Similarities Between Grendel And The Shaper

In the novel, Grendel, there is a monster from the underworld who is declared to be named Grendel. Throughout the story, the reader witnesses the evolution of Grendel from a baby bear into an evil monstrosity. Throughout the novel, Grendel deals with the humans, being tormented by a dragon, and influenced by The Shaper. The user can draw many connections with the novel to modern day life, especially the connection between The Shaper, Grendel, and the dragon compared to Jesus, mortals, and Satan.

“I used to play games when I was young-- it might as well be a thousand years ago. Explored our far-flung underground world in an endless wargame of leaps onto nothing, ingenious twists into freedom or new perplexity, quick whispered plottings with

invisible friends, wild cackles when vengeance was mine.” (Gardner, 15) This quote sets a firm foundation of where Grendel comes from; an underground world. His childhood is very unfortunate, as he claims he is from an underground world or a third dimension of some sort; one of evil.

An assumption can be made by this that this was one of the building blocks that triggers his hate with the real world filled with humans. In the second chapter, there is a flashback to when Grendel visits the real world for the first time. “The firesnakes scattered as if my flesh were charmed, and so I discovered the sunken door, and so I came up for the first time, to moonlight.” (Gardner, 16). The first night, Grendel doesn’t travel so far, due to his nervousness overwhelming him. However, the more he went out, the more he explored, until he eventually got himself stuck in a tree. ““Poor Grendel! Poor old Mama!” I wept and sobed. “Poor Grendel will hang here and starve to death.” I told myself, “and no one will ever miss him!”” (Gardner 18) These chain of events can be horrific, especially for a bear who was just trying to explore the world. While stuck in the tree, soldiers come and find him, along with a bull, who strikes the tree with his skull multiple times. Being tormented like this, as a young bear can definitely mess with one’s mind. Later in the story, this is a

plausible variable as to why he has such hate for the human race. Fortunately before he is finished off, his mother comes and finds him and saves him from his death. “She came roaring down like thunder, screaming like a thousand hurricanes, eyes as bright as a dragonfire, and before she was within a mile of us, the creatures had leaped to their horses and galloped away.” (Gardner, 27) Unfortunately, Grendel had not learned his lesson from this, and proceeded to continue to visit the human world frequently.
As Grendel chooses to visit the dimension of the humans, he decides to sit back and watch how they communicate and what they do.

He even manages to witness a few attacks from certain villages on others during the nights. “With luck, I might see, on a soft summer night, as many as three halls burning down at once.” (Gardner, 37) Another variable to Grendel’s madness at the end of the book, may have possibly been his witness to human sabotage between villages and tribes, leading to him thinking violence is acceptable. He even has a few encounters with the humans, and kills a couple when he is attacked, as they are threatened due to his appearance and monstrosity. When he eavesdrop on The Shaper, he is comforted by his kind words, and he tries to make peace with the Danes. “He sang how they’d fought me. It was all lies. The sly harp rasped like snakes in cattails, glorifying death.” (Gardner, 54) However, when he is attacked and chased out, he realizes that everything The Shaper has said was all comforting lies, he is astounded and furious with the whole situation. After fleeing the scene, Grendel comes across a mighty dragon who deemed the world as pointless and torments Grendel as Grendel himself torments the humans. ““Like a rabbit!” he brought out. “Nyee he hehe! When you’re scared you look--nyee hehehe--exactly… (gasp) exactly…”” (Gardner, 59) After Grendel had gotten a taste of what fear is from a force larger than him, he realizes that his torment on the humans was

spiteful and mean. However, the dragon dames the world as useless and meaningless, and promotes violence. At this point in the novel, Grendel has been exposed to an aspect of life that is meant to bring cheer and comfort to the Danes, The Shaper, and a replica of the devil, the Dragon. A comparison can be made between those three to Jesus, mortals, and Satan. Grendel is the “man in the middle” and listens to both “forces of power” and weighs out what both of them mean to him. However, later in the book, it is clear that he turns completely sinister and begins to launch his attacks more frequently and viciously against the Danes. “I finally committed myself to killing her, slowly, horribly. I would begin by holding her over the fire and cooking the ugly hole between her legs.” (Gardner, 109) This was Grendel’s thought on how he will kill the queen of the Danes, Hrothgar’s wife, Wealtheow. This was just the very beginning of the ultimate madness from the monster, Grendel.
Not only did Grendel have love for murder, but he had a passion for creating chaos as well, shown with the scene where he pretended to be The Destroyer. ““It is I, the Destroyer.” A violent shock goes through [Ork]. He shakes all over, practically falls down.” (Gardner, 130) Grendel proceeds to fool the priest, and makes him seem like a fool in front of the fellow priests that believed in The Destroyer. “Nevertheless, I saw him, my life of study and devotion has been rewarded!” (Gardner, 134) Although Ork was blind and the eldest of the priests, only one of the three other priests had believed and approved of his tale. Later, Grendel gets upset with a goat that is trying to climb his mountain, so he decides to throw a tree at it and pelt stones at the dumbfounded animal and kills it on the spot. “It splits his skull, and blood sprays out past his dangling brains.” (Gardner, 140) Even against an innocent animal, Grendel shows hatred and evil for. No compassion whatsoever. Grendel is the true being of a sinister embodiment. Ever since Grendel had met the dragon, there have been hints at his permanence throughout the novel, which is the sinister characteristic within Grendel. “Scent of the dragon. I should sleep, drop war till spring as I normally do. When I wake, I wake with terror, hands on my throat.” I like to think that this scene is a throwback to when Grendel had initially met the dragon who had temporarily terrorized him and convinced him that the world was worthless, and how he was nothing but a madman who was only excited by violence. “But he shook his head slowly, “Nothing interests you but excitement, violence.” “That’s not true!” I said.” (Gardner, 67). In the final scene of the novel, Grendel awaits an attack that he does not know that is his last. The Geats and Danes create a fire and head to sleep. Now it was Grendel’s time to strike and kill Beowulf, the greatest warrior of the Geats. “The Geats build up the fire, prepare to sleep. And now, silence. Darkness, it is time.” (Gardner, 166) When Grendel begins his assault on the mead hall, he kills a few unsuspecting people, and then grabs another man, Beowulf. To his surprise, he was waiting for him. Grendel slips on the blood on the floor from his past victims and eventually Beowulf rips off Grendel’s arms. This is the turning point in the novel when Grendel realizes he is going to die. “They watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident,” I whisper “So may you all.” (Gardner, 174) I like to compare this last quote as if he placed a curse on the human race from that quote, saying that he wishes us all to die from something tragic, like a plague or a sickness. Also, another comparison the reader could make is that it’s almost if Grendel is like the devil and places a curse upon the world for tragic death.
In conclusion, the novel, Grendel, the reader can analyze Grendel’s characteristics and childhood to make the comparison that his life was very similar to the human’s in the story. Like Grendel, Hrothgar and his army were challenged in wars and raids, and then brought back to peace by The Shaper with comforting stories. However, the only difference was that Grendel was more influenced from the dragon’s perspective of the world; worthless and hateful. This thought lead him to the destruction of others’ lives and eventually his own. “They watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident,” I whisper “So may you all.” (Gardner, 174)