur Richis comes at him as if he is about to kill him. Grenouille is truly eager as he waits for the father of slaughtered Laure to stab him right in the chest. Much to his shock, Richis drops into his arms and clinches him.
Works Cited
Süskind, Patrick. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. New York: Pocket Books, 1991. Print.
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”...
...n very human feelings of resentment and jealousy. Grendel was an unstable and saddened figure because of his outcast status. Though Grendel had many animal attributes and a grotesque, monstrous appearance, he seemed to be guided by vaguely human emotions and impulses. He truthfully showed more of an interior life than one might expect. Exiled to the swamplands outside the boundaries of human society, Grendel’s depiction as an outcast is a symbol of the jealousy and hate that seeks to destroy others' happiness and can ultimately cripple a civilization. This take on the outcast archetype ultimately exposes the Anglo Saxon people’s weaknesses, their doubts and anxieties towards the traditional values that bounded nearly every aspect of their life.
Albert Camus is a skillful writer noted for showing aspects of culture and society through the depiction of his characters. In The Stranger, Camus illustrates the existentialism culture and how that comes into play in the life of the protagonist Meursault. The Stranger, as suggested by the title, is a novel revolving around the protagonist, Meursault, who is a stranger to the French-Algerian society as he challenges its values. Camus vividly portrays Meursault’s journey through the use of imagery, irony, and symbolism. In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses the minor character, Raymond Sintes, to illustrate the contrasting nature of Meursault and how his friendship with Raymond leads to his downfall.
“Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry—crawling, whimpering, streaming tears, across the world like a two-headed beast, like mixed-up lamb and kid at the tail of a baffled, indifferent ewe—and I gnashed my teeth and clutched the sides of my head as if to heal the split, but I couldn’t.” (Grendel, John Gardner, pg.44) In this moment, Grendel’s mind is split between what he understands to be The world is callous and careless, blunt and belligerent; this he knows. However, with the artistic style and formation of the Shaper’s words, he is brought to tears and is captivated by his spiritual and emotional yearnings. Grendel is also overwhelmed with disgust and shame for himself and his vile habits.
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’s last words were, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident...So may you all.” Grendel’s last thoughts were confusion, confusion whether it was joy what he felt, or if it was only terror what abounded in his heart. The animals gathered around him , and he said, “They watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction” (Gardner 174). Grendel noticed the animals’ reaction towards his suffer. Therefore, Grendel’s last words meant to affect the animals gathered around him mainly, because they were contemplating his death as an enjoyful success.
Mersault, the narrator and protagonist, is The Stranger. He has cut himself off from the world. As he narrates the novel is divided into two parts. In part 1 he deals with everyday affairs except for two important events. At the beginning of the novel his mother has died. He is struggling to make ends meet, therefore he sent his mother to a nursing home in Marengo. This has brought criticism from the community. At the funeral he does not feel the grief as is expected nor is he concerned with the formalities of mourning. The next day Mersault starts an affair with Marie, who at one time been a typist in his office. They have a wonderful time eating, swimming, watching movies and making love. People, i.e. society is aghast that he has not observed what is considered a proper mourning period for his mother.
Here Gretel has realised she has lost her innocence and her childhood has been robbed, like so many children of today’s world. In the poem, symbolism is used as a powerful technique to reinforce the darkness Gretel feels but also relates this common human experience, fear, to our own life.
Grendel exhibits human feelings and characteristics in many ways. Although Grendel is a monster “forced into isolation by his bestial appearance and limited imagination” (Butts) he yearns to be a part of society; he craves companionship while he is isolated. With his “ear pressed tight against the timbers [of Hart]” (43), he watches and listens to the humans and what goes on in Hart, the meadhall of King Hrothgar, to feel like he is a part of civilization. He also has feelings in relation to specific humans. Just like the citizens of Denmark, he is extremely affected by the Shaper and his songs that are “aswim in ringing phrases, magnificent, golden, all of them, incredibly, lies” (43). Grendel is profoundly “moved by the power of the Shaper’s poetry” (Butts). Queen Wealtheow shows Grendel the feminine, sweet, and kind side of life. “She had secret wells of joy that overflowed to them all” and her peaceful effect on those around her is a main cause of Grendel’s almost obsessive fascination with her and in turn, drives Grendel to feelings of rage. Grendel’s humanlike feelings show that his personality is similar to that of a human, helping those who read his story to relate to him.
The emotionless anti-hero, Monsieur Meursault, embarks on a distinct philosophical journey through The Stranger. Confident in his ideas about the world, Meursault is an unemotional protagonist who survives without expectations or even aspirations. Because of his constant indifference and lack of opinions about the world, it can be denoted that he undergoes a psychological detachment from the world and society. It is through these characteristics that exist in Meursault that Camus expresses the absurd. Starting from the very first sentence of the book, “Maman died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.” (Camus 1) The indifferent tone from these short sentences convey a rather apathetic attitude from Meursault’s part. Not only does he not feel any sorrow, he also “felt like having a smoke.” (Camus 4) Communicating perfectly Meursault’s disinterest, “[he] hesitate, [he] didn’t know if [he] could do it with Maman right there. [He] thought it over; it really didn’t matter.” (Camus 4) The death of his mother prompts an absurdist philosophy in which he experiences a psychological awakening and begins to place no real emphasis on emotions, but rather on the physical aspect of life.
Throughout the renowned novel Grendel, author John Gardner illustrates a captivating characterization of the monster Grendel. While the reader may initially brand Grendel as a sadistic villain, Gardner gradually reinforces the complexity of this character, to the extent where a pressing question arises and begs the reader’s attention--is Grendel truly evil? As the story progresses, it becomes evident that Grendel simply does what he knows to do, as a monster, in addition to doing what he can do, as an emotional being which often lacks favorable choices. Furthermore, Grendel’s status as an evil beast relies entirely on morals, which are wholly subjective. Essentially, because of the complicated nature of naming a creature “good” or “bad,” and
The presence of a bull prompts a shift in Grendel’s purpose in life from remaining obedient to his mother as a young child to being the creator of the world as he transitions into adulthood. As a young monster, Grendel motive’s coincide with his mother since she is the only person who Grendel is able to communicate with. He feels “Of all the creatures I knew, only my mother really looked at me...We were one thing, like the wall and the rock growing out from it… ‘Please, Mama!’ I sobbed as if heartbroken” (Gardner 17-19). His emotions demonstrate that as a child, he doesn’t consider himself as an individual but rather as embodying the same identity as his mother, which is further emphasized by the use of the simile. Additionally, Grendel’s use
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...
Having lived a life of a criminal from the age of 10 , Genet is to a frightening degree Querelle himself. His serving at the Mettray Reformatory and his life as a thief, a burglar, and a prostitute enhances the Querelle in him. Even his hero’s name apparently has a streak of his sexual orientation as Sartre points out that Genet himself as a writer is extremely specific about names. His friend shares an account where Genet mentions how he does not like roses but cherishes the name itself. The event in which a person begins to visualize the being of a word in the word itself distinguishes Genet’s complex character, yet again adding to his g...
The narrator in Suskind’s Perfume has many different personas, similar to a kaleidoscopic view. The narrator transforms from a friend, to gossiper, to reader’s friend, to historian, journalist, an accomplice and eventually the reader learns that the narrator fundamentally is Grenouille. These changes are made progressively throughout the novel, which causes the reader to be too distracted with the storyline to realize that the narrator in Perfume is very untrustworthy.