Scents — Grace Jelsnik

The social instinct, that which makes us, in Aristotle's words, a social animal, wreaks havoc on the individual, especially for those who choose neither to follow nor to lead. “Scents” is an allegory of a woman fleeing an unsatisfactory relationship in pursuit of an elusive dream, a dream to which she can't put face or name, a dream she knows only that she will recognize it when she sees it. Throughout the course of the narrative, she learns it's not enough to desire; she must conform to societal norms to achieve that desire. Socialization can be a dangerous practice for non-conformists, for those whom Freud called true hermits. Individuality must eat or be eaten in a world where acceptance of role matters more than life itself.