Throughout the novel Grendel by John Gardner more than one philosophy is brought to Grendel’s consideration. Confused and lonely, Grendel’s inner conflict is not understanding what the meaning of life is. Grendel does not know whether he is supposed to believe the Shaper and priest’s philosophy of vision and purpose or to believe the dragon’s philosophy that there is no meaning to life.
Early on in chapter two as the bull mindlessly attacks Grendel, he initially expresses skepticism and believes the world is meaningless. Grendel explains “I understood that the world was nothing: a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears. I understood that, finally and absolutely, I alone exist” (p.21-22). Later on, as Grendel encounters the Shaper, dragon, and priest his thoughts and feelings towards each philosophy change.
Grendel first knows of the Shaper in chapter three. The Shaper is persuasive and alleviates the stories he tells, giving the people an illusion of reality. Grendel states that the Shaper speaks of a world split between darkness and light “He told of an ancient world feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light. And I, Grendel, was in the dark side….I believed him” (p.51).
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At first Grendel believed in this world and was convinced he was a part of the evil in the world. Then Grendel comes to conclusion that he does not believe in the Shaper’s philosophy of there being light and dark stating “It was a cold-blooded lie that a God had lovingly made the world and set out the sun and moon as lights to land-dwellers, that brother had fought, that one of the races was saved, the other was cursed” (p.55). Grendel states “…the Shaper’s vision of goodness and peace was part of himself…no one understood him at all…” (p.53). Grendel’s next encounter is with the dragon. In chapter five the dragon gives Grendel an entirely new philosophy on the purpose of life, and that philosophy was that there was no purpose of life. Everything was meaningless and will come to an end. The dragon states “Things come and go…That’s the gist of it” (p.70). The dragon then concludes his and Grendel’s conversation “My advice to you, my violent friend, is to seek gold and sit on it” (p.74). Grendel understands the dragon’s philosophy because he can relate to it. After Grendel’s encounter with the dragon the Shaper’s songs no longer have an effect on Grendel. Grendel says “I no longer remember exactly what [the Shaper] sang. I know only that it had a strange effect on me: it no longer filled me with doubt and distress, loneliness, shame. It enraged me” (p.77). Lastly, Grendel’s final encounter was with the priest named Ork.
Like the Shaper, the priest speaks of life having purpose and tell Grendel about “The King of Gods” (p.131). Ork says the King of Gods is “the ultimate limitation” and “ultimate rationality” (p.131). The priest then starts shaking violently and explains that reality can change and all possibilities limit options for change "O the ultimate evil in the temporal world is deeper than any specific evil, such as hatred or suffering, or death! The ultimate evil is that Time is perpetual perishing, and being actual involves elimination" (p.132). Grendel then spares the priests life after contemplating killing him before his speech about the King of
Gods. At the end of the novel during Grendel’s battle with Beowulf, Grendel holds on to his belief of the world being meaningless and purposeless. Grendel describes being defeated by Beowulf as an accident “By accident, it comes to me, I have given him a greater advantage” (p.169). Grendel continues to repeat that it was an accident. His resolution to knowing what the purpose of life is was holding onto the trust he put into the dragon’s words. Life is random everything must come to an end.
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
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.
Particularly in chapter 3, Grendel listens as a blind old man, the Shaper, tells the tale of Danish history to Hrothgar. Though what is told is largely fictitious, Grendel cannot help but to feel strangely moved by the brilliance of the Shaper’s story. “Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry—crawling, whimpering, streaming tears, across the world like a two-headed beast, like mixed-up lamb and kid at the tail of a baffled, indifferent ewe—and I gnashed my teeth and clutched the sides of my head as if to heal the split, but I couldn’t.” (Grendel, John Gardner, pg.44) In this moment, Grendel’s mind is split between what he understands to be true and the truth that is desired. The world is callous and careless, blunt and belligerent; this he knows. However, with the artistic style and formation of the Shaper’s words, he is brought to tears and is captivated by his spiritual and emotional yearnings. Grendel is also overwhelmed with disgust and shame for himself and his vile
In John Gardner’s Grendel, the Shaper is an important contributing character that carries the plot in a historical sense. During the first encounter between the monster and the humans, Grendel hears of the stories and tales the Shaper is singing about in Hrothgar’s mead-hall. Throughout the story the Shaper tells about Danish history and the creation of man’s existence and Grendel is fascinated by this. After listening to the Shaper’s stories, Grendel starts to realize that what he is saying is not true, “I too crept away, my mind aswim in ringing phrases, magnificent, golden, and all of them, incredibly, lies,” and starts to question what is true and what is not (Gardner 43). The Shaper’s eloquent tales had a large effect on Grendel, “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...I believed him! Such was the power of the Shaper's harp!” (Gardner 52). Gardner’s writing of Grendel sheds light on a whole new side of Grendel, as opposed to the monstrous being in Beowulf; so much so that we can see a divide in G...
