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Good and evil in the history of literature
Good and evil in the history of literature
Importance of Symbolism in literature
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The struggle between good and evil is one that societies all around the world have known for centuries. The good is always the bright, shining light that makes everything better, and the evil is always the dark, murderous presence that takes pleasure in ruining lives. One ways evil is commonly shown is through the image of snakes. This image goes all the back to the old testament of the bible: Satan taking the form of a snake to trick Adam and Eve into committing the first sin. One of the oldest symbols of evil. However, in John Gardner’s book Grendel, snakes serve a different, more complex purpose. Through the recurring image of the snakes, Gardner displays Grendel’s struggle with finding his own identity.
One of Grendel’s first physical encounters
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with a snake comes at a time of intense emotion for Grendel. He’s listening to the Shaper sing the story of how Hrothgar’s glorious mead hall came to be. Grendel, in his frustration at the Shapers exaggeration of the story, “snatched up a snake...and whispered to it…”. He even described himself as “hiss[ing]”. Grendel grabbing, confiding in, and comparing himself to a snake shows a close relationship to them. Having this kind of relationship to a snake reveals an evil personality, and confiding in them further conveys evil motives. Not only that, but Grendel grabbed the snake in a moment of extreme anger-- he felt violent and wild with rage at the Shaper lies; these details continue to support the idea that Grendel is evil. However, Grendel’s moment of villainous passion soon fades. After picking up the snake, he tries and fails to cackle wickedly. This shows Grendel’s inability to follow through with whatever evil thing he was thinking. Soon after that, he puts the snake down. He even says that the Shaper was “infecting” him. Implying that his flash of viciousness didn’t reflect his real feelings. By showing Grendel’s quick change from pure malice to just simple anger, Gardner helps us see Grendel’s complex identity issues. We can more clearly see that Grendel doesn’t necessarily want to be evil, or even like the idea of being evil. Not only does Grendel not want to associate himself with snakes, he’s even a little bit afraid of them.
In the same chapter where he briefly confides in a snake, he also gets scared by one. As he walks through the forest he hears a tormenting presence calling out to him. In an effort to reassure himself he touches a vine, and snaps back “in terror” when he finds it was snake. By showing that Grendel is afraid of snakes, Gardner seeks to imply that Grendel can be a virtuous being, despite his biblical background. In being afraid of the snake, Grendel is essentially afraid of not only general evil, but also his own evil heritage. This complicated relationship of being fearful towards his own lineage and destiny, further helps the reader understand the struggle that Grendel faces within himself. Grendel is supposed to be evil, it’s in his blood. But what if he’s frightened of evil? Furthermore, why is it Grendel that must be labeled as evil? At the end of the book Grendel describes Beowulf as having “eyes unfeeling as a snakes”. Beowulf is meant to be the hero of the story who has nothing in him but righteousness. But by describing Beowulf with snake-like features that the evil-doer himself is afraid of Gardner turns that notion upside down. Grendel is unsettled by Beowulf not because his courage is intimidating, but because he reminds Grendel of a snake, or of evil. Showing this idea of evil being frightened by evil continues to develop the complexities of Grendel’s identity
all the way to the end of the book. By using the snake, an ancient symbol for evil, repeatedly throughout the book, Gardner reveals Grendel’s confusing and complicated identity. The snakes serve to show the reader that people sometimes aren’t all bad or all good. Evil can be afraid evil, and good can have evil qualities.
Rudd cites various sections of the poem, describing Grendel as a “night-monster of the border lands” (Rudd 3), and the translation of the poem says that Grendel was, “...Conceived by a pair of those monsters born Of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God…” (Raffel 42). Rudd also gives evidence for Grendel being seen as demonic, and reasons that Grendel attacks the Danes out of “...not mere thirst for gore, as we might suspect… but rather… envy of the Danes’ happiness- and envy was a chief characteristic of the medieval devil.” (Ruud 5). He then ties this devilish persona to Grendel’s humanistic aspects, stating Grendel has a heathen soul, and therefore he must be human. Ruud also notes, however, that there are critics who question the validity of portraying Grendel as this three-sided figure, asking questions such as, “How can Grendel be a devil when he has a physical body? How can he be a man when he is so manifestly bestial?” (Ruud 7). Ruud believes that the original poet of Beowulf is doing this for effect rather than consistency, but a more reasonable explanation that encompasses all three characteristics is that Grendel represents the evil in
Good vs. Evil in John Gardner's Grendel? & nbsp; John Gardner's novel Grendel gives the reader a new perspective on the classic "good vs. Evil" plot. From the start of the book the reader can tell that there is something very unique about the narrator. It is evident that the narrator is a very observant being that can express himself in a very poetic manner. The story is one the reader has most likely seen before, the battle between the glorious thanes and the "evil" beast. In this case, however, the "beast" is the eyes and ears of the. reader. This, of course, forces the reader to analyze situations in the book in the same way that Grendel does. By using this viewpoint, author allows his readers to see the other side of the coin. Therefore, Throughout the course of the novel the reader is able to understand how important to Grendel in defining the human. & nbsp; Grendel's first encounter with the human beings that he literally defines is not a pleasant one. After accidentally trapping himself in a tree he is discovered by a group of thanes out on patrol. Grendel expresses absolutely no hostile intentions towards these "ridiculous" (ch. 2). pp.24) creatures that "moved by clicks." (ch.2, pp.24) The thanes do not understand what Grendel is and are very uneasy about the whole situation.
