John Gardner takes the English epic Beowulf and successfully changes the entire structure and style with his novel Grendel. In Gardner’s rendition, Grendel deviates from a pure monster with only a simple mind of evil, moving towards a being who is conscious of himself, his actions, and its consequential effects on the environment around him. Gardner consistently alludes to Nietzschean schools of thought, referencing concepts such as the role of God, His death, and existentialism itself. Grendel’s largely varying lines of thought not only incite his bizarre behavior, but also breeds catastrophe as a result. The role of the Shaper is to, simply put, change the truth in the eyes of man. In other words, the Shaper plays the role of God in the microcosm of the world that is Grendel. As the Dragon so openly notes, the Shaper “provides an illusion of reality… He knows no more than [man does] about total reality - less, if anything” (Gardner 65). The Shaper’s role mirrors Nietzsche’s belief on God’s role in our world. That is, to create bliss through falsities. The Shaper, through his role as a scop, retells stories of untruth and lies, modifying what actually happened to …show more content…
Grendel sums up the entirety of the Shaper’s profound effect on him when he says: “Nihil ex nihilo, I always say” (Gardner 150). This translates to “nothing comes from nothing”, which clearly defines how Grendel feels at this point in the book. Without the Shaper, Grendel feels as the world did when God died: without his Creator. All of the conclusions Grendel draws, along with the despair he feels, parallels the writings of Nietzsche when he was faced with the death of god (Stromme). Grendel’s consequential state of mind is characterized by emptiness and loss. Not only does the meaning in his world die alongside the Shaper, Grendel begins to realize that this world now means
Grendel varies from the simple, childish tone of "'Why can't I have someone to talk to? The Shaper has people to talk to'" (53) to the dense philosophical metaphors and complex diction of Grendel's conversation with the dragon. Gardener gives Grendel a purposefully guileless voice to illustrate both the monster's feelings of lost youth as well as his progression into a more sentient being.
John Gardner’s Grendel brings a new perspective to the the way the story of Beowulf is told and interpreted. (Grendel’s ability to be influenced by the multiple sources around him changes his outlook on life. It also changes the reader’s ideas of who Grendel is as a character as he develops and changes in the book.) Grendel’s ability to be influenced with ease by multiple characters throughout the book shows his true adolescence and nature to follow others. These multiple characters such as the Dragon, the Shaper, and Wealtheow all are able to use their propaganda to instill into Grendel a new value or trait. Grendel’s adolescence therefore results in multiple sources of propaganda being so influential on him as a character. (is the reason why propaganda from many different sources influences him so heavily.)
Towards the end of the novel, Grendel finally becomes ‘himself’. Grendel is unable to decide what to make of himself and of the world surrounding him. He has only ever known the world as wild and mechanical, yet he is charmed by the artistic brilliance of the Shaper’s words. Grendel ultimately meets a brutal yet peaceful demise. Standing on the face of the same cliff he found himself in at the beginning of the novel, surrounded by mindless eyes, he states, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident.
Throughout John Gardner’s Grendel, the audience bears witness to a creature who has been ostracized by the world around him. Throughout his journey, the stories protagonist tries to live out his own life the way he wants to, despite being labeled as evil by those around him. Due to this constant criticism by his peers, he develops an inferiority complex that he desperately tries to make up for as the story progresses. Throughout his development, Grendel very rapidly moves past his existentialist beginning, through a brief phase of forced skepticism, and into a severely nihilistic point of view.
One thing that influences perception of reality that is initially explored in Grendel are words. This is demonstrated when Grendel secretly listens to the poem sung by the shaper, who is a blind court bard who sings poems with the harp, and sees how the people are
Grendel, as a character, has a much more complex identity than just a monster and a human. Some, such as Ruud, classify him as a mixture of three different characteristics, but alone, they tend to conflict with each other. By making the connection that Grendel represents immorality, the previous idea makes more sense, while simultaneously incorporating more aspects of the character into the analysis. In either case, Grendel represents much more than meets the eye, and provides a fascinating insight into
Throughout the novel, this monster, Grendel, seems confused as to whether he wants to view life like his existentialistic dragon mentor, or like the ignorantly optimistic humans on which he feeds. At times he is captivated by the romantic songs of the Shaper, and feels no desire to kill, while at others he thrives on the "knowledge" of the dragon, and goes on bloody rampages. At one point during Grendel's insecure state, the dragon tells him something that changes his outlook, and gives him a new feeling of self-worth.
Having this new power had a negative effect on Grendel's mindset. In this part of the text, Grendel states,” But there was one thing worse. I discovered that the dragon had put a charm on me: no weapon could cut me. I could walk up to the mead hall whenever I pleased, and they were powerless. My heart became darker because of that.”(pg.75-76) When Grendel states,” My heart became darker”, he acknowledges the fact that he's changed in a negative way. Grendel's villain archetype can be seen as fulfilled when he characterizes himself as becoming a darker person. Connecting back to the claim, Grendel became a villain when an important figure in society gives him an extremely beneficial advantage which made it hard for him to turn over the opportunity to be a malevolent villain without any repercussions. Also, in the novel Grendel, he can be characterized as an archetypal villain when he started to believe that the shapers view of him was an accurate representation of who he was as a person. This can be shown in the text when Grendel states,” My heart was light with
In the story Grendel, one learns that this monster that seems atrocious and insensitive holds a dark outlook on the world. He often ponders the meaning of life, which seems to plague him. This stems from his painful childhood: “I understood that the world was nothing: a mechanical
Someone once said, “stories can conquer fear. They can make the heart bigger.” In Grendel by John Gardner, the dragon represents immortal monsterhood and its lawlessness. The Shaper represents the mortality and noble pursuits of human culture. The Shaper and the dragon act as philosophically opposing forces in Grendel’s mind as he discovers how to define himself in relation to the rest of the world and explores the monumental power of stories.
