What Is Grendel's Relationship With His Mother

The Interpretations Of Grendel

American writer, John Gardner, most famously known for his novel, Grendel, tells the story of the old English poem Beowulf, but from the point of view of the monster’s eyes. When Gardner was a kid, his younger brother, Gilbert was killed in a farming accident. He took blame upon himself for the accident. This event evidently shaped and influenced Gardner’s style of writing in his later life. This piece of literature has received high praise for its style of writing and unique tale of a troubled creature; New York Times book reviewer Richard Locke, called Grendel, “An extraordinary achievement…very funny, original and deft, altogether lovable, poignant, rich with thought and feeling…immensely enjoyable.”

In the novel we see Grendel as not just a ravenous monster who hates mankind, but a non-human who gives off human qualities and has human-like personas. The 2007 big budget film of the poem Beowulf, by director Robert Zemeckis, gave the viewers its first big-screen adaption look at the monster Grendel. There are many different comparisons from John Gardner’s novel to Zemickis’ Hollywood film. The representations of Grendel’s physical form, his overall portrayal as a character, and his relationship with his mother vary from the film to the novel.
From the moment readers were introduced to the monster Grendel in the old English poem, Beowulf, they were puzzled with what exactly it was and its physical appearance. The poem gave descriptions to what it looks like but I believe the author left it untold so that it was up too the reader to imagine what the monster looked like. In the John Gardner novel Grendel, Gardner never really tells how the creature looks like since the story is from Grendel’s eyes. Gardner does give the reader brief and insignificant glimpses at Grendel’s appearance. At the end of chapter 3, Gardner writes, “Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry…”(Gardner 44). He also runs on all fours expressing that Grendel could appear as almost a werewolf type creature. The reader then gets its first real look at the being; Grendel comes about as being a giant, hairy-like beast. In his film adaption, director Robert Zemeckis, Grendel is depicted as a huge deformed and ogre type creature who takes on the shape of a human instead of bearlike creature described in the novel. He is not very hairy like portrayed in the novel. Grendel is seen as almost a boogeyman to King Hrothgar and his people. In a 2008 article for the nypost.com, Zemeckis described his version of Grendel as, “the embodiment of pain.” The film version of Grendel was a monstrous being that has a large pulsating ear drum that seems to cause him pain from the noises of the Danes singing. Grendel suffers from the same weakness in the novel as well, as he hates the sound of laughter and joy. The two different representations of the title monster are very distinct from one another, though the film does portray Grendel as the overall character in the novel.
The monster’s overall portrayal in both the film and novel are similar in terms of Grendel’s characteristics. Though Grendel is only in the film for the first hour, the audience gets a feel for what the creature is. Grendel first makes his appearance in the beginning of the movie where he crashes Hrothgar’s mead hall and wrecks havoc upon those in there, slaughtering everybody in his path. Viewers then see Grendel in his cave similar to the novel. The monster in the film speaks only old English unlike the book where Grendel speaks the human’s language. Grendel is depicted similar to his novel self, like a giant momma’s boy. Once his attack on the mead hall ends, we see Grendel having a conversation with his mother, though we cant make out what Grendel is saying, he seems alone and scared as his mother talks him, almost like a child. The way Robert Zemeckis depicts Grendel is seen as a monster with a child’s mentality who seems to be incapable of anything else besides being a killer monster. Whereas in the novel, Gardner makes the reader feel sympathetic towards the monster. Gardner gives Grendel a conscience and human like thoughts, giving the reader an insight on who Grendel really is. The film does Grendel no justice when it came to showing the real Grendel, a lost and curious being whom nobody seemed to understand. The novel does a better job at showing Grendel questioning the humans and their world rather than killing them. In chapter 2, as Grendel is stuck in a tree while being attacked by a bull, he says, “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” (Gardner 21). Grendel is as curious as he is terrifying. Zemeckis does a good job at showing the monstrous version of Grendel, as the viewers see him eating and killing people because that’s what he is meant to do. In the novel, Grendel is surrounded by animals who he thinks are dumb and lifeless, picking at him being isolated from society and being lonely in his own world. Grendel’s portrayal, whether it be in the film or novel is an interesting piece as readers and viewers are puzzled to know who what the character was really like.
Grendel’s relationship with his mother is also depicted differently.

The film and novel both do give a close interpretation of Grendel’s relationship with his mother. The novel, Grendel seems to feel sympathy for his mother. She is seen as a wicked being that lives with Grendel in the cave but actually plays a much bigger role in his life. Grendel described her as a “life-bloated, baffled, long-suffering hag” (Gardner 11). Grendel, for how menacing he is, is a big baby for his mother. We see this when Grendel is stuck in the tree and he weeps for his mother, crying and yelling for her to save him. He needs to be loved by her though she incapable of communicating to him due to not making sense when she speaks. Gardner made his mother feel more like an animal than a human being. Gardner gives the two characters a loving and touching relationship that shows the emotional and soft side of Grendel people didn’t know had. We also see this side when he is fighting Beowulf in chapter 12 and bawls out “Mama!” (Gardner 171). His mother plays the role of his protector, ultimately protecting him from the outside world. The cries for his mother make the reader feel sympathetic for the creature, as they can relate to a son’s love for his mother. The film version doesn’t show their relationship as the novel does. His mother is not depicted as she is in the novel, she is seen as a gold dripping reptilian serpent rather than an old hag. The film version shows them communicating to each other and the mother’s language is understandable in the movie as opposed to the novel where she speaks gibberish. We see Grendel after his attack of the mead hall back in the cave speaking to his mother then falling to the ground as his mother tells Grendel that those humans have killed many of their kind. We sense that the two have a relationship but it is not explored as it is in the novel. Zemeckis still depicts his version of Grendel as a mother’s boy, which is similar to the novel. In the film

adaption, when Grendel is seen dying, he dies by his mother’s side and as he tells of the “man” who caused him harm and eventually led to his death. The novel shows Grendel dying around a group of animals whom he referred to being a dumb beings in the beginning of the novel, then before he dies, Grendel curses them. While the film did change its source material to appeal to audiences, the relationship between Grendel and his mother is clearly in both and speaks volumes for what kind of mother and son relationship they had.
In conclusion, the story of the monster Grendel can take many forms and versions. Whether it be a monster who questions his own reality and doesn’t fit into his world or a heartless inhuman who despises humanity, Grendel is still depicted as the reader or viewer chooses to see him. Author John Gardner and film director Robert Zemeckis both give the monster their views on Grendel and depicting quite differently from each other. Grendel in the motion picture is seen as the creature that terrorizes and kills Hrothgar’s people, doesn’t have quite the relationship with his mother as in the novel, and is even seen to be visually different. The story of Grendel is a compelling piece of literature that gives reader a closer more in-depth look at the monster and his motives. He is seen as an outsider and questions the fabric of humans as he isolates himself away from existence. As much as Grendel is grotesque and repulsive, he gives off human traits and sees himself as an outsider who seems to be searching for his place in the world, where many people can relate too.