The Smell of Misery: How Odors Distinguish Social Classes in Émile Zola's L'Assommoir and Gabrielle Roy's Bonheur d'occasion

Using the senses to understand our world can have a powerful effect on our ability to understand differences and, most importantly, our ability to understand the construction of differences. This research looks at how smells in two francophone novels – Bonheur d’Occasion by Gabrielle Roy and L’Assommoir by Émile Zola – serve as indicators of social classes. Comparing these two novels, one from Québec and one from France, the various types of odors present distinguish social classes and limits one’s social trajectory. This distinction works in junction with Pierre Bourdieu’s notions of economic and cultural capital. Smells act as the distinguishing factor in the encounter between social classes and smells prevent social mobility. Using the senses allows us to question the creation of identity and how such distinctions in identity affect class relations. From a clear prejudice against Jews in Montreal based on their “smell” to a picture of misery in low-income housing of nineteenth century France, smells create distinctions and are never arbitrary. This research divides the types of distinguishing smells into the following categories: the smell of housing, the smell of individuals, the smell of industry and labor, and the smell of perfume and flowers. Using the field of smell studies and Bourdieu’s understanding of distinction, this research proves that odors serve as social class indicators that prevent social mobility and that smells are nuanced perceptions that carry meaning. Turning to smells in literature can help reveal such markers of identity and help illuminate boundaries to social class ascension.

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