How Does Süskind Use Religious and Spiritual Symbolism and Imagery to Establish a Distinction Between the Protagonist and Humankind in the Novel perfume: the Story of a Murderer?
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Report this essayHow does Süskind use Religious and Spiritual symbolism and imagery to establish a distinction between the protagonist and humankind in the novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer?
Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer, written by Patrick Süskind, is a novel based in 18th century France that explores the concept that olfactory sense as sovereign over any other factor of life, and is the channel towards supremacy. The protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, possesses a superhuman olfactory sense, and goes through life gradually obtaining power via this medium. As such, he is discriminated from the remainder of humanity in the novel; this separation is heavily represented by religious and spiritual allusions. Süskind realizes the prevalence of Catholicism in the time setting he selected, and allows this to be relevant to the novel. In effect, the use of religious and spiritual imagery allows the reader to register Grenouilles differentiation from humanity, in terms of both power, and lack thereof. Such is accomplished via direct parallels between religion and scent, references to Christianity, particularly Satan, and a vast series of other spiritual beliefs.
Süskind creates a composite in the novel as he allows spiritual and religious imagery to portray scent as sovereign, allowing the power of olfactory sense to be likened to Catholocism. Immense emphasis is put on the olfactory sense, He who ruled scent ruled the hearts of men (page 155); such statements in the novel esteem Grenouille, as the reader is aware of his impeccable olfactory sense. Scent and religion are tied in the novel; in 18th century France, Catholicism was prevalent, and while nearly all characters in the novel believe in the power of God, the real power lies within scent, Odors have a power of persuasion stronger than that of words, appearances, emotions, or will (page 88), this statement is further enhanced with, He [Grenouille] possessed the power. He held it in his hand. A power stronger than the power of money or the power of terror or the power of death: the invincible power to command the love of mankind (page 102) – Scent is the power that Grenouille masters. Surrounding characters put faith in God, with the repetition of such religious phrases and rituals, The citizens of Grasse crossed themselves over three times, Gods sake, and Whenever God wills it. There is an appearance of strong faith for Christianity within society that juxtaposes with Grenouille, and esteems him, only to the reader, as his power is unknown by surrounding characters, Grenouille the wunderkind took place only inside him and could only be perceived by no other than himself (page 28). The repetitive use of pronouns referring to Grenouille in the quote emphasise his status and further enhance his importance, as his power is inconceivable by humankind. With scent being comparable to spirituality and religion, the concept of the perfect perfume, one that would control the world, becomes relevant. Grenouille believes the scent necessary for the perfume is of virgin girls, a classical symbol of holiness. The perfume is symbolic of religious power, and simultaneously, olfactory power, Grenouille knew for certain that unless he possessed it his life would have no meaning (page 42), with out religion, God would not contain meaning, this is parallel to Grenouilles situation, with out this perfume, or the scents he needed for it, he will have no meaning. Süskind closely links the sovereignty of olfactory sense to the sovereignty of religion in 18th century France, particularly through the use of contrast and irony.
The use of general and varying range of spiritual allusions at the climax of Grenouilles power is intended by Süskind to emphasise the irrelevance and insignificance of humankind when under the influence of his power. In these instances, Grenouille is compared to God, and other divine figures, and this shows his final transcendence of humankind. Grenouille successfully concocts the ultimate Perfume, giving him supremacy and stifling his execution. In order to express how the people idolized him due to the scent, Süskind begins by using the classic Catholic imagery he had used for the most part of the novel, Basking in religious rapturethe Lord God stayed the executioners hand by disclosing as an angel the very man who for all
His first act was to use the most powerful of gestures: the use of one’s tongue to signify the beginning of a song, or, in an older novel, the use of a stick in general to “raise” water to a certain volume and add it to a particular potion.
After that, he uses a form of expression that is similar to that at the beginning and concludes with the words:
He often used the term “god” quite deliberately. When I used to say “god” as well as “god” before, he called them “I, the God of war”. One has to wonder now if there was going to be this sort of influence in Grenouille in the early times, especially in the early seventies. The same is true of Grenouille’s first role in the Süskind saga. The main motive for this character is a “gift of power”, though sometimes a gift of power is in play.
One thing is clear about the play, from what I’ve read of his career and in his books you will know how powerful he was. The Süskind characters are the ones with the greatest depth of character, and Süskind always made sure that his stories are consistent, simple and full of detail. In this case, it felt more a matter of style, and of personality, rather than in the same way he was writing stories in a style dictated by philosophy, and the influence that he had on others such as himself. Süskind’s other roles, with each one being very different, was to show his character and express his thoughts through expressions of his own power (if they were any indication). He was also able to tell a unique story of personal weakness. If Süskind were to have shown any signs of weakness to her brother, she would have been forced out and it was the only outcome she could have hoped for. Such is the extent to which a character’s power manifests itself and what the consequences can be for them. While the characters may not necessarily stand still through all these hardships, they have the power to live on. In this particular example, the two were joined for the first time by a powerful man: the “God of war” of Grenouille (Maurice de Montaigne). Grenouille used his power to change the shape of the world, as an act of defiance against the “God” who destroyed his own existence. This power, while he didn’t directly control the executioners, made it almost impossible for another to get hold of him, allowing them to escape. Despite all this, it was his defiance that allowed him to win the Perfume and escape. In this sequence, Süskind tells the tale of Moustache