According to Dictionary.com Sympathy can be defined as “the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, esp. in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration.” (dictionary.reference.com/browse/Sympathy) Pertinently this definition, as well as the information provided after reading both, The Poem Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel. and the novel Grendel by John Gardner, it appears evident that the character Grendel gains more sympathy from the reader than that of the character Beowulf.
Sympathy's definition, as previously stated implies that one, in this case the reader, can share feelings with another, Grendel, most often said feelings are that of sorrow. One instance, when you can particularly sympathize with Grendel, happens to be when he gets stuck in a tree, and Hrothgar and his men, come upon him, about to be attack:
I shrieked at them, trying to scare them off, but they merely ducked behind bushes and took long sticks from the saddles of their horses, bows and javelins. … I'd never howled more loudly in my life. Darts like hot coals went through my legs and arms and I howled more loudly still. (27)
The reader can interpret and feel the pain, and fear that Grendel endures being put through, as well as the confusion as to why these men are attacking him, when he was only asking for food.
As the story progresses, Grendel becomes entranced with the Thanes, and keeps a constant vigilance on them, One night Grendel, follows the Thanes when they set about defeating another group, The Hemlings, for they were growing far to large, and the King feared that they would take over. Once they appeared at the Hemlings' camp, the two Kings talked about the impending fight, Hrothgar wanting the fight, whereas ...
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...path, peeking in like a whiskered old voyeur, wet-lipped, red-eyed, my chest filled with some meaningless anguish, I watch the old man working up the nerve to let his heart stop.” (143) Grendel becomes overwhelmed with the sadness surrounding the Shaper, and becomes overwhelmed with the grief, one again letting the readers share his feelings on the situation. Then, once the old man has died, Grendel watches as a messenger leaves to tell the news to a woman, at this Grendel appears to come to a revelation, “So all of us must sooner or later pass.” (145)
Works Cited
Bateson, F . W . "Grendel and Beowulf Were Two Pretty Boys." The New York Review of Books. 3rd . New York: 1971. Print.
Gardner, John. Grendel. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Pgs.27, 100, 109, 110, 143, 145. Print.
“Sympathy” Dictionary.com, LLC http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Sympathy
This can be used as a symbol for the relationship between a person’s good side and evil side. The good side (the humans) attempt to exile the bad side (Grendel) and live in peace, but every once in awhile, the evil side will reappear and triumph for a while. Until a person reaches true morality and goodness (Beowulf) and can destroy the evil, this relationship will continue to occur.
This ‘beast’, the protagonist of the story, fights an internal struggle, of which is a part of the Hero’s Journey. 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 the beginning of the novel, surrounded by mindless eyes, he states, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident. So may you all.” (Grendel, John Gardner, pg.174) Previous to this, he questions if what he is feeling is joy. The reader is lead to believe that Grendel must feel nothing but peace. This, is the concluding moment of his
John Gardener’s Grendel is another version of the epic Beowulf, except in a differing perspective. This story is retold from the viewpoint of Grendel. Gardener wants us to empathize with Grendel through his own thoughts and emotions. The way one sees the monster in Beowulf is completely different than how one would think of him in Grendel. One is forced to view someone else’s opinion versus getting to form an opinion for oneself.
...life. In not seeking the connection between heart, mind, and soul, Grendel lives a disjointed life, fulfilling the prophecy of the dragon; all is meaningless, because it is meaningless to and through him. "Nihil ex nihilo, I always say."
