Essay Comparing Frankenstein And Grendel

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The monster in Frankenstein is lonely throughout the story looking for meaning, much like Grendel from Beowulf. These two monster type characters are both outcasts in their stories that have less than pleasing appearances. The monster from Frankenstein is abandoned by his master, while Grendel is exiled from the townspeople. Grendel kills because he sees other’s happy while he cannot be, which is similar to the monster killing because Frankenstein created him into a world that did not want him. These characters only wish is to be normal and have meaning, although this isn’t an easy task for these monsters.
The concept of isolation is a huge factor in both stories that each character has to deal with. Throughout Frankenstein, the monster is abandoned by his creator and rejected by anyone else he comes in contact with. “Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned” (13.17). This is much like Grendel’s experience, since he was also disowned and rejected from his own society. He was outcast to live in the swamps. …show more content…

Grendel tries to become part of society by attempting to befriend the humans. “I sank to my knee, crying, Friend! Friend!... their spears came through…” (p.52). Here this quote shows he wants to make friends with the humans, but because of his appearance and differences, he is shunned. This causes the hatred in him to kill. Likewise, the monster kills because of his abandonment. The monster wants his creator to feel his pain, so he kills members of his family. ”I may die, but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sun that gazes on your misery” (Chapter 20). Both creatures throughout their stories use killing as an escape to find happiness and revenge for the treatment they have

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