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Jean Baptiste Grenouille Character Analysis

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Jean Baptiste Grenouille’s fate, a sign of his own failure, and a failed experiment that defied the initial purpose, but most importantly, his creation of the perfect perfume was not enough to give him the ability of emitting a smell, so he could never know who he really was. Grenouille’s main purpose derived from the desire of having a smell, something that allowed him to be noticed and identifiable; even though he was able to create the perfect perfume, the only one able to control the masses, it still was not Grenouille’s “signature” smell. Even if people expressed their love towards him, it was not truly because of his smell as Grenouille, it was just their expression of love towards the master perfume.
As stated before, what Grenouille …show more content…

This perfume becomes the fluidum vitale, after using it and being noticed by people, Grenouille realized he could rule the world just like in his imagination while in the cave. He showed no emotion at all for this, his only emotions were shown when he captured an aroma he desired or smelled something pleasant (e.g. Laure Richis on the garden), even while plotting how to control humankind, he asked to himself what was the purpose. “And he said to himself that he wanted to do it because he was evil, thoroughly evil.” (Ch. 32) An artificial smell was what gave him the temporary self-confidence to face people, as he didn’t avoid the busy roads anymore or the people; it was a costume to hide the monster inside himself. One of Grenouille’s desires was the odor of certain human beings, the aromas that he felt that expressed love, so he could have them for …show more content…

What he most desired was what he lacked of. Even behind his purpose of gaining a smell for himself, he just wanted to be accepted as he was when he used the fuidum vitale. By trying to achieve this, he didn’t even consider of what happened to the people he affected, the victims, their families, and the community as a whole. His purpose was to find a smell, and he got it artificially, but his purpose and fate were not fulfilled yet. Of course, Grenouille had the control over people, but he felt his efforts were in vain. Just as he was in love with the scent not the human being, his was paid back the same way. Which leads him, to end with it, he had nothing left, he had already created the master perfume, and he realized he will never have a natural smell, therefore, he felt he was a nothing. So, he decides to end it all, once in for all, and end with himself and what gave him truly the power, what he desired to have and will never be able to know who he really is and obtain for what he lived for,

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