Perfume: Part 1, Chapter 17 Summary & Analysis

With Grenouille working for Baldini, Baldini's perfumery begins its climb to European fame. The first evening Grenouille is tasked with creating a huge batch of his first perfume, of which 80 flacons are sold the next day. Chénier sells bottles to some of the most powerful individuals in Paris.

While Chénier mans the shop, Baldini and Grenouille remain in the laboratory to manufacture a new scent per week, or whatever's needed to take on Pélissier and the other perfumers. Chénier doesn't bother asking questions and stays on, taking a cut of the massive profits. Every product Baldini creates is a success, and money is no object for the customers.

Grenouille, the "gnome," as Chénier thinks of him, is responsible for this rise of fame. Baldini can barely keep up with Grenouille's creativity. Finally, he demands that Grenouille start using scales and measuring ingredients for his concoctions, which allows Baldini to follow along and write down the recipes. Baldini eventually forbids Grenouille from creating new perfumes unless Baldini is there to write down the formulas. He compiles the dozens of formulas into two small books, one of which he keeps in his safe and the other on his person at all times.

Grenouille is helped by Baldini's insistence on measuring, as it teaches Grenouille the language of perfume. Soon Grenouille is able to write the formulas himself, and eventually can simply write out a formula for a new scent with no experimentation at all. Grenouille's growing knowledge and seeming normalcy keeps Baldini from suspecting anything strange about him. Grenouille makes mistakes on purpose to further the façade.

Grenouille knows that while he doesn't need instruction on creating a good perfume, he does need social standing in the form of journeyman status. He also needs knowledge of the craft of producing scents.