Genius

__Introduction:__ ** In the novel __Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,__ Suskind portrays Grenouille's genius through not only his extraordinary sense of smell, but also his uncanny ability to manipulate and deceive people to meet his own ends with this special talent. Through these portrayals, Grenouille is characterized as a selfish and arrogant individual who cares more about his own goals than that of society's and who strays from the customary meaning of a genius who is normally someone who improves a certain aspect of society with his/her talent.
 * Genius**

The most obvious aspect of Grenouille's genius is his phenomenal sense of smell which is also the most important tool/reason for his goals and aspirations.**
 * __I. Supernatural Sense of Smell__


 * "The scent was so heavenly fine that tears welled into Baldini's eyes. He did not have to test it, he simply stood at the table in front of the mixing bottle and breathed. The perfume was glorious. It was to Amor and Psyche as a symphony is to the scratching of a lonely violin. And it was more." (85) **
 * The full potential of Grenouille's skills are shown here when he creates an incredible perfume without having had any past experience at all
 * The line itself is full of words with very positive connotations such as "heavenly fine", or "glorious" which all somewhat show the narrator's admiration and veneration for Grenouille's incredible ability.
 * An analogy that further reiterates the point of how great Grenouille's newly created perfume is is "as a symphony is to the scratching of a lonely violin." which emphasizes the magnificence of Grenouille's perfume.
 * If something as popular as the "Amor and Psyche" is compared so negatively as the "scratchings of a lonely violin", then this newly created perfume must be incredible as shown by describing it as a "symphony".
 * The main purpose of this passage is to establish Grenouille's ability in the area of perfumery and scents as that of extraordinary and also strengthen the reader's beliefs about him being a real genius.
 * His outstanding aptitude with smells and scents may also foreshadow his future goals of creating the best scent in the world because with the development of his skills, he will soon outgrow the need to just take in the smell but start to dream of creating one that is in his own mind the best scent in the world


 * "When Baldini assigned him a new scent, whether for a handkerchief cologne, a sachet, or a face paint, Grenouille no longer reached for flacons and powders, but instead simply sat himself down at the table and wrote the formula straight out. He had learned to extend the journey from his mental notion of a scent to the finished perfume by way of writing down the formula. For him it was a detour." (92) **
 * Auxiliary ability of Grenouille's that complements his supernatural sense of smell and his goals of making the perfect perfume is shown here.
 * By speeding up the process of perfumery and thereby pleasing Baldini, Grenouille is attempting to obtain his Journeyman papers faster by pleasing the only man who can give it to him.
 * This is an example of how Grenouille is a genius in every respect to the word "scent". He possesses not only the ability to smell and to analyze anything in the world but also to immediately learn and remember the names of particular objects, measure out the exact quantities of substances with just his nose, and create new scents in his mind that are composed of any scents he wishes to combine.
 * Again emphasizes Grenouille's genius by giving him the innert ability to learn more quickly and become adept at the various skills required in a particular field
 * Thus through Grenouille's extraordinary skills with smells and scents and his revolutionary method of creating perfumes, he manages to satisfy Baldini's thirst for fame and wealth and thereby becomes one step closer to his goal of making his ultimate perfume.

**"Grenouille had been standing at the open carriage door for several minutes now not moving at all. The footman next to him had sunk to his knees, and sank farther still until achieving the fully prostrate position customary in the Orient before a sultan or Allah. And even in this posture, he still quivered and swayed, trying to sink even frather, to lie flat upon the earth, to lie within it, under it. He wanted to sink to the opposite side of the world out of pure subservience." (237)**
 * Grenouille proves that he is a genius by revealing his masterpiece (which is something that all genuises leave behind as part of their legacy) to the public by applying all his acquired and natural skills to make the actual perfume.
 * The description of the footman kneeling down to a higher being "out of pure subservience" emphasizes the might and power of this ultimate perfume.
 * Grenouille also portrayed as a "sultan" or "Allah" who are both very powerful figures: one having power on earth while the other as God and creator of the earth. By using all the his skills, Grenouille succeeds in his selfish goal of creating the best perfume in the world that would make him ruler of the world through the people's love for him or rather "his scent".
 * Unlike other geniuses who created masterpieces that somehow benefited society, Grenouille's sole intent with his perfume was the enslavement of the human race under his rule.
 * Thus Suskind portrays Grenouille as a very self-centered person more concerned with his own goals than that of society's.
 * This also neutralizes any sympathies the readers may have had for him since it is clear that Grenouille has abused his powers to benefit himself.


 * __II. Manipulation of Others for Self-Benefit__ **


 * Although much less obvious than Grenouille's incredible sense of smell, his manipulation and deception of people for self-benefit are also an integral part of his brilliance.**
 * "Even while Baldini was making his pompous speech, the stiffness and cunning intensity had fallen away from him. He had heard only the approval, only the "yes," with the inner jubilation of a child that has sulked its way to some permission granted... he was for the first time more human than animal, because he knew that he had already conquered the man who had yielded to him." (78) **
 * Grenouille uses his manipulation as a means of being able to demonstrate his incredible sense of smell, and thereby gain a position as Baldini's apprentice, further his knowledge of perfumery and hence get closer to realizing his ultimate goal.
 * Grenouille's manipulative skills is also what sets him apart as more of a human than animal. With this other side of his genius, he shows that he is indeed able to think and plan things out very carefully much like a typical human being would instead of acting on instinct like an animal.
 * The line "He was for the first time more human than animal," also shows the narrator's support for this statement
 * His manipulative skills are also emphasized through Suskind's use of diction with words such as "cunning", "conquered" and "yielded" that show Grenouille's adept ability at manipulating people to reach his own ends.

