Often, we can often see how subjective misinterpretation affects the way others determine who you are viewed as and whether or not they choose to accept who you are. In the novel Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel the narrator, who lives in a place where he is simply dismissed as a monster, constantly having an inner turmoil between the conflict of good and evil, and his intentions being misconceived by the human. Grendel is depicted as a destroyer, but in reality is considered an anti hero. While Grendel may be called a monster, in reality he is just a confused creature lacking proper guidance in which causes him to be misconceived frequently by society. Grendel does portray the characteristics of an antagonist such as terrorizing Hrothgar's …show more content…
halls and eating humans. Society begins to see Grendel as a monster through the introduction of the Sharper, he tells the story of Grendel being a descent of Cain, who is an evil being and the destroyer of the universe. “ The harp turned solemn. He told of an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light. And I, Grendel was the dark side, he said in effect. The terrible race God Cursed”(Gardner 51). As the Danes are influenced by those words, they notice Grendel and start to violently attack him with weapons, which forces Grendel to leave, “ They hacked at me, yipping like dogs. I held up the body for protection” (Gardner 52). After being attacked by humans for many years, Grendel in returns begins to raid the Danes for nearly 12 years , throughout these years, Grendel is deemed as a barbaric being by mankind. While Grendel is perceived as a vile and gruesome monster by the Danes, they fail to realize that it was the conflict between them which created a mutual hatred towards one another. This is a tragically ironic situation, since the one who are considered evil should be Hrothgar and his followers, it can be said that Grendel is a prisoner of their villainous society. When people at first notice Grendel, they do not try to communicate and compromise with him, but instead attack him even though he is not raising any danger against them. “The king snatched an ax from the man besides him and, without any warning, he hurled it at me”(Gardner 27). Even though Grendel is portrayed as completely evil, he does show goodness as well. An example of empathy is the confrontation of Unferth. When Unferth awaits his honorable death by the hands of Grendel, Grendel instead decides to spare him and carry him back to Herot, “ I picked him up gently and carried him home. I laid him at the door of Hrothgar’s mead hall”(Gardner 90). Even when Grendel is ferocious, he finds it within himself to spare Unferth. Grendel is not entirely evil, but through being dismissed and Grendel is perceived as a vile and gruesome monster by the Danes . When people at first notice Grendel, they do not try to communicate and compromise with him, but instead attack him even though he is not raising any danger against them. “The king snatched an ax from the man besides him and, without any warning, he hurled it at me”(Gardner 27). Though Grendel does portray the characteristics of an antagonist such as terrorizing Hrothgar's halls and eating humans, he does show goodness as well. An example of empathy is the confrontation of Unferth. When Unferth awaits his honorable death by the hands of Grendel, Grendel instead decides to spare him and carry him back to Herot, “ I picked him up gently and carried him home. I laid him at the door of Hrothgar’s mead hall”(Gardner 90). Even when Grendel is ferocious, he finds it within himself to spare Unferth. Grendel is not entirely evil, but through being dismissed and hated. The encounter with Wealhtheow or meeting with the temptress, shows that Grendel does feel regretful of his evil ways. Grendel thinks of different ways to kill her, but changes his mind as killing her would be pointless and begins to mend his feelings, “ I changed my mind. It would be meaningless, killing her. As meaningless as letting her live. It would be, for me, mere pointless pleasure, an illusion for this one frail, foolish flicker-flash in the long dull fall of eternity” (Gardner 110).Grendel begins to exhibit the archetype of a shadow(destroyer), because of the unfair actions against him from the Danes, he begins to have the feeling of violent and cynical choices within his inner thoughts as well as applying destructive behavior. It is shown that Grendel does have an emotional conflict of good and evil choices, making him not as evil as he initially was viewed as. As a result, It can be said that it was more of the fault of mankind, that Grendel was not able to make peace and negotiate. As mentioned before, Grendel’s lack of guidance and confusion also plays a major contribution of making him more evil.
The first example is the meeting with the dragon. The conversation with the Dragon foreshadows Grendel’s decision of being an anti hero, The Dragon seemingly knowing Grendel’s troubles, decides to deprave and completely tear apart the good within Grendel. Grendel begins to fit the trait of an anti heroism through desperation of wanting to change himself even if it can lead to harming others. The Dragon teaches Grendel that his only purpose in life is by thwarting every fixed system and to fundamentally act as an adversary against humanity. The Dragon also explains to Grendel that without his existence then there would be no human advancement, “Can’t you see that yourself? You stimulate them! You make them think and scheme. You drive them to poetry, science and religion, all you makes them what they are for as long as they last”(Gardner 72-73). The discussion with the Dragon, gives Grendel a reason to exterminate others rather than for self complacency. Another example is his view of the Sharper’s song, Grendel becomes addicted to the Sharper’s song, which creates a sense of sorrow and desperation for acceptance. He tries to change his ways by reproaching and rethinking the ideals of mankind, however he is eventually turned down, which forces Grendel to willingly accepts himself as the descent of Cain from the song of the Sharper . Grendel personally envies the sharper and tries to be like him, “Yet he, the old sharper, might make it true, by the sweetness of his harp, his cunning trickery. It came to me with a fierce jolt that I wanted it”(Gardner 55). After frequently listening to more of the sharper’s song, Grendel begins to learn more about humanity and how they react and live their lives. This causes Grendel to spend time to realize the flaw of his persona and decides to accept the fact that humans loathe him because he is different and
decides that there is no reason to live by their social standards. These two major factors forces Grendel to rethink his previous choices and ends up defying them through acting as a monster. Overall, Grendel is a character that is often misunderstood. Even though Grendel always acts like an evil being, he truly he did not want to be that way, but throughout different encounters with characters such as the Dragon, Sharper as well as being discriminated by the Hrothgar and his tribe, it ended up corrupting and exploiting Grendel’s morality. If Grendel had been accepted and not attacked by the humans, then he wouldn’t have needed to rely on evil methods to achieve his goal of recognition and acceptance from everyone around him. He often seems on trying to be as good as possible but by doing things that are looked upon as acts of evil, making him a misunderstood anti hero. After being despised and manipulated, Grendel still had good within him, by defying social standards and setting up his own goals.
