Alienation in The Metamorphosis and Perfume

[MightyMouse]

Hi! I'm a newbie at the forums and needed to get to a pressing issue of my own that needed sorting out. I am interested in writing an analytical paper looking at the significance of the protagonist's alienation in Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis and Patrick Suskind's Perfume. I'm pretty knowledgeale in terms of the existential aspect that The Metamorphosis encompasses, but some thorough reading aside, I am having trouble making relevant connections to alienation in Perfume. I want to be able to understand and explain the congruences and nature of the loneliness and alienation from others that both Greger in The Metamorphosis and Grenouille in Perfume seem to share in common. Any suggestions/help/advice with this is apprciated!

[Virgil]

Hi MightyMouse. Welcome to lit net. I'm reading Metamorphosis right now. I definitely see the alienation, but in what way is the story existential? I'm curious.

I have never read Suskine's Perfume. Sorry I can't help you there.

[PrinceMyshkin]

I, on the other hand, have read both - but too long ago to draw any parallels. What I remember most vividly about Perfume was a) how vivid a sense it gave one of the stench of Paris of that time, smells being the hardest thing surely to evoke verbally, and b) that notwithstanding it's cerebral brilliance, it was such a cold book

[chasestalling]

kafka's restrained prose does it for me. haven't read the other.

[Mr Spoon]

Although I have lurked around the Lit Net forums for a while now, I've only just signed up so hi all.

I've read both books. I think certainly Perfume has an existential element, in that Grenouille lives for one thing, and allows that thing to shape his actions, his morals, etc. I appreciate that doesn't tick all the boxes for 'existentialism', but it's certainly an element. Is Samsa an existentialist character? I'm not sure he is, but would be interested to hear an argument for it.

Existentialist or otherwise, Samsa is certainly alienated. In many ways, it's his sense of alienation that propels the story - only his sister (from what I remember) supports him, everyone else shuns him. He is tormented by what he has become and what he has lost.

Genouille, on the other hand, was born with his difference - a superhuman sense of smell and no scent of his own, which causes people to mistrust him. He has never known anything else so he's not alienated in the way Samsa is: Grenouille doesn't want to be part of something like Samsa wants to be part of his family & work, neither does he see himself as being on the outside looking in - if anything, he sees himself above, looking down. Shades of Mersault, I think, more than Samsa.

I think if anything, I would revisit the section where Grenuille goes and lives in the mountains for all those years. From what I remember, he isn't lonely - a further demonstration that perhaps he doesn't experience alienation the way Samsa does. The latter feels bitterly lonely, hates himself, and can't comprehend what's happened. Grenouille is happy to be away from everyone, loves himself and thinks he knows everything (for the most part).

If I were to pick a character to compare with Samsa (on the theme of alienation), Dostoevsky's Underground Man is the first that springs to mind, although I haven't thought that through thoroughly, I confess.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Good luck, I'd be interested to hear where you end up with it.

[MightyMouse]

Well, I'm pleased with the replies so far, and thank you Mr Spoon for the great advice. As far as the Metamorphosis goes, I have already produced an essay earlier this summer on "How far [it] can be interpreted as an existential work." Thankfully the results were good and I believe I produced something accurate on that part. To give a good idea of how I thought Metamorphosis was an existential work, I can throw out my own definition of exisistentialism:

"Existentialism may be defined as the philosophical theory or ideology that emphasizes the freedom of ones own action as the prime determiner of their development and direction in existence.Taking an existentialist view on life, it would appear that this view evaluates the life of the individual by the choices and actions they have made towards the advancement of themselves."

Now apply that to the life that you know Greger has lead in the novella and you'll hopefully see what I mean (or what Kafka meant, actually). Greger's devotion to work and provision has done nothing for himself, eventually bringing him to his demise, and that is what I believe Kafka wished his readers to see.

Now thats out of the way, back onto the rails! I think that it is definetely difficult to really make parallels with the kind of alienation that Greger and Grenouille have. I am thinking though that they have similarities in that both really suffer from alienation, particularly loneliness. Greger's choices in life have created self-inflicted alienation; he has made himself so invisible to his family, providing them with everything whilst never getting anything back in turn and assuming his routine everyday regardless. He is a cog in a machine and any kind of spiritual development of his is hindered by a parasitic family. When we see Greger as an insect, his family is repulsed by him and wishes to minimize his existence. The only meaningful relationship Greger has is with his sister, and that dissaparates quickly enough after her tolerance of his insectness reaches its tipping point. He is left alone, any significance stripped from him, without love and any hope ever being loved.
With Grenouille, I see him more as a boy stimulated by nature and repulsed by humans. I see him as hating humanity but truly thirsty for a genuine love, attention or recognition. He knows he has no smell, therefore no identity, and I think he wishes to gain some kind of "being" like all other humans. He is an outcast because he has no smell, no identity, and to gain any kind of spiritual pleasure he lives within himself. I see this is where the "cave" episode may be important, as even though he seems content living within himself, in his "purple castle", it is still a sad case that he shuts himself from from the world, making himself completely alone. The book even states that he would have died there in the cave, slowly perishing away in the apparent loneliness.

