Imagery, such as ‘Grenouille worked like a horse’ and ‘Grenouille had arms of lead’ highlight his intensive labour, the physical trials he is willing to undergo to achieve his goal of perfecting the capture of living scent. ‘As acquiescent as a slave’ implies not only that he is being worked to his fullest extent, but also how he is a slave to his cause, with the girl in the garden being his driving, and entirely controlling motivation. (Page 184)

Grenouille manipulates the situation in the workshop to gain power by perfectly crafting a façade of meagreness, that Druot,  with his inflated sense of self-importance due to his physicality, believes he can capitalise on, while instead playing straight into Grenouille hands. – ‘He was a master in the art of spreading boredom and playing the clumsy fool’. (Page 188)

His transition to living scents is portrayed as utterly disturbing and evil through the description of his murder of the puppy and the young girl. The puppy in particular is, in the eyes of humanity, one of the purest beings alive, a token of innocence, connoting love and joy. In killing it, Grenouille murders innocence and purity, showing no regard for love and joy. The girl mirrors the puppy in many ways, another token of innocence and purity, and another victim that Grenouille kills with a blow to the back of the head. It feels like Süskind has hand-picked the most despicable victims for Grenouille’s first attempts at capturing living scent, revealing his capacity for cruelty.

Now ‘the master of techniques needed to rob a human of his or her scent’ Grenouille moves onto his true ambition, capturing the scent of ‘those rare humans who inspire love’. This ties in with his desire to possess and control, perhaps as revenge for the way he has been treated by society, or perhaps because he just despises humanity. (Page 195)