His contemplation results in the ADD TRANSITION. As Grendel acquires knowledge of the story of Cain and Abel, he discovers himself in a new light: as a dark evil creature. The Shaper explains “an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light. And I, Grendel, was on the dark side...terrible race God cursed. I believed him. Such was the power of the Shaper’s harp” (Gardner 51). The ‘power’ of the Shaper’s songs, full of creatively crafted words, emphasizes that the Shaper possesses the ultimate power to convince Grendel that he is created from darkness. The ‘darkness’ referred to in this statement represents the evil of humanity such as violence which serves as the primary reason for Grendel’s purpose to kill. Although Grendel is categorized into this evil since he’s a descendant of Cain, at this point, his actions do not embody qualities of evil. Grendel’s realization of the darkness within himself alters his perspective of his purpose in life as the creator of the world into a monster cursed by God into isolation. Grendel is easily convinced by the new knowledge provided by the Shaper due his lack of full maturity. In accordance to maturing teens, Grendel also has not completely transformed into an adult so is more facile to
In Grendel, each character tells of his or her view on philosophy, theory, and life. Grendel is a monster who is not sure where he fits in life. “Grendel is not just searching for one philosophy; he is just searching for the best way to live in the world” (Simmers 183). He goes to extreme limits to discover his character. Grendel shows a self-centered approach to the world as he exclaims, "The world resist me and I resist the world" (Gardner 28). Nothing in the world is going right for Grendel. Grendel feels resistant to life. Therefore, if society does not need him, then he does not need the society. The Dragon also views the world negatively, as a result of his praiseworthy perception of himself. Out of all the characters in the novel, the Dragon is one of Grendel's closest companions greatly impacting Grendel. The Dragon’s destructive philosophy views the world as meaningless. The dragon shares his selfish approach of life with Grendel telling him, "My advice to you, my violent friend, is to seek out gold and sit
With the introduction of the Shaper, Grendel’s ideals are transformed by another’s words. The Shaper is able to show Grendel that he can have an identity and not just be a mere obstruction in the dark. The Shaper created his own theories and stories about life and fed them to the people in a way that enabled them to follow what he said as truth. The Shaper gave the Danes a purpose by telling them what great feats they had overcome and his words excited and encouraged the men to become even more magnificent. The more Grendel listens to the Shaper’s songs, the more apparent it is that Grendel is captivated by the Shaper’s perspective on life. The Shaper’s songs tore at Grendel because he wanted to believe in everything said, but felt ashamed to live his life believing in lies: “I listened, felt myself swept up. I knew very well that all he said was ridiculous, not light for their darkness but flattery, illusion, a vortex pulling them from sunlight to heat, a kind of midsummer burgeoning waltz to the sickle” (Gardner 47). Grendel wanted to believe in the Shaper and his theories but he knew that in the end they were all lies meant to deceive, to fool, and to ensnare the listener. It was the Shaper’s skill and imagination that stirred him, but as much as Grendel wanted to accept the Shaper’s tales, he knew they were not the truths he was looking
In Chapter 8, Grendel exclaims, “I’m a machine. Like all of you. Blood-lust and rage are my character,” (Gardner 123). This profound statement establishes a connection between Grendel and the ambiguous “you,” the reader. The monster, though he confesses to his wrongdoing, asserts that readers are no better than he. Countless bible verses reiterate this concept: “For all have sinned,” (Romans 3:23) “[Humans] are all. .impure with sin,” (Isaiah 64:6). Gardner’s reminder to readers of mankind’s predisposition to sin earns pity for the monster. He expands on these sympathies by describing the nature of Grendel’s lonely existence. “But there was one thing worse,” Grendel states after discovering the dragon’s charm, “no weapon could cut me,” (Gardner 75). In this moment, nihilism overcomes Grendel; if fighting poses no danger, it has no purpose, and neither does he. Any reader who has had an experience which challenged his or her values cannot help but feel empathetic towards the purposeless creature. Perhaps more piteous, however, is the suggestion that Grendel has no choice in being “the dark side. . the terrible race God cursed,” (Gardner 51). The dragon condemns Grendel as “the brute existent by which [humans] learn to define themselves,” telling him that it is worthless to better his character (Gardner 72). It is not until after
Grendel is the embodiment of all that is evil and dark. He is a descendant of Cain and like Cain is an outcast of society. He is doomed to roam in the shadows. He is always outside looking inside. He is an outside threat to the order of society and all that is good. His whole existence is grounded solely in the moral perversion to hate good simply because it is good.