Literary Criticism Perfume by Patrick Suskind Essay Example

Literary Criticism: Perfume by Patrick Suskind Paper Perfume by Patrick Suskind is a fictional tale that takes place in eighteenth century France. This novel is about a boy named Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who has a supernatural ability to smell, but lacks a scent. He experienced childhood traumas which eventually shaped him to be the way he is as he grew into an adult. Grenouille faced a life of isolation, had a desire to be loved, and took advantage of his talents and abilities. Grenouille was born a supernatural ability to remember and discern different smells, but he himself did not have a scent. It was a gift that he eventually took advantage of. His keen sense of smell definitely exceeded a regular person’s ability to smell. He used gift to create his own perfume to get people to like him. However, he realized the affection given to him was unreal. Grenouille used his gift to his advantage to make the perfume, unaware that he was affecting others too. He kept taking more and more virgins for their scent all for his one perfume that he was making. We will write a custom essay sample on Literary Criticism: Perfume by Patrick Suskind specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Literary Criticism: Perfume by Patrick Suskind specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Literary Criticism: Perfume by Patrick Suskind specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Grenouille had lived nearly his entire lifetime alone and unwanted. Once he was born, his mother already desired to get rid of him. â€Å"She confesses, openly admitting that she would definitely have let the thing perish† (Suskind 6). He has been passed onto several wet nurses, a priest by the name of Father Terrier, and a woman named Madame Gaillard. Grenouille lived a life of isolation. Many simply did not want to interact with him, including other children in Madame Gaillard mainly because he lacked a scent. Other individuals believed it was abnormal and therefore treated him negatively. As a grown adult, he then ended up isolating himself from others. â€Å"He had withdrawn solely for his own personal pleasure, only to be near to himself. No longer distracted by anything external, he basked in his own existence and found it splendid† (Suskind 123). Grenouille withdrew himself from others and society because as a child, he was basically