Perfume Essay

How, and to what effect, does Perfume: The Story of a Murderer thematically or symbolically deal with the philosophical implications of existentialism?

Our job as human beings in this world is to give life a purpose and have full responsibility of our existence. This lays stress on the existence of mankind to produce authentic decisions and responsible ways of dealing with life and the world. These concepts, as well as the philosophical implications of existentialism are evident in the novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind. An existentialist philosophical mindset permeates Süskind’s novel and it is evident in the protagonist Grenouille. There are three decisions that Grenouille chooses throughout the novel: leaving people, killing innocent young girls and creating scents/perfumes. Through an examination of these events, it is evident that Süskind paints a picture of an existentialist way of thinking but also criticizes society and the weaknesses of human nature.

Grenouille, the main character of the novel has olfactory abilities, which encourages him to embark on a journey in finding and creating the perfect scent. Throughout the novel and his journey, Grenouille chooses his own path and leaves people. Grenouille leaves monsieur Grimal so he can pursue his perfumery path with Guisseppe Baldini. Grenouille not only helps Baldini’s perfumery business but he also develops his skills in creating perfumes with the advantage of his heightened sense of smell. However, after a short period of staying with Baldini, he chooses to move on. After leaving Baldini, Grenouille decides to go and stay in the cave by the mountains because he was disgusted by humans and needed isolation. He segregates himself from society and from humanity. “Thus his nose led him to ever more remote regions of the country,

ever farther from human beings, driving him on ever more insistently toward the magnetic pole of the greatest possible solitude” (Süskind 118). The idea of existentialism is evident at this point in Grenouille’s journey. As he lives in the cave, Grenouille lives in his own head therefore living by his own principles and morals. He essentially creates his own world and lives by his will. For Grenouille, the cave is the new center of his own world, it is the one place where he can now find peace and avoid human surroundings. As Grenouille spends most of his time in the cave, he becomes more egoistic.

Grenouille is portrayed as a natural murderer. His murderous quests were of primal instinct and he would do anything to obtain what he wanted. However, he did not kill for pleasure rather to obtain their scents in order to create his powerful perfume. For this reason, he was picky with his victims and chose those who he thought had extraordinary and powerful scents. Grenouille’s victims were preferably young adolescent girls, who produced the best scents. He is capable of murdering these young girls easily because he is not able to establish a deep connection or relationship with anyone he encounters throughout the novel. He doesn’t care for one’s physical looks or even personality because he is blinded with his obsession with scents. However, Grenouille a misanthropic murderer could be a perverse and an existentialist representation of mankind in an indifferent universe.

Grenouille's existential significance is derived from the realm of scent and the olfactory world serves as a form of ‘universe’ for himself. He is able to distinguish and extract different meaning of smells, which existentially isolates him from mankind. This drives him to form and create his own powerful essence. Although Grenouille has supernatural sense of smell, his own scent eludes him making him lack an identity that renders the society impenetrable from his world. Grenouille’s goal throughout the novel is to forge his own essence by creating his own divine scent. However by doing this, Süskind contradicts the ideas of existentialism as existentialist asserts that human existence precedes human essence. Grenouille first experiences making perfume with Guisseppe Baldini and then later creates one that lures admiration from people. When he creates a perfume that allows him to mell like a human, people begin acknowledging his existence and are more welcoming. During Grenouille’s execution, the people change their view on him after he is shown to the public. The perfume covers his true identity and makes him lovable and innocent

In Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Patrick Süskind uses philosophical implications of existentialism not only to portray Grenouille’s decisions throughout the novel but to also criticize society and human nature. Grenouille results and outcome of his intentions of creating a powerful scent are because of his decisions that he makes throughout the novel. He has no morals because he essentially lives in his own universe without morals and principles. Therefore, his lifestyle is based on an existentialism based world and beliefs.