Motives for killing for Grenouille & Frankenstein's monster

The main motive of killing for Grenouille is acceptance since he felt he had no scent of his own. This feeling made him realize that he is very different from the rest of humanity. As a result, Grenouille kills young girls so that he can have a scent and be loved by others. He loves and values scent over everything else in life, but he is unable to produce one (Suskind, and Norma). On the other hand, the motive of killing in the Monster is as a result of self-denial. Frankenstine is responsible for both the death of Elizabeth and Henry because of vengeance and living in self-denial (Cather).

The use of archetypes, genre, and topics of quest helps the reader to comprehend the main idea intended by the author. These pieces of literature contain natural trends in the human consciousness to signify certain motifs or themes. Archetypes are bundles of psychic energy which affects the way people comprehend and react to life. For instance, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel comprises the archetype of a terrible and a great parent. The great parent is loving, compassionate, and caring, while the terrible parent is loveless, uncaring, and unaffectionate (Cather).

Reading the two novels comes with various moral reasons. In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, the most prevalent moral lesson is the theme of the pursuit of knowledge. The Monster, Walton, and Frankenstein all show a huge interest in acquiring knowledge, but it turns obsessive and proves dangerous. Besides, the moral purpose of reading “Perfume” by Suskind’s is that self-acceptance is important in human morality. This is because Grenouille suffers after failing to accept himself and starts killing young innocent girls (Suskind, and Norma). Finally, the films differ in their visual interpretations of the two books as they provide unexpected pictures to the mind of the reader.

Works Cited

Cather, Willa. "Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein."(1998).

Suskind, Patrick, and Norma West. Perfume: The story of a murderer. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986.