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EVIL Grendel Essay
You may or may not be familiar with Beowulf’s representation of the monster, Grendel. Whether you are or not, you will be incredibly familiar with the “shadow-stalker” very shortly. Most people would agree that the epic’s characterization of Grendel is less than flattering. John Gardner, on the other hand, presents us with an alternate vision of one of the earliest monsters in British literature with his novel, Grendel. Gardner’s demon is evil too, or again, so one may think, depending on one’s definition of the word. So you must decide if Grendel is, in fact, evil. Are we supposed to sympathize with him? Is he punished for his “evil” deeds? Write an essay proving that Grendel is or is not evil, using examples
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I believe that Grendel is not Evil.
Why?
His childhood was lived in solitude, separating him from any contact with another intelligent human being.
Grendel was unable to understand his mother and the humans were unable to understand him, causing Grendel to be forced into a limbo where the only person who truly understands him is himself.
Being alone for an elongated amount of time can cause great damage to the human, or human-like, mind.
Studies have been done on the effect of isolation on the human brain
Grendel was never formally taught about what was “right” and what was “wrong”. The closest he ever came to learning about how to act was from watching the humans, the other intelligent human beings, the only beings which Grendel could verbally understand, talk about war and the murderous things they were going to do to the opposite bands of men.
Most of the songs that Grendel ever heard were about war, the only beings that he could hear speak were speaking of war, one of the first encounters that Grendel had with men almost ended in his death.
The humans were to Grendel as the opposite bands of men were to the humans.
Grendel expressed his emotions by killing because that was the only way he knew how to get rid of his
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Now, at a young age this process may just be as simple as determining whether or not to share or to not share, but as someone grows more advanced this process grows more advanced as well, so that whenever they encounter more cruel thoughts they are able to easily right the idea off as immoral. Grendel never underwent this process. He was simply raised as what he was, a monster. His mother gave him love and affection, but she never specifically taught him that killing humans was wrong. During his childhood Grendel and his mother had to eat, and they both were carnivores. Which meant that their food was coming from somewhere, whether it be human or animal, their food must have been killed. This, combined without the knowledge that humans were different than any other animal (besides them being more intelligent) may have contributed to some of Grendel’s first
For ages, humanity has always told stories of the classic struggle between man and monster. The battle between Beowulf and Grendel is a prime example of this archetype, but is Grendel only purely a monster? In his article “Gardner’s Grendel and Beowulf: Humanizing the Monster”, Jay Ruud makes a point that Grendel is a hybridization of both monster and man, particularly in John Gardner’s novel Grendel. In the poem Beowulf, Grendel is depicted as a purely evil monster who terrorizes Hrothgar and his people, but the novel provides a more humanistic backstory to the fiend. Throughout the novel, Grendel tells of his internal struggle between his thoughts of filling the role of the monster versus attempting to make amends with the humans. This conflict
tiny bit of revenge. Later on in the story, however, Grendel gives a man.
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”.
Towards the end of the novel, Grendel finally becomes ‘himself’. Grendel is unable to decide what to make of himself and of the world surrounding him. He has only ever known the world as wild and mechanical, yet he is charmed by the artistic brilliance of the Shaper’s words. Grendel ultimately meets a brutal yet peaceful demise. Standing on the face of the same cliff he found himself in at the beginning of the novel, surrounded by mindless eyes, he states, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident.
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.
On the other hand, it is obvious that "evil" Grendel could not survive without the "good" humans.
... by murdering Grendel, this action is expressed as moral. This idea is reconfirmed when the Dragon explains to Grendel how he is “the brute existent by which they learn to define themselves” in reference to men (Gardner 73). This further suggests that society requires evil to present them an explanation for their life and actions.
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
John Gardner’s Grendel portrays a monster searching for his purpose in life. The characters know the meaning of their lives, but Grendel tries to discover his role and what life has to offer him. Grendel discovers his identity through other characters’ actions and beliefs. In Grendel, John Gardner illustrates the contrasting views of each character to show their view of society and the influence they have on Grendel.
Ethics is a wide field of philosophical study to which the core of every question within falls to one side of a blurred line. On the right, is good; the value which is popularly believed to be the correct alignment for which a person should live their life according to. On the left, is evil; that which is the cause of most human misery, and prevents peace on earth. In John Gardner’s book Grendel, the retelling of the ages old story Beowulf, further blurs the line between good and evil. Circumstance and perhaps a confused view of reality allow the monster, Grendel, to conceivably defend his evil beliefs. In order to better understand evil, using Grendel as a guide, I intend to attempt to justify it.
Grendel is alone; he can not know God’s love and be comforted. He is an outcast, and the sins of his forefather have fallen upon him. Evil can not stand God being glorified just as the praising of God by the Danes angered Grendel.
...owards Grendel. Gardner’s retelling of Beowulf reinforces the universal idea that there are two, if not more, sides to every story. It is prudent to remember that what is monstrous to some may be perfectly normal to others and recognizing all viewpoints can help bring about a truth: good and evil are not always clear-cut.
To begin with, Grendel’s last words “ Poor Grendel’s had an accident... So may you all.” is meant as a cursing because he is saying you are the ones who hurt me you guys will pay in debt of my hurting as well. Grendel’s words are meant to affect mankind because they are the one’s whom had hurt Grendel not the animal’s. It goes to the humans because they are the ones who hurt him. “ Any action of the human heart must trigger an equal and opposite reaction.” ( Grendel,113.) Humans can go to one mood to the other real quick. For example, when Grendel was stuck in the tree the humans had seen him and had thought he was a tree spirit. They wanted to please him so they gave it food, but as soon as Grendel spoke they were frightened. Since they
?Eventually, the constant ridicule from the people and even animals overpower Grendel, and he becomes his own worst enemy. Even a doe trembles at the sight of him, showing the impact his looks have on the way others perceive him. In chapter one, Grendel says, “the doe in the clearing goes stiff at the sight of my horridness, then remembers her legs and is gone” (p 7). Getting judged by a doe is a low, even for Grendel, however it’s just one example of how nature works against him.? The fact that changing his appearance is obviously not an option propels Grendel in his quest to change the people’s view of him by other
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. ...