Jaime Bhattacharyya

IB English
Paper 2

Question: A common saying is “power corrupts”. With reference to the literary texts you have
studied, to what extent is this saying correct?
Texts: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Perfume by Patrick Süskind

Power can be a privilege and a danger, requiring significant ethical consideration and

selflessness. Still, it has been shown throughout history to corrupt individuals, giving them

qualities of greed and selfishness. Although the saying "power corrupts" is applicable in both

novels, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Perfume by Patrick Suskind, they differ

when portraying the correlation between power and corruption. In The Handmaid's Tale,

characters corrupt power through their corrupt morals, whereas in Perfume, power corrupts

characters as it gives them qualities of greed and selfishness.

In The Handmaid's Tale, Gilead corrupts power through the authoritarian and

misogynistic government that leads to societal deterioration. The patriarchal society, Gilead, uses

violence and fear to create order and minimize rebellions as the government strikes fear into its

citizens, "They used steel cables, frayed at the ends. They did not care what they did to your feet

or your hands, even if it was permanent. after they would send u to the colonies" (Atwood, 91).

The fear of pain and the colonies makes Gilead a functioning society because, although it is

fundamentally corrupt, the government has significant influence and power over its citizens.

Although many Handmaids and women in Gilead are miserable and disagree with the

misogynistic rule and inhumane treatment of women and their bodies, the fear of death and not
having morals is more profound. Ultimately this shows how the governmental system of Gilead

utilizes the power of violence and fear to force its corrupt and unethical beliefs on its citizens.

When looking at the correlation between power and corruption in both Perfume and The

Handmaid's Tale, both use different forms of power to create corruption. In Perfume, Atwood

utilizes Grenouille's corrupt morals to express how power can corrupt an individual. Grenouille

was launched into the world as an outcast, without maternal love and recognition by others, as

his power of supernatural scent left him odorless, "he doesn't smell at all," and "he's possessed by

the devil" (Süskind, 10). The lack of affection and scent that Grenuilee has ultimately acted as a

catalyst for his corrupt morals and ethics as "He wanted to truly poses the scent of this girl

behind the wall; to peel it from her like skin and to make her scent his own" (Süskind172).

Despite the fact that this power led to corruption in Grenouille's life and his morals, in The

Handmaid's Tale, corruption was established by the overthrow of the government and the new

Gilead regime. When contrasting the elements of power and corruption in both novels, it is

shown that although power can come in many forms, it is inevitable for corruption and societal

deterioration to occur when selfish gain is involved.

The harsh mistreatment of women and their bodies in The Handmaid's Tale is another

example of the characters' corruption of power. In Gilead, women are mistreated and only valued

for their fertility, thus creating significant moral and ethical corruption. Through diction, Atwood

exemplifies this corruption, stating, "Everything except the wings around my face is red: the

color of blood, which defines us." (Atwood 8) This diction connotes that the handmaids are

cloaked in red to highlight their fertility, symbolized through menstrual blood or blood resulting

from birth. However, Atwood utilizes the motif of the color red as the threat of death to display

that people corrupt power. Through the authoritarian government of Gilead, women are stripped
of their rights and viewed secularly for their fertility, exhibiting that power can lead to societal

deterioration.

Conversely, in Perfume, Grenouille utilizes his power of scent to track and strip women

of their scent in order to create the perfect fragrance. Grenouille's desire to kill young women for

their scent is influenced by his supernatural power of smell, "He possessed the power. He held it

in his hand. A power stronger than the power of money or the power of terror or the power of

death" (Süskind, 8). Although women in both Perfume and the Handmaid's Tale are victims of

the corruption of power and have a feminine value, Grenuille's mistreatment of women is due to

his uncontrollable lust and desire to abstain from their scent. Contrastingly, in The Handmaid's

Tale, women are mistreated through societal and religious beliefs showing how people can

initiate corruption. Through the various ways in which women are mistreated in Perfume and

The Handmaid's Tale, power is demonstrated to produce corruption and target individuals and

entities for personal advantage.

In Atwood's novel, the Commander, who is unethical and misogynistic, corrupts power as

he takes advantage of his power for self-gain. Atwood uses straightforward characterization to

show how the Commander takes continuous advantage of his power, making him increasingly

corrupted. In the beginning, he arranges private meetings between himself and Offred in his

home, gives her access to banned publications, and ironically visits Jezebel's brothel. Offred

alludes to the Commander's posture at Jezebel's by saying that his "spine was straight

impeccably, his chest expanding" (Atwood 236) and that "he is demonstrating his mastery of the

world, thumbing his nose at them" (Atwood 236). The arrogance and superiority felt by

individuals abandoning their beliefs are implied by Atwood's choice of language. Furthermore,

Atwood ironically expresses how those in positions of power contradict their own beliefs, as
characters like the Commander use their position of power for personal gain, ultimately

corrupting society.

In Süskind's novel, Grenouille, who is morally and ethically corrupt, expresses the

relation between power and corruption as his actions are filled with greed and selfishness.

Although Grenouille utilizes his power for selfish gain, similarly to the Commander in The

Handmaid's Tale, Grenouille was influenced by his power instead of being morally corrupt

before. Contrastingly to the Commander, Grenuille's motives were due to his passionate desire to

obtain his perfect scent, "It was clear to him now why he had clung to life so tenaciously, so

savagely. He must become a creator of scent. And not just an average one. But, rather, the

greatest perfumer of all time" (45). Grenouille's "savage" behavior and corruption were caused

by his pursuit of fragrance, which made him oblivious to empathy and gave him a desire for

avarice and self-interest. Through the similarities and differences between Perfume and The

Handmaid's Tale, characters portray how power corrupts individuals just as much as characters

corrupt power.

In conclusion, both texts, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Perfume by

Patrick Suskind, reveal how power creates corruption in individuals that can lead to societal

deterioration. However, the Handmaid's Tale expresses how people can corrupt power just as

much as power corrupts people, emphasizing how power and corruption are significantly

correlated. Through both the Commander and Grenuilee, power has been shown to instill greed

and selfishness within characters, as with more power comes more corruption.