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Does Suskind Portray Grenouille as a Monster in Perfume Essay

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There are many different types of monsters that this world has seen, including mythical creatures and mythic humanoids. Their main goal is to either protect or kill which is all done for a reasonable reason, but there is one monster that has murdered innocent people, with the purpose of creating specific scents. In the novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind, the author portrays Grenouille as a monster. Suskind has this character that willingly murders several people for their scent, no matter their age, size, or maturity. He is a monster because he misuses the power of scent to escape worldly problems and attract love. Grenouille has a hatred of humanity that not only affected young girls but the rest of the characters including his…show more content…
Looking at how all babies cry at the time of birth does make this point unlawful but it was the timing that Grenouille had started to cry that makes him a true monster. He cried out loud as soon as his mother had left, tossing the knife on the ground, which alerted the village that something was going on. Most caretakers usually take a liking to the one they care for; however Suskind chose not to display that loving relationship. In the quote," They put her in a ward populated with hundreds [...] of total strangers, pressing body upon body with five other women, and for three long weeks let her die in public view"(Suskind Part I, 5), Suskind furthers the concept of black humor. Every character that Grenouille had a relationship with died. In this case it was Madame Gaillard who had put Grenouille to hard work feeling no affection towards him. She became tired with him as he sucked the life out of her and gave him to Grimal, and eventually suffered from this choice. Madame Gaillard had gotten cancer that slowly killed her. This affected Grimal later when he sold Grenouille to another person. Grimal's life was taken the night Grenouille was sold. Grenouille is a monster in Perfume because of all the adolescent women he murdered, the death of his mother and for his caretakers dying after they left him. Grenouille had a strong sense of smell, which no other being capable of; however misused this gift.
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