Perfume
by SusanI can’t be bothered to wear any perfume myself, but I enjoy the scents worn (in moderation) on other people. Florals, spices, fruits, and musks are all aromatically delicious to me. I’m not picky, although I confess to having gotten rather tired of the ubiquitous lavender water worn by Brazilian girls in the 1970s.
In his brilliant 1985 novel, Perfume, Patrick Süskind evokes the smelly atmosphere of 18th century France. Out of this unlikely setting is born a savant, one with such a keen sense of smell that he focuses obsessively on making a particular perfume. However, because Grenouille is so morally twisted and socially eccentric, he and his gift are unappreciated, until one day.
Director/screenwriter Tom Tykwer says, “It’s the story of someone who longs for recognition, puts on a fake aesthetic surface, and makes people, for a moment, completely fall for him, only to realize that that’s not what he wanted, and that’s not what he was looking for” (featurette “The Story of Perfume” on Perfume DVD, 2006, rated R).
So what about us? Do we long for recognition, to be truly known and understood? Or do we prefer to protect what lies within by shaping our looks, words, and actions in order to appease, seduce, or fend off others?
While it seems easier to wear a mask, it can get awfully heavy. And when I look at Jesus and people like him who can’t be bothered to wear one, they seem lighter on their feet to me. Their direct speech, disregard for social convention, willingness to question, and responsiveness allows them to be nimble in their dealings with others, to focus on what matters the most: relationship, truth, justice, forgiveness, responsibility.
What “fake aesthetic surfaces” do you see getting in the way?
What solutions have you found for becoming more genuine, honest, transparent?
January 28th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
How about the guises of fame, fashion, intellect, and such?
Are they masks, too?
I have found that my problem, one of many that I have, is being too transparent, too straightforward.
How much room is there in the Christian experience for tact?
Can you help me out here?
January 28th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Genuine, honest, transparent. Are those really synonyms?
I know people who are the first two but not the third, and some who seem to be the third but not the first or who seem to be the first but not the second.
Hypocrisy, of course, is the great accusation of Christians by those who are not Christians. The word mean literally “to wear the mask.” Is that an accurate assessment?
As for Bill’s “too transparent, too straightforward,” I think those are different things. One can clearly be either of these without being the other. There is definitely room for tact, and Jesus used it. Not in a political sense, of course, and never to hide — just to be kind.