John Gardner takes the English epic Beowulf and successfully changes the entire structure and style with his novel Grendel. In Gardner’s rendition, Grendel deviates from a pure monster with only a simple mind of evil, moving towards a being who is conscious of himself, his actions, and its consequential effects on the environment around him. Gardner consistently alludes to Nietzschean schools of thought, referencing concepts such as the role of God, His death, and existentialism itself. Grendel’s largely varying lines of thought not only incite his bizarre behavior, but also breeds catastrophe as a result.
The role of the Shaper is to, simply put, change the truth in the eyes of man. In other words, the Shaper plays the role of God in the microcosm of the world that is Grendel. As the Dragon so openly notes, the Shaper “provides an illusion of reality… He knows no more than [man does] about total reality - less, if anything” (Gardner 65). The Shaper’s role mirrors Nietzsche’s belief on God’s role in our world. That is, to create bliss through falsities. The Shaper, through his role as a scop, retells stories of untruth and lies, modifying what actually happened to
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ensure that man stays embedded in a false reality. However, despite the lies that the Shaper tells, the resulting effects on both Grendel and the world as a whole justifies his role as God. Similar to how God is viewed by Nietzsche, the Shaper supplys history, supplementing reality with the lies he has created. As a result, Grendel’s mindset deviates from what is real, transitioning into the reality the Shaper has constructed. The most impactful of the Shaper’s lies revolves around on the misinterpretation of Grendel, showing him to be a force of evil who came from Hell itself. Despite the fact that this was not initially true, the Shaper’s power as God changes what is real. The Shaper displays Grendel as the complete opposite of what he actually is, which rewrites history and causes Grendel to become the very monster the Shaper made him out to be. The death of the Shaper in Chapter 10 is an event that had an irrefutably large impact on Grendel’s beliefs and ideals.
Grendel sums up the entirety of the Shaper’s profound effect on him when he says: “Nihil ex nihilo, I always say” (Gardner 150). This translates to “nothing comes from nothing”, which clearly defines how Grendel feels at this point in the book. Without the Shaper, Grendel feels as the world did when God died: without his Creator. All of the conclusions Grendel draws, along with the despair he feels, parallels the writings of Nietzsche when he was faced with the death of god (Stromme). Grendel’s consequential state of mind is characterized by emptiness and loss. Not only does the meaning in his world die alongside the Shaper, Grendel begins to realize that this world now means
nothing. For a time, that is the only thing Grendel could think about: the presence of nothing and the overbearing absence of anything from it. This was the result of the combination of Grendel’s existential crisis and the ensuing nihilism of both his life and life itself as a whole (Pilditch). However, Grendel’s state of mind evolves to where Nietzsche's after dealing with the death of God. Grendel realizes that, without the existence of his Creator, he can finally move forward. With the death of his “God”, Grendel sees the ability to create his own ideas and develop opinions. The deviation from the idea that our world was governed by divine providence resulted in the reality that physical laws made what see possible. This sudden epiphany eventually leads Grendel to the entrance of the philosophical thought of existentialism. The absence of the Shaper leads Grendel to inquire about both his meaning in the world and the reasoning behind his existence. These introspective questions are essentially what existentialism is centralized around, and Grendel embodies this fact. As a result, he attempts to do what he originally believed was impossible: finding the meaning in meaninglessness.
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
John Gardner's revolutionary style is not encompassed by a single genre; instead, he mixes first-person narrative and several different literary styles to give the "Ruiner of Meadhalls" a unique voice. The use of first-person narrative is essential to convey Grendel's spiritual growth. Were it not for Grendel's often self-deprecatory tone, which varies from mocking - "big shaggy monster intense and earnest, bent like a priest at his prayers" (72) - to bitter and cynical - "I, Grendel, was the dark side. The terrible race that God cursed" (51) - Grendel would be impossible to relate to. Even Grendel's bouts of insanity - (whispering, whispering. Grendel has it occurred to you my dear that you are crazy?)" are easily understood.
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.)
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.
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.