I guess if any of that has made sense, what I basically think is that Greger and Grenouille both suffer from loneliness. Maybe even loneliness from people more specifically. Unfortunately I still think my thesis is disjointed for my paper, somehow this doesnt seem stable enough a topic to analyze. Thoughts?

[ellen c]

I have not read Perfume, but I think you have done a great job on the Kafka and your topics of alienation and existentalism -keep it up.

[MightyMouse]

Hey everyone,
It's encouraged that anyone who has ever read Suskind's fascinating "Perfume" step up to the plate and give a comment or two. For a while I've been debating whether there is anything revolving around alientation, or more specifically loneliness, to the novel's main character Grenouille. Born into a seemingly wretched world and submerged into hate and rejection, Grenouille survives like a parasite in France, on his quest for superiority and power by perfume. Although outwardly hating society and seemingly self-indulged in his own ego, I believe he strongly thirsts for social acknowledgement, recognition and in a way love.
Constantly isolated and isolating himself, I believe there is a great element of loneliness and alienation in Perfume. Would you say the same? Post your thoughts!

[Annamariah]

Yes, he IS lonely. He is unable to make friends, because he knows he's different to everybody else and uncapable of feeling love. Somehow I think he really wants to be loved, but doesn't know how that would be possible. In the end he realises that even when he makes the super perfume with wich he could rule the world if he wanted to, people wouldn't love HIM but the perfume. So, he understands that no one will ever love him for him and he can't love anyone, he decides that life has no more meaning for him.

[PeterL]

The book is clearly about the importance of scent in human interaction. Without scent it becomes doubtful that Grenouille is human to people arounf him. Communication through scent is one of the seven modes of communications that people use, and it is mostly unconscious in both sending and receiving signals.

[MightyMouse]

As I'm currently studying these two pieces of literature thoroughly, for a second time around, in preparation for an essay I'd like to see if anyone can point out any similarities in the novels that they know. Any thoughts?

[Logos]

Mod note: 3 topics merged to one. It will be easier for people to assist :)

[reader5555]

What i found most interesting about Perfume was that Grenouille alienated [I]himself[I] for a different reason than everyone else alienated him. Being born in the state that he was, he immediately did not fit into society... but for a long time Grenouille had no idea that this was why he was being shunned. It wasn't until after his 7 year stint in the cave that he realized he had no scent and this is when i think he finally realized that he was different than people, which is why he hated them so much.

However, it got stranger when he made his "human" perfume and was suddenly able to fit in with anyone else...he was elated! whether the pride came from being able to be loved or being superior to everyone else is questionable... but this is the part of the book where he took his difference and used it to produce a sense of grandeur.

I am in the process of reading The Metamorphasis so i will add more once i can compare the two.

[JBI]

From what I understand of Perfume, the alienation is to an extent self-inflicted, if I am not wrong, and he is a deliberate outcast, whereas Gregor is forced into his state, and would like nothing more than to leave it. In a sense, I think that is perhaps a crucial issue, in the sense that the hero of perfume can choose things, whereas Gregor is essentially a pawn to fate.

[prendrelemick]

I have recently read Perfume and agree with the above posters that the significant moments are the cave episode, where he realises he has no scent, and realises that is why he has been unable to fit in, and the euphoria when he manufactures his own scent.

But perhaps the most telling moment is when he desires punishment from his last victim's father but does not receive it. Is this the moment when he finally succumbs to his need to enter society (By being justly punished for his crimes.)

[reader5555]

The more I have been looking into the two books, I have realized that there are more similarities between the two characters than meets the eye.

First, I think that Grenouille IS forced into his alienation. He does not choose to be born with no scent, and it is that reason as to why he is excluded from most of society, passed from guardian to guardian, and never given credit where credit is due. The same is true for Gregor, he did not choose his state, he was forced into it by the greediness of his family. However, the difference between the two is that Grenouille enjoys his alienation, and he furthers it (the cave episode...) on purpose...because he hates people. Gregor, on the other hand, desires nothing more than to be included in his family once he has transformed.

Secondly, there is a similarity between the parasitic elements of the two books. Gregor's family mooches off of him and his success while they sit around and do nothing. The same is true for Grenouille, from Baldini to the Marqui to Drout, the people he came in contact to consistently use him for his genius nose and no doubt do not give him credit. Though Gregor soon becomes the parasite, they are both in the same situation at first. Again, the only differences it that Grenouille seems indifferent to this, while it is the direct cause of Gregor's transformation.

I am currently writing on a paper on this, so if anyone thinks I am wrong in any of my ideas, please feel free to let me know so I can produce the best work possible.