From A Broken Bottle Traces Of Perfume Still Emanate

We have begun reading From A Broken Bottle Traces Of Perfume Still Emanate in my English class. This book is a compilation of letters from a man N to a mysterious “Angel of Dust”. This book seems to be about a musician very passionate about his band and the art they create. N was “struck by and basically agreed with his idea that music is the art of outrageous talk” (Mackey 80). I found this quote to be very ironic because I feel this whole book is about “outrageous talk”. The author seems to be infatuated with the music he creates and writes letter after letter to “Angel of Dust” describing the ins and outs to every lyric and their meanings. Although we do not get to read her responses, she seems to give honest feedback and listens to the tapes he sends her.

After a lesson we had in class I began thinking about the title of the novel and what it might be foreshadowing throughout the novel. After much thought, I have come to the conclusion that this novel is about someone the author has lost yet still has so many reminders about. When a bottle of perfume breaks you can still smell the scent of the perfume that once was encased on the broken pieces. I think this is symbolism for the memories that N still has for the “Angel of Dust”. I believe N writes these letters to the “Angel” as a way to keep her memory alive and help ease the pain of her loss. I have come to this conclusion due to a lot of textual evidence.

N has mentioned “phantom limbs” many times throughout the text. He describes how you can still feel the sensation of the limb yet it is missing. I believe this to be evidence showing how even when you lose something, at times you still feel like it is there. He also describes dreams in which he thinks he is there yet no one else recognizes him. This reminds me of all the dreams that I have personally had where I feel lost. This novel talks so much about loss, that I am very interested in seeing if my prediction is true. I would also like to see why art and music are such big influences in N’s life and who the angel of dust really is.