Revealing the relationship of Grendel to something other than language, Gardner introduces the “beast” performing a “dance” (Gardner 92). He begins by suggesting for Grendel to “do a little dance beast” and continues when “[Grendel] clasps [his] hands over his head, points the toes of one foot [...] takes a step, does a turn” (Gardner 92). Even though the sentence lengths differ, the content of the two sentences juxtapose each other. The contrasting sentences further divulge the internal conflict of Grendel desiring to be known as a “beast” yet he performs like a human (Gardner 92). An uncertain tone later comes to reach as curious Grendel reflects on “what [we will] call the Hrothgar-wrecker when Hrothgar has been wrecked?” (Gardner 92). The ambiguous tone exposes the intrigued mind of Grendel, which discloses another internal conflict of Grendel to be curiosity. Therefore, through an ambiguous tone Gardner emphasizes the curiosity of men baffling and intriguing Grendel. Gardner utilizes contrasting sentence lengths and an ambiguous tone to divulge the distinct internal conflicts of the envious
While the monsters of the poem are the antagonists of the poem, the author still manages to make the reader feel traces of sympathy for them. Grendel’s human depiction, exile and misery tugs at the heart of readers and indeed shows a genuine side to the figure, while Grendel’s mother and the dragon are sympathetic mainly because they were provoked into being attacked over things they both had a deep affection for. Their actions make us question whether they are as evil as they seem.
Sorrow not, wise warrior. It is better for a man to avenge his friend than much mourn. Each of us must await his end of the world's life. Let him who may get glory before death: that is best for the warrior after he has gone from life. Arise, guardian of the kingdom, let us go at once to look on the track of Grendel's kin.
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.
Empathy is one of the great mysteries of life. Why do people feel empathy? Do others deserve empathy? Is feeling empathy a strength or weakness? These questions may forever go unanswered, or they may not even have an answer. Even if they are answered, they may only be speculation. One author shows his take on the matter with one of his books. In The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien uses Gollum and Thorin to show that people do deserve empathy, no matter how horrible they may be.
In the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk and wait for the death of man. Beowulf was written during the budding of Christianity in England, when it was newly forming. In the story there are obvious references to Christian rituals.
Time after time he charges into Herot Hall, slaughtering the warriors like sheep, and feasting on them. Denmark trembles in fear and grief as Grendel terrorizes their land. The people live in fear for their family and friends. Grendel is the Anglo-Saxon embodiment of what is dark, terrifying, and threatening. Grendel is an enemy of God. He can not know God’s great love. He is a powerful ogre that resides in the dark, wet marshes. He is a shadow of death that grows impatient with the Danes. He delights in their slaughter. No crime or savage assault would quench his thirst for evil. For evil can never be quenched. Grendel is a shepherd of evil and a guardian of crime. Grendel exhibits his envy towards the warriors as Cain did to his brother. Jealousy breed loneliness.
...owards Grendel. Gardner’s retelling of Beowulf reinforces the universal idea that there are two, if not more, sides to every story. It is prudent to remember that what is monstrous to some may be perfectly normal to others and recognizing all viewpoints can help bring about a truth: good and evil are not always clear-cut.
For countless years stories have involved a hero and a villain, the villain being the one who stops the piece and the hero who brings the piece back, the poem Beowulf is another story like this..Although the author is unknown it is for sure of Anglo-Saxon poetry and may have been written by a monk. The title “Beowulf” tells the reader right away what the story is going to be about, and who the hero is. The main characters of “Beowulf” are the hero Beowulf, the evil monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother She-wolf, Unferth which contrasts Beowulf, Hrothgar the King of the Danes, and Wiglaf the loyal ally. This story is about the greatest warrior in the world being called upon to save Danes and slay the monster who cannot be stopped yet, some don’t
87-91). Hearing all the jubilation that he cannot share in makes Grendel bitter. Because nothing that can be done to make Grendel’s resentfulness subside, he “[wages] his lonely war, inflicting constant cruelties on the people, atrocious hurt” (ln. 164-166) to make himself feel better. Every day he finds satisfaction in killing and eating the men who fall asleep in the hall after they have drunk and partied the evening away. Causing harm to human society is Grendel’s means of compensating for his loneliness.
The language of Beowulf, although in translation, nevertheless manages to convey, in this particular passage, the horror that is Grendel and the atrocities he commits at Heorot. It is easy to appreciate that Grendel is enormously evil, but less easy to perceive there is also method behind the madness. Beowulf will always be important in our understanding of, not only, Anglo-Saxon English language, culture and life but it also makes relevant points about our society and the idea of ostracization.