Student+Questions+Perfume


 * Are any of the chracters that Grenouille meets during his life real? Were any true historical figures?
 * He was born without odor. When he found out, the impact on him was great. Why?
 * How do / why do sense (traits) such as looks, smell, taste, etc, bring pleasure to people?
 * Why would Grenouille set off on a journey through France?
 * Why does he value pure scents (e.g.doorknobs), and not fragrance?
 * How does his heightened sense of smell explain his lack of consideration for others?
 * Before he actually starts the act of murdering, he questioned himself what will happen after he succeeds in making the perfume, and how long it would last. However, he did proceed with his plan. What was the last thing that forced him to do so?
 * Is he really a "bad person", so to say?
 * Why do most of the people who interact with Grenouille die after he leaves them? Why mention the deaths of these characters?
 * What do the deaths of all his employers after Grenouille leaves symbolize?
 * Why does death occur each time Grenouille leaves a city?
 * Did Grenouille perhaps have some other supernatural power other than his extraordinary smell (seeing that everyone who he leaves dies right after)?
 * How is it that Grenouille survived many hardships (sickness, leathershop, the cave)?
 * If Baldini didn't accept him as a journeyman what would Grenouille's future be like?
 * If he had not learned how to take the scent from something, waht would he do? Would he just find another who could teach him?
 * Why didn't Grenouille continue looking for the ultimate scent after leaving from Baldini?
 * How do the scents of these women satisfy him (enough to get murder involved)?
 * Why is Grenouille able to expereince hatred but not any other feeling like pain?
 * Does "Plomb de Cantal" mean anything symbolic of the novel when translated into English?
 * Why are the first and last victims described in such similar ways (e.g red hair, captivating smell)?
 * What was the purpose of Tallade-Espinasse's and his thesis' involvement in Grenouille's life? It seems a bit out of place.
 * How did Grenouille mange to get the perfume on himself before he was executed?
 * What does it mean when it says "For the first time thay had done something out of love"? Killing Grenouille is "out of love"?
 * Why does Grenouille allow himself to be torn apart?
 * What was going through Grenouille's mind when he decides to put on the perfume among the thieves and beggars at the end?
 * Was Grenouille surprised at the end when the crowd started to close on him and tried to eat him or did he expect it?
 * If the perfume affected thousands of people before the execution, how come it only affected 30 people at the end? Was there a lesser amount of perfume used?
 * Why did the author chose to end the book with Grenouille being eaten by cannibals?
 * Why doesn't the author end the book with Grenouille being executed? What was the purpose of adding the extra scene?
 * What is the connection between Grenouille and frogs?