Approach of the Study
In Madame Gaillard’s orphanage, Madame Gaillard hardly ever pays attention to any of children in her orphanage.
On the other hand … or perhaps precisely because of her total lack of emotion … Madame Gaillard had a merciless sense of order and justice.
She showed no preference for any one of the children entrusted to her nor discriminated against any one of them. She served up three meals a day
and not the tiniest snack more. She diapered the little ones three times a day, but only until their second birthday. Whoever shit in his pants after
that received an uncensorious slap and one less meal Süskind, 2006: 19.
Madame Gaillard only focuses on her core duty: feeding the children sufficiently and changing their diapers until they reach two years old. That is all.
Therefore, Madame Gaillard does not care about her children’s other needs such
the needs of cleanliness. Being nurtured in the environment where people are ignorant with one
another, leads Grenouille into a character who is ignorant to his being. Particularly, he is ignorant to his physical appearance. Murphy explains that the
author can describe a person’s quality through hisher appearance and clothes Murphy, 1972: 161. Thereafter, this characterization method is called personal
description. Süskind clearly describes Grenouille as an unpleasant figure that is not significance in the society where Grenouille lives.
Looked at objectively, however, there was nothing at all about him to instill terror. As he grew older, he was not especially big, nor strong
— ugly, true, but not so extremely ugly that people would necessarily have
taken fright at him. He was not aggressive, nor underhanded, nor furtive, he did not provoke people. He preferred to keep out their way Süskind,
2006: 23.
Physically, Grenouille’s appearance is not attractive. So, it makes sense if people around do not recognize Grenouille’s existence. Süskind tells that
Grenouille’s being is just like a tick that does not deserve any attention “even other woman would have kicked this monstrous child out” Süskind, 2006: 22.
After Madame Gaillard, Grenouille lives with Grimal. Grimal is a tanner. There, Grenouille works for him. As well as living in Madame Gaillard’s
orphanage, Grenouille receives no affection from Grimal. Grenouille only knows that he has to w
ork hard for Grimal and Grimal does not care of Grenouille’s being as his worker. One time, Grenouille suffers anthrax. Anthrax is a disastrous
disease feared by most tanners at that time 2006: 32. Grimal is afraid for Grenouille suffers that disease. Grimal is afraid to loose Grenouille, his valuable
worker. Fortunately, Grenouille is able to escape from that fatal disease. As result, what’s left on Grenouille is swollen skin and it makes Grenouille’s look horrible.
But contrary to all expectation, Grenouille survived the illness. All he bore from it were scars from the large back carbuncles behind his ears and on
his hands and cheeks, leaving him disfigured and even uglier than he had been before. It also left him immune to anthrax
—an invaluable advantage
—so that he could strip the foulest hides with cut and bleeding hands and still run no danger of infection Süskind, 2006: 32.
From the quotation, the writer pictures Grenouille’s ignorant characteristic through his reaction towards events and physical appearance.