Curiosity in Grendel by John Gardner and Beowulf and Grendel, by Sturla Gunnarsson

1165 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How does literature help us understand history

The book Grendel by John Gardner and the movie Beowulf and Grendel directed by Sturla Gunnarsson both portray the theme of curiosity. In both the book and the movie there are characters that have the trait of intellectual curiosity, and there are also those who lack this trait. In the book, Grendel’s personality contains this trait and Beowulf’s character does not, but in the movie Beowulf is the one with this trait, not Grendel. Grendel’s character in the book and Beowulf’s character in the movie both have an intellectual curiosity which seems to drive them to find out the truth.

The difference between Grendel’s intellectual curiosity in the book and movie is drastic. In the book Grendel is always questioning why certain situations and events happen, and why people act the way they do. Grendel is very curios about humans and he wants to find out the truth behind their actions and motives. In the book, Grendel finds a way into the human world and explores. He goes through the town trying to figure out how the people interact with one another and the world (16-45). Throughout this section Grendel is watching and learning. He is learning about how and why the humans do the things they do. Grendel is interested and curious about the humans, and he satisfies his inquisitiveness by watching the humans and eventually trying to interact with them. In the movie, Grendel’s character has a significant difference in his level of intelligence, which makes him not as curious about the outside world. In the movie Grendel is just torturing the Danes out of revenge, because they killed his father. He does not try to learn about the people, he does not question anything that they do, and he does not try to figure out the reason behind the Danes ...

... middle of paper ...

...r part of the actions and decisions the characters take and the way the audience views the characters. The story of Beowulf and Grendel would probably be very prominent in Anglo-Saxon culture today. This story is about the non-fictional history of the Anglo-Saxons, so they probably would want to study this story because it is part of their history. In the book Grendel and the movie Beowulf and Grendel the values of curiosity and intelligence are two major themes that both the book and the movie support. They both help to teach the true value that asking questions helps to raise personal awareness about the worldwide events throughout the society.

Works Cited

Beowulf and Grendel. Dir. Sturla Gunnarsson. Perf. Gerard Butler, Sarah Polley, and Stellan Skarsgard. Roundstone Communications, 2006. Film.

Gardner, John. Grendel. New York: Vintage, 1989. Print.

Show More
Related

  • How Does Gardner Present Grendel's Character Development

    1275 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gardner plays Grendel as like a child when he first discovers the the new world. For example, Grendel announces, “ I played my way farther out into this world” (Gardner 16). This shows Grendel’s first look in the real world. He first thinks that this world is going to be a fine place to live. Unfortunately, Grendel explore more into the world and sees the “Burning eyes of the strangers” (Gardner 17). To explain, Grendel has never seen such people in his life, so he starts to rethink life. In other words, his exploration of the world of humans changes the way he perceives the creatures in the underground world. This mentally changes his self

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Grendel in Beowulf and John Gardner's Grendel

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    In both works, Beowulf and Grendel, Grendel himself is generally given the same connotations. He is given kennings, called names, referred to as the evil spawn of Cain, and even viewed as a monster; but why? Why in both books is he a wicked, horrible, person who is harshly excluded from everyone? After stumbling upon John Gardner's book, it was halfway expected that some excuse would be made for Grendel; that he wasn't really the inexorable monster the thanes in Beowulf portrayed him as. But all it really did was make him worse. What is the message we are being sent about Grendel?

    Read More

  • Cultural Differences In 'Grendel And Beowulf'

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even though, the values of Beowulf and Grendel are similar to the ones that I and my entire generation have grown up learning, both of the epic and movie have qualities that make me unable to come to a conclusion as to which of the works recounts the story of Beowulf and Grendel in a more exceptional way. Therefore, I give the forthcoming generations the responsibility of making that

    Read More

  • Grendel And Beowulf: Humanizing The Monster

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Grendel In Beowulf

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel as a character is very intelligent, he is capable of rational thought at all times. Because of this, at sometimes during the story I would forget Grendel is a monster, the way he acts in his thoughts and actions I would mistake him for a human; at times I was even feeling bad for Grendel because he is a very lonely person who tries to understand all of the meaningless of the world around him. Grendel can never get to close to

    Read More

  • Grendal by John Gardner

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel became fascinated with man at an early age. He watched as their population grew, he watched the wars they waged, and the celebrations they had at night. He watched their senseless killing, their wastefulness, and he learned some new words from them. He seemed to look at man as his teacher and deep down it appeared that he wanted to become a man himself for they had found some kind of meaning. He did make a couple of futile attempts to befriend man. Often he approached the exiled, but in the end he “had to eat them for they wer...

    Read More

  • Grendel Character Analysis Essay

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    The fact having Grendel as the main character makes it even more interesting because is almost kind of unknown. I describe him as the unknown because you really do not know what he really is. At one point he is kind of confusing because he is both characterized as a human and a monster who kills and eats humans. How awful is that? Grendel can be scary but at the same time who feel sort of sorry for him when he describes being lonely with the desire of companion. For example, I felt kind of sorry for him because he is being alone in situations that seem kind of tough. But in the other hand Grendel eats humans and that is kind of scary. Although Grendel would eat humans, I do not blame him because that is what he was thought to do in a way. It’s like following the same step you are thought to do. That is Grendel’s case. He was not really thought it was wrong to do so, he was in a way confused and all he wanted to do was to understand his place in a potentially meaningless

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of Anglo-Saxon Heroism In Grendel

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel, written by John Gardner, is a novel based off the early epic poem, Beowulf. Gardner tells the tale in the perspective of the monster, Grendel, who is struggling to understand the purpose of life and his place in the world. In Gardner’s novel, Grendel terrorizes the kingdom of Hrothgar for 12 years, killing men in the night relentlessly. With the descriptions of battles and heroic deeds, Gardener conveys to the reader, the ideals of Anglo-Saxon heroes as courageous, self-righteous, humble, and loyal beings that are humanly flawless. The book Grendel tears down all these fundamental ideologies of Anglo-Saxon heroism by giving Grendel the monster a nihilist perspective that makes heroism sound stupid and meaningless.