He doesn’t believe that he has done anything wrong, therefore he doesn’t believe that he is a bad person. In the novel Grendel, Grendel states that, “I saw, is merely what pushes me, or what I push against, blindly—as blindly as all that is not myself pushes back. I create the whole universe blink by blink… (Gardner, 22)”. This internal thought from Grendel at the beginning of his story shows his belief that he holds the power to choose his future and that he creates his own reality. He truly does believe that despite his killing nature and that he is not technically human, he can still live among them and rise above his original reputation. In his encounter with the dragon in chapter 5, Grendel is told that, "My knowledge of the future does not cause the future. It merely sees it” (Gardner 63). What the dragon says in this instance sticks with Grendel in the sense that even though he is drawing away from his existentialist views, he still knows that he controls himself. Him accepting this strikes as somewhat half existentialism and half nihilism due to the character arc taking place. In addition to the evidence of existentialism in the novel itself, there is also many instances within literary criticism that suggest Grendel’s
Authors often have to choose between concentrating on either plot or social commentary when writing their novels; in John Gardener's Grendel, the plot becomes is a secondary consideration. Grendel's exploits provide the reader with a clear understanding of the strong opinions the author carries and can be seen clearly as a narrative supporting nihilism in its many forms. The reader easily perceives the blatant religious subtext in the guise of corrupt priests and the foolish faithful. The notion of the old being wise is unacceptable to Gardener along with any notion of hero idolization. Within his novel, Gardner expresses his views concerning religion, wisdom and nature.
In Grendel, nearly all of the characters are driven to shape the world to their ideas. Hrothgar spends his life crafting a government. Grendel's mother is described as loving her son "not for myself, my holy specialness, but for my son-ness, my displacement of air as visible proof of her power (138)." Both Grendel and the Shaper constantly seek the ability to reshape reality with words. While they have differing motives, all of these acts of creation give power and significance to the creator. As Baby Grendel desperately convinces himself, it is the act of observing and commenting on what is outside that makes one real: "I understood that, finally ...
Part of the development of a human being involves acquiring the ability to classify good and evil as well as distinguishing right from wrong. It has become an inherent trait that is invariably used in our everyday lives. In John Gardner’s novel, Grendel, the main character, Grendel, seeks to find the meaning of life. Through his journey, a depiction of the forces of good and evil is revealed. Aside from being a novel about the search for the meaning of life, Grendel also suggest society’s good and evil have a meaningful and imbalanced relationship where good prevails evil yet facing evil is still critical.
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
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 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.
Depicted is his first emergence from the cave and the dreamlike state he is in when venturing out into the wilderness, “I lived those years, as do all young things, in a spell”(pg. 16). This childish state he is in brings out complacency and apathy in addition to building his self image and relies heavily on feelings and tends to be more sensitive. Grendel endures several situations where he feel hurt, endangered and calls for his mother to help and assist him but no help comes. Being forced to find his own way causes Grendel to generate some understanding of worldly views, “I understood that the world was nothing: a mechanical chaos, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears. I understood that, finally and absolutely, I alone exist”(pg. 22). This epiphany is brought on by the second zodiac Taurus represented by the bull who comes to protect the calf Grendel is hunting. Taurus and Grendel are related on the basis of feeling and self security, faith. Again the feeling of self centeredness and reliance is exemplified when Grendel confronts men for the first time. Exception is that his mother does come to his aid on this occasion and when it slides over to the cave his thoughts come to fruition , “ ...the meaningless objectness of the world….the world is a pointless accident...I exist nothing else” (pg. 28). Like a Taurus he is decisive and resolute in regards to
Ork, is the second character to maintain and adhere to a philosophical idea, notably metaphysics. Grendel finds Ork greatly puzzling, while fascinating. Grendel first encounters Ork when Grendel goes hunting. Grendel mentions that he has eaten priests, but they sit in the stomach like duck eggs. Thus, this tells the readers that Grendel has experience with Priests, although most of them have ended up dead. Additionally, it is important to note the location of their meeting. Grendel is already sitting in the center of the ring of gods at midnight while Ork upon hearing a strange sound arrives at the right of gods to investigate. When Grendel realizes someone is coming, Grendel decides to play with the person and pipes that he is “The Destroyer”. In response, Ork realizes he might be witnessing and talking to a God stammers “O blessed, blessed lord!”. Thus it becomes evident that Ork is an older priest, and knows the various gods. When Grendel asks Ork to tell him about the King of the Gods, Ork stammers but then illustrates the concept of metaphysics. The idea that “No reason can be given for the nature of God, because that nature is the ground of rationality”(131). This signifies that the nature of God does not have a reason to act the way he does as questioning the way of God is simply questioning the existence of the individual. This would work similarly with Grendel as Grendel is a monster, thus perceived to be a supernatural being. Questioning the work of Grendel would be akin to questioning the way of God, however it does not work in favor of Grendel as God is a true supernatural being, one that exists solely due to the pure belief of the people. Grendel, does exist. People see Grendel and Grendel sees them in the kingdom of Hrothgar. However, outside Hrothgar, the idea would work similarly for Grendel and God. Additionally, Ork continues that “The King of Gods is the actual entity in
Grendel is exposed as a protagonist and a monster in this story. Grendel has had a non going feud with the danes for over the years until now when something has gradually changed. The science of behavior and mind, embracing all aspects of conscious and unconscious experience as well as thought. Grendel all he wants is to be accepted and fit in but given that the danes see him as a monster all they want to do is kill him. Which spikes some conflict between grendel and the danes. Since the danes have their own version of the shaper to fill their heads with lies that causes grendel to have to find a solution to so them the truth. The dragon from my point of view is grendel’s version of the shaper to him who fills his head with tricks and confusion.