**"And from time to time, at well-spaced intervals, he would make mistakes that could not fail to capture Baldini's notice: forgetting to filter, setting the scales wrong, fixing the percentage of ambergris tincture in the formula ridiculously high. And took his scoldings for the mistakes, correcting them then most conscientiously. Thus he managed to lull Baldini into the illusion that ultimately this was all perfectly normal. He was not out to cheat the old man after all. He truly wanted to learn from him." (93)**
 * Carefully planned methods of deception to convince Baldini that Grenouille is "normal" and not a genius in any respect.
 * Grenouille's purpose in deceiving Baldini is for him to learn the most from Baldini without arousing any suspicion and thereby extending his knowledge of perfumery.
 * This facade that Grenouille puts on in an attempt to seem normal in Baldini's eyes is supported by many of the words used such as "lull", "illusion" and "cheat" which all show Grenouille's true intent of trying to deceive Baldini.
 * Grenouille tries to trick Baldini here as a means of getting the most out of him since if he was perfectly flawless in every action, Baldini would begin to get suspicious and decide to take action against Grenouille such as denying him the journeyman papers that he needed in order to achieve his dream.
 * Thus by putting on this charade, Grenouille assures his future since now in Baldini's eyes he does not seem like somebody who would ever become strong enough to challenge Baldini's already prosperous and renowned business.

**"It was a strange perfume that Gernouille created that day. there had never before been a stranger one on earth. It did not smell like a scent, but like a Human being who gives off a scent. If one had smelled this perfume in a dark room, one would have thought a second person was standing there." (149)**
 * Grenouille is able to combine both aspects of his genius to deceive people indirectly. By using his sense of smell Grenouille is able to create a perfume that gives him an identity which is something that he has lacked his whole life because of his lack of smell which caused him to become a pariah and an outcast of society.
 * Through the use of this perfume, Grenouille manages to trick people and is able to interact with them socially. This manipulation of the scent to distort people's perception of him is successful which later gives him the idea to manipulate scents into other uses such as inconspicuousness that later helps him reach Laure undetected and retrieve her scent without arousing attention.
 * Thus through his manipulation of scent and in effect his manipulation of people's perception of him, Grenouille is able to get closer and closer to his goal.

__**III. Arrogant and Supercilious Attitude** __  
 * In the process of developing and enhancing his abilities, Grenouille adopts a very arrogant and supercilious attitude of his abilities.**
 * "All at once great contentment came over him. Not a drunken one, as in the days when he had celebrated his lonely orgies in the bowels of the mountain, but a very cold and sober contentment, as befits awareness of one's own power. He now knew what he was capable of... He now knew that he could do much more. He knew that he could improve on this scent. He would be able to create a scent that was not merely human, but superhuman, an angel's scent, so indescribably good and vital that whoever smelled it would be enchanted and with his whole heart would have to love him, Grenouille, the bearer of that scent." (155)**
 * Grenouille becomes obsessed with his desire to be loved which ultimately brings him to his goal of making a perfume that will, through its overpowering scent, force everyone to fall in love with him.
 * When he creates a perfume that gives him the odor of a human being, he becomes more confident in his abilities to make scents that will be able to affect people.
 * His arrogant attitude is shown as he boasts to himself about his own potential powers in the world of scents and also how he could "improve" on those scents.
 * Certain words used here such as "angel", "superhuman" and "enchanted" all convey meanings of how exceptional and prodigious the scent could be.
 * Grenouille is also comparing himself to God or a higher being when he uses these words and is therefore being very conceited since to compare oneself to God is not something somebody does in 18th century France when the Catholic Church and God still played a very big part in people's lives.
 * "Yes! This was his empire! The incomparable Empire of Grenouille! Created and ruled over by him, the incomparable Grenouille, laid waste by him if he so chose and then raised up again, made boundless by him and defended with a flaming sword against every intruder. Here there was naught but his will, the will of the great, splendid, incomparable Grenouille." (126)**
 * Grenouille's arrogance clearly shown here when he uses words that have a very grand connotation to it such as "great", "splendid", "incomparable"
 * repetition of the phrase "incomparable Grenouille" supports the fact that Grenouille has become infatuated with himself and his abilities much like many other genuises throughout history that have also become quite conceited because of their superiority over others
 * Grenouille again alludes to himself as a god/higher being with biblical references such as the flaming sword and also his powers to create and destroy his imaginary empire whenever he pleased thereby giving himself godlike abilities
 * Thus through his abilities to not only take in and analyze every single scent in the world, but also his ability to manipulate others for his own benefit, Grenouille becomes engulfed in his powers and turns into the arrogant and selfish individual that he is which leads him to his dreams of grandeur and power.
 * Consequently, Suskind's portrayal of Grenouille as an arrogant and selfish person who abuses the powers bestowed upon him again causes reader's to feel less and less sympathetic towards him.