Deception

Introduction Points: - Perfume is worn by people to deceive others into thinking they are what they are not. This is, essentially, the premise of Suskind’s work despite him not stating this anywhere in this novel. - Patrick Süskind explores the idea that our ability to smell, and the ability of others to smell us, is essential to our humanity. Therefore, perfume is seen as a deception through-out this novel because Grenouille himself has no smell, yet he is trying to create a perfect smell for himself in order to create an identity so people will worship him. This is another example of how Grenouille is trying to deceive the world by creating these beautiful scents.

Deception Points: - Grenouille can be seen as both perpetrator (murder) and victim. The denial of his own humanity is what drives his self hatred which is what ends up running this tragic story. - There is a good vs. evil theme that is present in Grenouille's infancy stage. It is linked to deception because in the beginning of the book, Grenouille, at the age of only a few months, conquers Father Terrier (priest) by staring intently with his nostrils. Even at such a young age Grenouille is deceiving the world because as a child he is impacting people, as strong as the faith.