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.)
What's the difference between good and evil? In John Gardner’s classic tale Grendel the line between good and evil is exceedingly blurred. Gardner does a phenomenal job of forcing the reader to question who the real hero of the story is. So is Grendel evil or simply misunderstood? To answer this question one must look at his basic character traits. Grendel is an unloving creature, he enjoys killing and torturing humans, and when he shows any sort of mercy, he later regrets it. Due to these facts it is impossible to label him as “good”.
Theme is the message of the story, while character development is the way the author creates the character within the novel. In the novel Grendel, by John Gardner, the reader gathers a lot information in regards to the changes of Grendel’s development. The way Gardner presents Grendel is a key element towards the plot of the story. Gardner does a great job to embody the stages towards the change of Grendel’s image. Throughout the story, the reader could see Grendel first not knowing the real world, then finally realizing what life is. Grendel is used in Grendel as symbol that represents evil. It does not matter if a character thinks there on the good side or bad side; it is how the society views them. Grendel is a victim of ancestry and society, which which implies that Grendel is automatically fraud. Gardner also potrays the theme of with isolation, could create hatred to the world and a different way of living.
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.
A being cursed for evil goes through life looking for meaning. How can a monster of biblically banished descent be challenged with ideas of morality. In John Gardner’s postmodern novel Grendel, Grendel, explores and speculates on the meaning of life, humanity, and existence while being cursed to life as a monster. Due to his own bleak existence and the observations he has made of mean, Grendel views life as meaningless. Even though he is a descendent of Cain, the distinction between good and evil is blurred in Grendel’s perspective. How can a monster view morality when he is the wicked one yet he watches humans kill each other for bloodshed? Grendel is trying to make sense of an absurd world while the different theories shape his own identity.
One of the prevalent themes John Gardner mentions in the story of Grendel is that perceptions of reality between people are different. Gardner reveals to readers throughout the novel that words, events, experiences, and beliefs forge character’s realities. In Grendel perception of reality greatly affects people’s actions, their viewpoints towards life, and decisions. For example, Grendel’s perception of reality is that the world is solely mechanical and is created with his words.
The presence of a bull prompts a shift in Grendel’s purpose in life from remaining obedient to his mother as a young child to being the creator of the world as he transitions into adulthood. As a young monster, Grendel motive’s coincide with his mother since she is the only person who Grendel is able to communicate with. He feels “Of all the creatures I knew, only my mother really looked at me...We were one thing, like the wall and the rock growing out from it… ‘Please, Mama!’ I sobbed as if heartbroken” (Gardner 17-19). His emotions demonstrate that as a child, he doesn’t consider himself as an individual but rather as embodying the same identity as his mother, which is further emphasized by the use of the simile. Additionally, Grendel’s use
He does not act like the blood hungry beast he is seen as in Beowulf. In
Evil. It’s a concept that has baffled philosophers, religious figures, and the common man alike for thousands of years. In this millennium, people may exemplify evil as terrorism, genocide, or, perhaps, placing an empty milk carton back in the refrigerator. However, many remain conflicted about the exact definition of evil, as the dispute over the character Grendel, from the John Gardner novel, makes evident. To conclude that Grendel is not evil, readers must first operate under the assumption that the beast is unequivocally and thoroughly evil. Having done so, readers will notice the fallacies within this thought process. By asserting that Grendel is evil, readers blatantly disregard the ambiguity with which humanity defines its actions, as
Grendel is born a neutral being, perhaps even good, but nevertheless, without hate. The transition which he undergoes to become evil is due to misunderstandings between himself and humans and also meeting with a dragon who is questionably evil. As a young “monster”, Grendel knew nothing other than the cave he lived in and his mother who could not speak any distinguishable language. He was a playful creature who seemed to be like a “bla...
Archetypes refer to the persistently recurring symbols or motifs in literature. The term itself has its origins in ancient Greek and continues to play a prominent role in analyzing literature. Archetypal images and story patterns encourage readers to participate ritualistically in basic beliefs, fears, and anxieties of their age. These archetypal features not only constitute the eloquence of the text but also tap into a level of desires and concerns of civilization. The Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, integrates many of the common archetypes that still exist today. The outcast archetype is one that particularly expressed the desires, anxieties and values of the people who lived during the Beowulf era. Grendel, a character of monstrous appearance and hazily human emotion, is portrayed as the principal outsider in Beowulf. The incorporation of a banished character against his fellow society effectively expressed the anxiety and fears that the Anglo-Saxon culture felt towards seclusion and abnormality, caused by a societal absorption in family lineage and traditionalism.
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.
The author of Beowulf demonizes Grendel by depicting him as being purely a monster as compare to John Gardner who depicts Grendel not as a savage monster but as an intelligent being who has human like qualities and characteristics. In the traditional story Grendel is depicted as a blood-thirsty fiend driven by his greedy animal instincts. ...