Student Question
What motivates Grenouille to commit his first murder in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer?
Quick answer:
Grenouille is motivated to commit his first murder by his obsession with capturing the unique scent of a redheaded girl, which he perceives as a symbol of vitality and the essence he lacks. After killing her, he attempts to preserve her scent but discovers it dissipates with death. This realization drives him to pursue and kill other women in his quest to recreate that life-giving aroma.
Jean Baptiste wanted to recreate that specific aroma that he detected on the redheaded girl. He chased her down and, after killing her, he tried to preserve her unique scent. However, he noticed that shortly after the body dies, the essence (which is a symbol for the elixir of life he so lacked), ceases to exist.
This led him to realize that, forever, he will be in search of that scent that brings him to life, and that the only way to obtain it is through actively pursuing the woman who has it, even if it means through killing them all.
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