. . . he felt as if he finally knew who he really was: nothing less than a genius. And the meaning and goal and purpose of his life had a higher destiny: nothing less that to revolutionize the odoriferous world. And that he alone in all the world possessed the means to carry it off.
The detachment from his actions of murdering a girl before he proclaims to understand his final purpose exemplifies Grenouille's delusion or gap from reality. Grenouille has given himself the authority or right to 'revolutionize' an odoriferous world by rights of his exemplary ability to smell. Grenouille is described as believing himself to be above the reality of his actions—actions that would be viewed by society as morally wrong. The quote below is an extension of his actions and his lack of awareness of consequences.
A murder had been the start of this splendor- if he was at all aware of the fact, it was a matter of total indifference to him. Already he could no longer recall how the girl from rue des Marais had looked.
There was just such a fanatical child trapped inside this young man, standing at the table with eyes aglow, having forgotten everything around him, apparently no longer aware that there was anything else in the laboratory but himself and these bottles.
Above is a description of Bandini's thoughts on Grenouille. It highlights how even outsiders can see him slipping from reality. This exemplifies how the young man is so entranced by another world set apart from the real world he is in while working on his perfumes. Grenouille's detachment from reality can be observed by those around him.
- "Grenouille stood there cowering and gazing at Baldini with a look of apparent timidity, but which in reality came from a cunning intensity. 'I want to work for you, Maitre Baldini. Work for you, here in your business.' It was not spoken as a request, but as a demand. . ." Part One, Chap. 14, p. 70
Here's a perfect example of role inversion between two main characters: just one instance throughout the book where actual authority is in other than the hand appearing to wield it.
Baldini is the master perfumer; Grenouille, the supplicant. A strictly superficial reading of the scene in which this quote takes place would lead the reader to believe its power dynamics favor Baldini.
After all, here's a boy in a fairly unsexy line of work, who's not only small and ugly but apparently insane. Someone with no reputation and a poor attitude, to boot. He has no influence in society; Baldini could refuse him, without repercussions, and would be entirely within his rights to do so.
Except, from a few initial protests, Baldini does not refuse him. He instead gets into an blazing argument with the little man, this tanner's apprentice, because all his authority and stature means nothing in the face of Grenouille's outrageous self-confidence. Grenouille won't go: he knows he has skills of incalculable value, which any self-respecting perfumer would sell their soul to possess.
Baldini, on the other hand, is a has-been, rapidly accelerating into obscurity - unable to keep up with his new competitors. He can't afford not to hire Grenouille, and they both know it. Someone who could not only identify the individual components and proportions of any given perfume, but exponentially improve its' formula, would be an invaluable boon to the old man's business. On the other hand, if he went to go work elsewhere - for another perfumer - Baldini would never recover.
See? Baldini might have the ostensible authority, but Grenouille is the one with all the power.
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