The+Differing+Definitions+of+“Enlightenment”

“Enlightenment” refers to the Age of Reason in which logic and reason was the principal authority in //Perfume: The Story of a Murderer// by Patrick Suskind, whereas in //Siddharta//, by Herman Hesse, “enlightenment” is the state of being free from suffering in which introspection and feeling are emphasized as the primary modes of thought. In //Perfume: The Story of a Murderer//, Grenouille is amoral with the inability to feel emotions and thus has an extremely cold and logical mindset as he journeys through life. This is a reflection of the time period’s stress on rationality and a critique on human kind’s over-emphasis on logic. When Grenouille murders young girls for their scents his thought process includes no emotion or perhaps feelings of wrongness as is the normal reaction for emotionally-adjusted people. Grenouille felt no qualms about before or remorse after killing Laurie Richis, only thinking of the methodical approach by which he would succeed with this murder and the glorious scent that he would obtain as a result. It is this imbalance of emotion and reason that leads to Grenouille’s ultimate downfall and death. Contrastingly, Siddharta in //Siddharta// reflects on his feelings and emotions while using logic to make decisions in the attempt to reach “enlightenment.” After every major episode in his life, Siddharta takes time to reflect on how he himself feels about the situation and “uses his heart,” so to speak, to guide him on towards his next step in life. When Siddharta comes to the realization that he can no longer learn from the Samanas, he pronounces “in a voice which contained…grief,” that he has ruminated over his situation and is yet thirsty for knowledge. In this way, Siddharta employs both reason and emotion to make decisions, which eventually leads him to his goal of attaining enlightenment. This contrast of the term “enlightenment” between the two novels as well as the two protagonists resulting fates further draws attention to the necessity for a balance between reason and emotion. 