PERFUME: THE STORY OF THE MURDERER

Psychological Approach

Jean Baptiste Grenouille, the main character of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, is
an illustration of how social problems may damage someone's psychologically to the point
that it becomes a risk that cannot be ignored. Grenouille is a figure who is said to have a
mental illness and has killed 25 women in order to satisfy his passion. Grenouille's social
troubles, which he has had since boyhood, are thought to be the origin of his psychological
condition. Problems should not be shown to children during their development since they will
impact their physical and mental progress. Childhood is widely regarded as the most
formative phase in a person's life.

The first social issue to be discovered is the environmental situation in which

Grenouille was born and lives part of his life in Paris. Grenouille was born in a market in
Paris's Rue aux Fers, among rotting fish guts, under his mother's fish stand. It's a location
where everything is rotten and stinky, and it's definitely not a good place to give birth to a
baby. The author's description of the atmosphere makes it evident that the location is not a
good spot for a baby to be born. In truth, the environment has a significant impact on a child's
physical and mental development. A newborn baby should be raised in a healthy atmosphere
that will aid in its development and growth. A mother's mental state, thoughts, mind, and
actions might have an impact on the baby in her womb. That is why mothers are advised to
be mindful of not just their actions but also their thoughts. The author also depicts
Grenouille's mother's physical state well. Grenouille's mother expressed herself as a young
woman who is pregnant and in poor health. Of fact, the health of a pregnant mother might
have an impact on her baby's health.

The author's account of Grenouille's mother's predicament and state is not overt, yet it
is enough to help the audience understand why she did what she did. As previously said, the
environment is inextricably linked to poverty. Poverty is the next societal difficulty that
Grenouille encounters in his life, and it has the potential to bring him psychological
problems. Poverty was a determining factor both before and after Grenouille's birth. Poverty
has no direct effect on Grenouille's mental health because he is still a newborn. Poverty, on
the other hand, is harming his mother's ability to make judgments about the baby's care.
 The second social challenge that Grenouille faces is biological anomaly, which has
the most important impact on Grenouille's life and psychiatric disorder. It's unclear how this
biological aberration originates and arises; it's never been seen before, and it's neither normal
nor reasonable. Jean Baptiste Grenouille is a man who was born without body odor and has a
sense of smell that is superior to that of humans in general. Grenouille is reported to have no
body odor because he really has no smell on his body. Grenouille's biological issue resulted
in numerous social problems as well as a psychological disorder.

Grenouille considers his nose to be the best in Paris, claiming that he can smell
anything, including glass, irons, and walls. Grenouille's unusually acute sense of smell is
characterized as making him appear strange. For some, his anomaly is not only strange, but
also terrifying, because it is never seen or experienced by those around him, making it appear
bizarre and out of the ordinary. Grenouille never forms social bonds with anyone; instead, he
simply answers the questions that are posed to him. Grenouille has an outlandish personality
and prefers not to blend in with the crowd. He spends the most of his time working and lost in
his own world of smell.

Grenouille claims that he has never felt guilt for his victims in any of his murderous
acts. Instead, he believes he is moving closer to his ultimate goal, which makes him pleased
and proud of himself. Apparently, the outcome he anticipated does not occur. He achieved his
ultimate aim, but it did not let him feel love or allow him to be loved. He is still not a flawless
man, and even the most potent perfume he produced can't hide the truth that perfume is
nothing more than a ruse to deceive the public. His final odd behavior is something that
humans with normal psychology could never accomplish, and it finally reveals how
vulnerable he is.

Essentially, all of the elements in human beings must be in a normal state and
excellent for a balance so that each individual may correctly perform their duties in society.
When these variables are out of balance, a person is more likely to make mistakes in his daily
life.