![]() ![]() ![]() Süskind is saying quite bluntly that the only thing that would diminish this girl’s value for Grenouille is for her virginity to be compromised. Laure’s father knows that to protect her life he must wed her and deflower her as soon as possible. He describes Laure as having a scent that is “terrifyingly celestial,” (177) which demonstrates how highly he values her, but also has heavenly connotations. ![]() We see this most importantly with Grenouille’s selection of young, strictly virginal girls to make his perfume. In the patriarchal society within the novel, women have almost no power and are passed like property from father to husband, but without their virginity they are deemed worthless and impure. This stems from the significance behind the Virgin Mary herself, as well as the belief that sexual intercourse before marriage is a mortal sin. One way he does this is by highlighting the importance placed on virginity by Catholic society. Patrick Süskind frequently uses religious references in order to disparage society and the value it places on outmoded conventions. ![]()
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