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
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”.
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.
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.
Grendel as a character is very intelligent, he is capable of rational thought at all times. Because of this, at sometimes during the story I would forget Grendel is a monster, the way he acts in his thoughts and actions I would mistake him for a human; at times I was even feeling bad for Grendel because he is a very lonely person who tries to understand all of the meaningless of the world around him. Grendel can never get to close to
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
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
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...
...n very human feelings of resentment and jealousy. Grendel was an unstable and saddened figure because of his outcast status. Though Grendel had many animal attributes and a grotesque, monstrous appearance, he seemed to be guided by vaguely human emotions and impulses. He truthfully showed more of an interior life than one might expect. Exiled to the swamplands outside the boundaries of human society, Grendel’s depiction as an outcast is a symbol of the jealousy and hate that seeks to destroy others' happiness and can ultimately cripple a civilization. This take on the outcast archetype ultimately exposes the Anglo Saxon people’s weaknesses, their doubts and anxieties towards the traditional values that bounded nearly every aspect of their life.
This illustrates an inner problem of a suppressed evil side to society. Beowulf and other men that battled Grendel had trouble defeating him with weapons. They all had to tussle with Grendel and everyone except for Beowulf failed at this challenge. Symbolically meaning that that evil side to society will always be there no matter how much people try to fight it. Grendel also plays the role of envy. Imagine him being an outcast with no joy in his life hearing the mead-hall at night and all the laughter, he must have felt envious and longed to be a part of that world. Another symbolic role is revenge. Upon learning that Beowulf has hurt her only child Grendel’s mother becomes angered and seeks revenge. Her and Beowulf battle it out and the mother loses the battle. Relating this back to Cain, Grendel’s mother wants to kill Beowulf and get revenge and just like Cain, she faced her punishment, for her it was
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.
Grendel falls into the Dragon’s enchantment of instituting the theory of nihilism, but Grendel rejects the Dragon’s philosophy and returns to acceding to his impulses. Because the Dragon surmises persuasively about the absence of God and proclaims there is no intrinsic meaning or worth in existence, Grendel battles with his conscience to not let the evil temptations of the Dragon’s ulterior motives prevail his mentality. The Dragon contradicts his own hypothetical opinion of meaningless life by encouraging Grendel to create his own meaning in the inevitable ambiguity of life. Grendel infers from the Dragon’s propaganda of his theory that nihilism does not lead to the looming sensation of having communal and commutative happiness with sympathetic human beings. Since Grendel only relies on his behavior and intentions as a decision mechanism, Grendel grapples with fighting off the outward drives of the Dragon’s existential approach and with maintaining stable, anthropomorphic characteristics. The Shaper contaminates Grendel’s intellectual disorder and identifies this pessimistic creature with consciousness as an embodiment of evil that cannot vanquish the segregation that he has with the nature of man. The Shaper’s song mentions hopeful thinking of Hrothgar’s kingdom
We as humans tend to act how we are perceived, and the same goes for a creature with consciousness as Grendel’s. For example, a cheerleader will typically be labelled “pretty but dumb”, and vice versa for “geeks” or “nerds”. “We tend to evaluate others on their appearance and then move on to treat and interact with them based on these first impressions.” (Wolffhechel 1). With this characterized generalization made towards humans, individuals tend to opt out of disproving these denunciations, willing allowing others to believe what they would like. Self-body image is influenced by many things, “Cash (2004) mentions that the body image develops based on personal experiences, physical characteristics, culture, and personality attributes. However, appearance is dynamic and changes throughout life, being influenced by genetics, nutrition, health, illness, medical, and surgical interventions (Allport, 1966; Harris, 1997).” (da Silva 188). The traits we have affect our social interaction with others as they judge us and view us. In the story, Grendel has an idea of the person he wants to become, but the external forces, the Danes, have a large impact on him, molding him into the “monster” they want him to become. The views the Danes share about Grendel, in the long run will make Grendel see himself as a monstrous creature. “Moreover, while these moral aspects can be theoretically