Knowing on this fact, Grenouille feels different from the other people mainly when he also discovers that he has no body odor. As result, Grenouille likes to
isolate himself from the society. Here, the writer has the same object of the study with Napitupulu and
Anne which is a novel by Patrick Süskind entitled
Perfume: Story of a Murderer
. In this research, the writer aims to reveal Grenouille’s alienation symptoms as
seen through his characteristics in
Perfume: Story of a Murderer
. Since one’s
alienation symptoms are examined through one’s life in social context, the writer focuses on Grenouille’s interactions with other characters. So, Grenouille’s
alienation symptoms can be discovered. Different with the wri
ter’s focus, Napitupulu and Anne put focus on Grenouille’s past experience in examining his anti-social personality disorder and
anxiety disorder. Yet, the findings of Grenouille’s characteristics from Napitupulu
and Anne also useful as the supporting sources for the writer to reveal Grenouille’s alienation symptoms in
Perfume: Story of a Murderer
. This study contributes further on the novel’s interpretation in the
perspective of alienation symptoms in psychology. For the future studies, this study contributes prominent information and deeper analysis
on main character’s state of being alienated in the novel
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
.
B. Review of Related Theories
In this part, the writer discusses the theory used in the study to be able to analyze the object of the study objectively. In this study, the writer uses theory of
character and characterization, theory of the relationship between literature and psychology, and theory of alienation in social psychology.
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
In a novel, a character becomes a very essential intrinsic element since it is the center of the story. A character in a story becomes the device to deliver the
value that is implied by the author. According to Abrams 2012: 46, “the characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work,
who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say-
the dialogue-and by what they do-the action
”. A character may expose the nature of the person itself to be hisher distinct
feature. Therefore, a character is an individual in a narrative work that has characteristics which contribute to the development of the story. So, a character
becomes an important intrinsic element in a story. By then, the characteristics of a character can be seen from what they say and do.
In addition, whenever the writer conducts a literature criticism particularly while analyzing the character, the writer has to acknowledge the characterizing
method or known as characterization. The way to analyze a character can be both by showing and telling. In
A Glossary of Literary Terms: Tenth Edition
, Abrams and Harpham explain:
A broad distinction is frequently made between alternative methods for characterizing that is, establishing the distinctive characters of the
persons in a narrative: showing and telling. In showing also called „the dramatic method”, the author simply presents the characters talking and
acting, and leaves it entirely up to the reader to infer the motives and dispositions that lie behind what they say and do. The author may show
not only external speech and action, but also a character’s inner thoughts,
