How Does Gardner Present Grendel's Character Development

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.

In the beginning of chapter 2, Grendel is barely leaving his underground cave to explore the new world above.

Gardner plays Grendel as like a child when he first discovers the the new world. For example, Grendel announces, “ I played my way farther out into this world” (Gardner 16). This shows Grendel’s first look in the real world. He first thinks that this world is going to be a fine place to live. Unfortunately, Grendel explore more into the world and sees the “Burning eyes of the strangers” (Gardner 17). To explain, Grendel has never seen such people in his life, so he starts to rethink life. In other words, his exploration of the world of humans changes the way he perceives the creatures in the underground world. This mentally changes his self

image.
When Grendel first encountered the humans he was a young and did not like that experience. After getting trapped in the tree he hears men “voices speaking words” (Gardner 23). Grendel was not trying to harm the men; he just wanted to communicate with them. Whenever Grendel tried to speak to the men from up in the tree, the men showed ignorance towards Grendel. To demonstrate, as the men approached closer and closer, “ the king snatched an ax from the man… and hurled it at him” (Gardner 27). Clearly, Grendel’s character development begins to change towards the humans after attacking him for no apparent reason because at first he believed the human species would be great, but now he realizes humans are just dull dangerous creatures. As a result, Grendel’s character begins to change fiercefully. Grendel utilizes, “It wasn't until later, when I was fully grown… that I settled my soul on destroying him slowly and cruelly” (Gardner 30). As the reader can see, after the encounter with the humans, it changed his overall mentality because Grendel was not intending to kill the men he was just observing; yet, he was still attacked. Also, by observing the people of the hall, he seems to realize people are not what he thought they were. He observes from the “high cliff wall, where I could look out and see all the mead hall light” (Gardner 37). Grendel begins to see how cruel the men are from savagely killing their own kind, changes the way he sees the hall because now he starts to destroy the Herot.
Lastly, Grendel’s reputation of the Shaper, dragon, and Wealthoew change Grendel’s self image drastically. The Shaper expresses, “that the greatest Gods made the world” (Gardner 51). Grendel then starts to believe that the Shaper is correct. Grendel realizes that he is becoming much more hopeless as he seeks a place in this world. After encounters with the dragon, Grendel says “I was Grendel, Ruiner of Meadhalls, Wrecker of Kings!” (Gardner 80) . In other words, the use of the literary device characterization shows how Grendel finally realizes who he is. After talks with the dragon, Grendel has chosen to listen to the dragon’s perspective of the humans. Hypnotised by the Shaper, the humans start to believe that Grendel is their main goal to get rid of. Grendel then decides to punish the humans. Moreover, Grendel utilities “I have not committed the ultimate act of nihilism: I have not killed the queen Grendel” (Gardner 93). Grendel is still searching for the meaning of life.He is obsessed with Wealhtheow. Everything she does as a result changes the life of Grendel’s character. This physically and mentally changes Grendel's self image because with the symbol of Wealtheow, he is destroying his own ideology.
The novel of Grendel has a lot of connections to other excepts. Within the novel, Gardner alludes to Cain and Abel. Gardner uses the the literary device of allusion to make this evident. The Shaper told about an “ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light” (Gardner 51). Basically, the shaper implies that Grendel is the darkside because god cursed him forever. Anything Grendel did to be nice; he would still not be able to get to God’S good side. As a result, this specific situation is the strongest to trigger his change towards his self image The reader can see how he is cursed because Grendel wanted to to hang at the Hall, but the men automatically thought he was evil. This shows he is a descendant of Cain and Abel. Similarity, in The Creation and Fall of Men, From Genesis gives a higher insight on Cain and Abel to connect to Grendel development. Both the novel of Grendel and excerpt Genesis states, “And God saw the light, that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness”(Genesis para 2). Both reading imply Grendel is on the darkside. In The First Book of Moses, Called Genesis states, “Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him… cursed him from earth” (Moses 8 and 11). Also, in the Italy version, Cain kills his brother because he was jealous he was more glazier, so he knifed him. God replies that there should be a punishment and God “pardoned him.” This is connected to the novel Grendel because this background then demonstrates the real reason why Grendel changed his image to be evil.
The theme Gardner tries to develope is with isolation, could create hatred to the world and a different way of living. This is apparent when Grendel realizes he is a rejection of God. He then “looked up through the treetops… to see God” (Gardner 53). Grendel's isolation makes him angry. Ironically, he asks God for someone to talk to, but there was not no answer. Grendel is lonely trying to find someone to talk to. Grendel sees a different way in which to live his life. Clearly, the reader can see the Grendel isolated background creates anger against the men. Moreover, being isolated Grendel became hurt, “I understood that the world was nothing” (Gardner 21). This event causes Grendel to experience a confession that the world was nothing but a disorganized mess of causal brute violence; as a result, Grendel experienced a nihilism philosophy.
In conclusion, John Gardner main reason for employing character development was to connect the theme of isolation causes anger within life and changes the way of living. He does this significantly by making Grendel go through unusual encounters within himself and men to develop his character and portray the theme to the reader. The theme of the story greatly impacts the story. For example, throughout Grendel the reader did not know who Grendel really was until the author put Grendel into different scenarios to finally self image who he really was.