Why Is Grendel Considered Evil

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Grendel is first introduced to readers in the story of Beowulf which was created in 1000 A.D. It isn't until the 1970’s that Grendel is brought up again by author John Gardner. Gardner’s version of Grendel in a very different style compared to the epic poem Beowulf . Unlike the poem of Beowulf, in which Grendel is displayed as an evil monster, Gardner has a different intention when writing his story. Gardner’s true intention is to display Grendel as a human. Also, by conveying Grendel as a human, it proves his overall message; mankind is the one who is truly evil.
One technique that Gardner uses to display Grendel as a man is by writing from Grendel’s perspective. According to John Gardner's Grendel and the Interpretation of Modern Fables, …show more content…

In Grendel’s case, he does not know that his actions of eating people are wrong due to his childlike mentality. So can he really be considered evil? If Grendel is really a “monster” does it really matter whether he is evil or not, considering the fact that monsters are usually always considered evil since they are not like humans? For example, when he is approached by the men on the horses while he is stuck in the tree, they think he is an evil spirit because of what he looks and sounds like. They ask, “Could it be some type of oak tree spirit. Better not to mess with it… That’s it! King’s right! It’s a spirit!” (Gardner 25). As a result of this, the readers are forced to assume that Grendel is evil just because he looks and acts like he …show more content…

With this being said, all men, like Grendel, are created by God as a descendant of someone else who has passed, whether they were good or evil. Could Grendel be the doppelganger of Jesus? Jesus, like Grendel, had no father figure in his life Jesus also sacrifices his life for the better of mankind and to ask for forgiveness for the sins that they committed. Similarly, Grendel sacrifices his life to show that men are truly the evil ones. As stated by Holley, “Grendel is heroic, rises above the human, sings for us” that humans are truly the evil ones. Unfortunately, just like Jesus, Grendel’s message is still not realized by

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