Perfume: Chapters 1-10 Reading Blog Questions

1) Describe Grenouille so far; how does Suskind begin creating his character (in other words, how can you justify your understanding/interpretations of Grenouille using the text itself)?

Grenouille is first announced as a gifted and abominable person "in an era that knew no lack of gifted and abominable personages" (Chapter 1). From birth he was unwanted as his fishmonger mother and was rescued from death by bystanders. He was taken in by the church and even wet nurses did not want to keep nursing him. Nurses characterized him as the devil due to his lack of scent. From there he was raised by Madame Gaillard, along with other orphans. Throughout the chapters, Grenouille's sense of smell develops and becomes an asset to the tanner as he fought off many diseases that have killed people in the past, making him immune to them. When he was fifteen years old on the anniversary of King Louis XV's coronation, Grenouille makes his first kill, only by following his nose. While Grenouille has had a horrible life, Suskind, the narrator, speaks in an unbiased tone for the audience, keeping feelings and emotions out of the story.

2) We've never really read about a main character whose chief trait is his superhuman sense of smell. What is this all about? What might we learn from this character or story? Is scent a symbol for something else?

Grenouille's chief trait is his superhuman sense of smell, which emphasizes the grimness of the time period. France is described as a horribly smelly region and can be seen as putrid. Suskind describes the horrible smell of humans as "a sweaty-oily, sour cheesy, quite richly repulsive mixture” which can be seen in the nature of humans. During this very tense time period, crime and sin was very high in the cities of France and Grenouille's sense of smell resembles the desperation of the population.

Symbol of the Glass Menagerie: Laura's glass menagerie

In class, Kashfaa and I discussed a major symbol, Laura's glass menagerie. Laura first started collecting these animal figurines over thirteen years ago, presumably after her father left the family and serves as her primary hobby. Not only does it describe her personality, gentle, calm, and old-fashioned, but also served as a coping mechanism during tough times. Laura's prized possession allows her to live in her own world with the animals, a world that is simplistic and easy. She can be herself around these animals and is no where near shy with them.

Because Laura possesses the qualities of glass as up until scene six, she can be considered a transparent character. We never see her personality as she is often very quiet and never speaks more than ten or twenty words as a time. When light (confidence) shines through her however, it reflects a variety of colors showing that she does have much more depth to her that meets the eye.

Amanda's Apologia

Dear Tom and Laura,
As your mother, I always try my hardest to make the right choices for both of you, even though it may not seem like it at certain times. I nag you because I just worry about your future, a future that I will not always be in. Before I met your father, I had dozens of gentlemen callers and I just want you two to have the best possible life and not end up like me – alone. I act solely for you two and want you to achieve everything I know you are capable of. You may think I am annoying or bothersome, but I promise you, I do it in my best interest.

Tom, your father left us all alone, causing our family to suffer as a result, and I nag because I have a lot of fear concerning your future. I want you to be better than him, your father, and I know you can be. I want you to be an independent, strong, and smart man who achieves all of his personal and work goals. I want you to be everything your father wasn’t. I want you to be the best version of yourself.

Laura, you are and will always be my little girl. You may see yourself as crippled but I promise you that I do not see you this way in my eyes. I live in the past, because my youth makes me happy, and I hate to see you waste yours by playing with glass animals and walking around in the cold. My days of finding a gentleman caller were the best of my life and I just want you to find the same kind of delight I had during this exciting time period. I believe finding a gentleman caller will bring you some joy in your life, which is all I want for you.

My dear children, please do not make the mistakes I have. I just want what is best for you and intend to help you both flourish in the real world. Living in the past saves me from the loneliness I face every day with the absence of your father and I try to reflect my wisdom and experience onto you to help you make the right decisions in your life. I love you, and I hope you understand the reasoning behind my choices as a mother.

Love,
Amanda, your loving mother and biggest fan