Francesca Sciacca The night is crisp and clear. In the sky stars caress the bright full moon. A creature trudges across a grass field. He pauses, inhales deeply as though he just got the scent of his next prey. His ears flicker when he hears a “SNAP.” A human. He turns towards the sound; grins a devilish smile showing long, sharp fangs. He slowly go towards the human, the human is paralyzed like a doe in the headlights. What happens next? One may assume that the creature would eat the human in one gulp. One could think that he would tear the human limb from limb. Yet, another could be intrigued, “They’re seriously misunderstood creatures.”-Rubeus Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It is literature 101, never judge a book by it's …show more content…
Or so it seems. In the novel Grendel by John Gardner diagnoses the ruthless monster in the tale of Beowulf. He is the epitome of wrong judgement. Grendel is an intellectual. He was naturally curious about human society. He tried to understand their ways nevertheless, he became frustrated with humans. Therefore, He started a twelve year war, eating and terrorizing them. He was jealous that they knew their purpose and that he did not. All he wanted was to communicate with someone. Besides his grotesque eating habit and beliefs he and mankind tethered on a fine line. When Grendel first discovered the humans he was stuck in a tree and beaten by a bull. Thinking he was going to die, he called out for his mother who did not answer. Then, a group of humans came across him. They first thought Grendel was an angry spirit in need of pigs. When Grendel tried to communicate with them they immediately went into defense mode. As stated, “I shrieked at them, trying to scare them off, but they merely ducked behind the bushes and took long sticks from the saddles of their horses, bows, and javelins. ‘You’re all crazy,’ I bellowed, ‘You’re all insane!’ I'd never howled more loudly in my life”(Gardner 26). Grendel going into the world of humans was a big milestone in his life, this was his first adult experience on his own. It rubbed him the wrong way. This event made him believe that the world is simply chaotic. He was thanking the humans for the pigs and the humans took it as a line of attack. Also, this is the moment he develops a hatred for the king who is amongst the group. He becomes jealous that he has all these followers and people to talk to. He believes that the world is a pointless accident. In addition, as Grendel watched the humans post-battle tales of the Shaper. It made him extremely emotional. He wanted to be a human, he wanted to experience and
Both Grendel and the monster have an appearance that prompts humanity to rebuke
Grendel has changed from a impressionable and inquisitive cynical monster in the beginning, to a grieving child of Cain, longing for purpose. From this, he then transitions into a very aggressive monster, attacking ruthlessly but not without thought. After Grendel meets Beowulf, another character that his once again influenced his thought killing him, he slowly dies and finally understands everything he’s gone through. His last lines “Poor Grendel's had an accident," (He) whispers. " So may you all.”
To begin, when Grendel is first introduced he is alone, watching and casting questions towards a ram and the sky, however he receives no answer. This is a first look into the mindset of this descendent of Cain, Grendel has no one to speak to. Later on, when his mother is introduced, it is revealed that she is incapable of verbally speaking with her son. This lack of communication creates a canyon between Grendel and his mother, one that no bridge can cover. There is no mother or God to guide or teach him the ways of socialization, and so, he is isolated; watching the lives of others through a crack in a wall.
Furthermore, early in the novel, Grendel learns of a man, known as the Shaper, who sings to entertain the folks in the Mead Halls. The Shaper sings of all sorts of stories and myths to give the people hope of something greater in the next life. He also sang of Grendel 's kind, which is "the terrible race God cursed" (Gardner 51). Grendel desperately wanted to believe this; he wanted to be part of the cursed creatures that are offsprings of Cain. This may give him some sort of purpose in life.
Moreover, Grendel’s last words indicate that something will happen to mankind as it did to himself. For instance, Grendel expresses, “there is no limit to desire but desire’s needs.” (Gardner 93). Such illustrates that Grendel can desire as much as he wants
Within Beowulf, “Grendel was the name of this grim demon / haunting the marches, marauding round the heath / and the desolate fens” (102 – 104). Grendel serves the role as the violent and demonic force plaguing King Hrothgar’s lands. He is not an Anglo-Saxon warrior by any means, but he serves as an excellent example of how the wrong conduct would produce a bad king. Grendel does many things that do not fall in line with Ango-Saxon ideals including, but not limited to: showing no quarter, disadvantaging his enemies, and attacking without purpose.
This time however, he is swept away by a person name the Shaper, who Grendel is ultimately scared of, because of the fact that the shaper is very good at changing the view of people very easily. During this same period, Grendel started to become more violent as well, first by attacking the humans. Grendel didn’t like the way Hrothgar lived and made the Mead Hall and in response, Grendel started to attack it at night. He killed anyone and everything that came into his sight, and even ate the humans. Grendel now became a real threat to the humans, which inevitably changed his status from sinister to pure
Pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered children, martyred cows” (Gardner 54). Grendel recognizes that it is the isolation that has turned him into what he is. He has seen how the humans have rejected him and tried to kill him, the first person viewpoint allows us to share this experience with
His main goal is to cause harm, yet he is never satisfied with the cruelties he
Throughout the novel Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel comes across as a ruthless monster who takes pride in murdering others. His actions give the impression that he is an evil figure, but in hindsight he is not as evil as he appears to be. Gardner makes the readers feel sympathy for Grendel because Grendel lives a lonely life, is consistently treated poorly, and attempts to make peace. If Grendel was truly evil, readers would have difficulty having sympathy for him. Therefore, Grendel is not evil and is no different than the rest of humanity.
Grendel’s story is not only from his perspective, but it also starts far before Beowulf enters the picture. Grendel does not even know of man’s existence before he encountered Hrothgar whom he starts to fear when he says “I knew I was dealing with no dull mechanical bull but with thinking creatures, pattern makers. The most dangerous things I’d ever met” (pg 27). His first encounter with these men left him wanting more. He spent most nights watching them in the shadows, trying to make sense of their actions.
There is a cause and effect to the many events you put yourself through, whether positive or negative it may affect your chances to a new beginning in the future. Outcast because of their ?physical appearance, Grendel and Beast create isolated lives for themselves; however, Beast recognizes the transformative impact of love, while Grendel gives in to his inner darkness. Grendel’s isolation is based on his genealogy and his resulting appearance; therefore, battling the challenge of being alone. According to Gardner’s, Grendel antecedents go back to Cain, the one considered as “brother-slayer.”
When he is in his cave alone, Grendel states, ““Why can’t I have someone to talk to?” I said. The stars said nothing, but I pretended to ignore the rudeness.” (Gardner 53) While Grendel isn’t completely alone because he has his mother, the difference in language prevents communication or connection that would normally be provided. Since he has no one to talk to, he not only feels alone, but he also is in search for a friend/companion.
His violent nature grew so much that he became crazy with the need to kill the humans. Therefore, Grendel’s actions reflect that his existence has drifted away from its partially civilized nature and into the barbaric. Grendel had no choice in becoming more beast than human because external forces constantly push him towards that fate. Whether it was the dragon, the actions of the humans, or Grendel’s own unconscious tendencies, he never really had the opportunity to make a choice, human or beast. What Grendel said and thought always clashed with the situations he encountered until there was simply no possibility of becoming the good in the way
Grendel in both stories is described as a vicious "Monster", but is viewed differently. The character of Grendel, in the novel by John Gardner, portrays a different visualization than that of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf. In the novel the story is told in first person point of view which gives Grendel human qualities while Grendel in Beowulf is told in third person point of view not giving Grendel his standpoint. In both works, the authors give two different perspectives of Grendel. Grendel in the novel is not seen as a "Monster", but as a human that has emotions and is very sympathetic about everything that comes his way.