    Read More

  • Curiosity Kills In John Gardner's 'Grendel'

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    Various people know that “curiosity killed the cat” but that is not the initial statement. In 1598, during Every Man in His Humour by English playwright Ben Jonson, the expression was first known as “care’ll kill a cat” (1). This phrase doesn’t implicate care as to nurture or tend to, but rather worry or sorrow. The remark “curiosity killed the cat” is commonly used when one wants another to stop asking nonessential questions. Much like the cat in the play, the 1971 novel Grendel by John Gardner, also holds a beast curious about his life and surroundings. In the novel, Grendel is portrayed as a child with a lack of understanding and a need to adventure throughout the world. Although he is scared to venture too far from his

    Read More

  • The Epic Of Grendel's Metaphamental Monsters In Beowulf

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf outlines turmoil between three opponents: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon. These separate discords each serve to fulfill different metaphoric purposes. Grendel’s character epitomizes the adverse persona of how an Anglo-Saxon warrior should not be. His mother represents everything that a woman during the time era should seldom be. Lastly, the Dragon embodies all the values that an Anglo-Saxon king should not dare retain. Without a doubt, the symbolic implications of the monsters in Beowulf bring the context to a new level of understanding.

    Read More

  • The Humanization of Grendel

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    Grendel exhibits human feelings and characteristics in many ways. Although Grendel is a monster “forced into isolation by his bestial appearance and limited imagination” (Butts) he yearns to be a part of society; he craves companionship while he is isolated. With his “ear pressed tight against the timbers [of Hart]” (43), he watches and listens to the humans and what goes on in Hart, the meadhall of King Hrothgar, to feel like he is a part of civilization. He also has feelings in relation to specific humans. Just like the citizens of Denmark, he is extremely affected by the Shaper and his songs that are “aswim in ringing phrases, magnificent, golden, all of them, incredibly, lies” (43). Grendel is profoundly “moved by the power of the Shaper’s poetry” (Butts). Queen Wealtheow shows Grendel the feminine, sweet, and kind side of life. “She had secret wells of joy that overflowed to them all” and her peaceful effect on those around her is a main cause of Grendel’s almost obsessive fascination with her and in turn, drives Grendel to feelings of rage. Grendel’s humanlike feelings show that his personality is similar to that of a human, helping those who read his story to relate to him.

    Read More

  • Epic of Beowulf

    628 Words  | 2 Pages

    A writers mind is very intellectual, they tend to have an unparalleled vision within their sense of understanding. The differences of this vision, compared to the levels of understanding, shows itself transversely throughout the novel Grendel and the epic poem Beowulf. Both forms of literature are distinct in the plot and setting, but Gardner’s perceptiveness of Beowulf in his novel differs from the view of the unknown author’s relay of Beowulf in the poem. In the poem, Beowulf is portrayed as an epic hero, brave honorable, and dignified, with vast generosity and munificent loyalty. While in the novel, he is portrayed as an unsettling stranger that connives his way into everyone’s life by his dangerous nature and entrancing stories.

    Read More

  • Grendel Is Not Evil, By John Gardner

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Existentialism And Nihilism

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    Grendel starts out as an existentialist. He questions all things around him and is anxious to know and hear answers based on what he sees and experiences outside of his cave. He is a lonely outcast who is unwelcomed in society. One day he decides to enter a whole new world he has never seen before. All of a sudden, confusion and doubt surround him. In the new world, Grendel encounters the Danes from Hrothgar who apparently shares similar thoughts and views as his. For the first time, Grendel feels and predicts that his life might consist of bigger purposes than just roaming around the forests while living in a cave with a monster that can’t answer the questions he asks. Grendel begins to think that he might as well perceive the smallest hope of becoming like the Danes, and finally gets rid of the stereotypes that have been following him all his life. However, things didn’t seem to proceed as he wished. When he realized that he could understand the language of the humans, he tried to answer them back, but all that came out from his mouth were loud roars that terrified the Danes

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Beowulf and Grendel

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic chronicling the illustrious deeds of the great Geatish warrior Beowulf, who voyages across the seas to rid the Danes of an evil monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land of a fiendish monster and halting its scourge of evil while the monster is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves to die because of its evil actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf the authors portrays Grendel as a cold-hearted beast who thrives on the pain of others. Many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel set out to change the reader’s perception of Grendel and his role in Beowulf by narrating the story through Grendel’s point of view. John Gardner transforms the perceived terrible evil fiend who is Grendel into a lonely but intelligent outcast who bears a striking resemblance to his human adversaries. In Grendel, John Gardner portrays Grendel as an intelligent being capable of rational thought as well as displaying outbursts of emotion. He portrays Grendel as a hurt individual and as a victim of oppression ostracized from civilization. The author of Beowulf portrays Grendel as the typical monster archetype as compared to John Gardner’s representation of Grendel as an outcast archetype.

    Read More

More about Curiosity in Grendel by John Gardner and Beowulf and Grendel, by Sturla Gunnarsson

Open Document