The Psychic Drives of the Concept of Obsession in Patrick Suskind’s Perfume: The Story of Murderer

Abstract

This research examines Perfume: The Story of Murderer (1985) by Patrick Suskind in the light of psychoanalysis. The events revolve around Jean Baptiste the main character in the novel and it’s based in France, Paris during the eighteenth century, when the streets of Paris were full of stench, and showing the ambition of Jean Baptiste Grenouille by creating the best scent in the world, whose ambition later turns into a murderous obsession. The analysis in this research includes an analysis of the thoughts and actions of Grenouille who has a very great obsession with smells, so he acts as a killer to get what he wants, this psychological problem is called a psychopath. The aim of this research is to analyse the novel based on its structural elements and the ambition of Grenouille that deals with id, ego and superego using a psychoanalytic approach. Therefore, I relied on sigmund Freud’s psychological theory and what he says about human personality. In psychoanalysis, theories are used to provide a model for understanding human thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. As such, I will base my research on this research the unconscious mind of a psychopath in Patrick Suskind’s perfume: the story of murderer by (Nessie Agustin).