Philosophies such as nihilism, existentialism, and solipsism are explored throughout Grendel, a novel by John Gardner. Throughout the book, Grendel embarks on a journey of self-discovery, in which he tries to find himself through philosophy. Despite trying many different philosophies, Grendel is only met with dissatisfaction. However, the nihilistic philosophy that is introduced by the enigmatic dragon seemingly provides Grendel with a way out of his banal existence. Despite this, Grendel couldn’t fully commit to nihilistic beliefs therefore leading to the development of his scepticism philosophy. In the end, Grendel meets his death at Beowulfs’ hands, who disproves his scepticism and forces him to die an existentialist. The fact is that if Grendel had decided to
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 person’s beliefs and values greatly affect their actions and their perception of reality. Unferth who is considered a hero among the Scyldings, (those who live in the kingdom of Hrothgar) is an example of reality being shaped by beliefs. When Unferth encounters Grendel he declares that he will defeat him but gets subdued by Grendel with apples. After, he follows Grendel to his cave to have another try against Grendel while in horrible shape he converses with Grendel about his ideals of heroism and says, “‘Go ahead, scoff,’ he said, petulant. ‘Except in the life of a hero, the whole world’s meaningless. The hero sees values beyond what’s possible. That’s the nature of a hero. It kills him, of course, ultimately. But it makes the whole struggle of humanity worthwhile.” (89) This shows how Unferth’s morals and his beliefs on what a hero is shapes his life and his perception of reality. This view of heroism pushes him to be selfless and venture into Grendel’s cave which is unknown territory. Another example of how beliefs can affect the perception of reality is shown by the dragon who is this omniscient being in Grendel. The dragon believes that all life is meaningless in the grand scope of time because anything that happens on Earth will eventually just fade away; that it would be better to find a fortune and then protect it. This is shown when Grendel enters the dragon’s cave and the dragon says, “Things
In the novel Grendel is an evil character that attacks and kills multiple humans. Later in the book, Grendel meets the Shaper, and they have a meeting together. The Shaper talks to Grendel about how the people view him and he tries to change Grendel for the better. “ The man had changed the world, had turn up the past by its thick, gnarled roots and had transmitted it his way- and so did I” (Garnder 43). The Shaper talks to Grendel and tries to convince Grendel that he should be nicer to people and people will maybe change how they see him and he will not be an outcast anymore. He tells Grendel that his past is his past and basically that he can have a fresh start with people if he starts to be nice to them. The quote , “It was a cold blooded lie that a god had lovingly made the world and set out the sun and moon as lights to to land-dwellers that brothers had fought, that one of the races was saved, the other cursed. Yet he, the old Shaper, 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. As they did too, though
In short, the dragon is saying, "You are evil and they are good, but the only thing that makes them good is you." In this statement, it is apparent that good and evil have inseparable, yet undefinable boundaries, and are actually two in the same. Grendel's evilness motivates the fearful people to work, to strive, to think, and to overcome their problems. In this, however indirect or abstract it may seem, Grendel is actually producing good. Amazingly, he manages to be both evil and good at the same time.
His contemplation results in the ADD TRANSITION. As Grendel acquires knowledge of the story of Cain and Abel, he discovers himself in a new light: as a dark evil creature. The Shaper explains “an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light. And I, Grendel, was on the dark side...terrible race God cursed. I believed him. Such was the power of the Shaper’s harp” (Gardner 51). The ‘power’ of the Shaper’s songs, full of creatively crafted words, emphasizes that the Shaper possesses the ultimate power to convince Grendel that he is created from darkness. The ‘darkness’ referred to in this statement represents the evil of humanity such as violence which serves as the primary reason for Grendel’s purpose to kill. Although Grendel is categorized into this evil since he’s a descendant of Cain, at this point, his actions do not embody qualities of evil. Grendel’s realization of the darkness within himself alters his perspective of his purpose in life as the creator of the world into a monster cursed by God into isolation. Grendel is easily convinced by the new knowledge provided by the Shaper due his lack of full maturity. In accordance to maturing teens, Grendel also has not completely transformed into an adult so is more facile to
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
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.
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.