Epic poems are usually black and white; there is a superhuman good-guy and a powerful but doomed villain that he will defeat. As readers, we have always assumed that the hero is the person with the good values and unwavering morals while the enemy is the strong and seemingly undefeatable spawn of pure evil. John Gardner had other ideas when he wrote Grendel based on the antagonist of the classic epic “Beowulf.” Quickly, the reader is immersed in Grendel’s thoughts and sees that he too is fighting inner demons. Just as in regular epics, Grendel’s main villains (for he hates almost everyone) are just composite beings of his true nemesis. Ultimately, Grendel was self-defeating since he dedicated his life to theology which cannot stand the test of time.
Grendel constantly toys with different theologies throughout the novel. We see him try Solipsism in his youth, determining that “finally and absolutely, I alone exist. All the rest, I saw, was merely what pushes me, or what I push against, blindly—as blindly as all that is not myself pushes back” (22). This theory that nothing holds true meaning until he gives it meaning could only last so long. Soon, he was frightened that if this is true, he does not exist either, because he realizes that the only proof he has of his existence is that he thinks he exists, but means nothing at all if he does not exist. Grendel’s entire world is thrown off kilter—if he does not exist then everything he thinks exists does not exist either; but then what does?
While he struggles with his own theology, he questions the faith of the villagers as well. When he overhears the Shaper recounting the story of Cain and Abel he states, “the brothers had never lived, nor the god who judged them” (51). Grendel can...
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...s when these scenarios become unavoidable that we crumble under the weighty guidelines of our belief, just like Grendel. So, when Grendel is bombarded with all the things he had previously disregarded, he is unable to comprehend it all. Had he, in his past when exploring all the theories, focused not on what he liked and disliked, but on where each one is weak and proven wrong, he perhaps would have found that none of them are infallible. Each of the above theories was disproven and contradictory to each other, but nobody focuses on their weaknesses because they are too concerned about finding the right one. It seems as if Gardner would like us all to live our lives open to all theories while keeping a healthy amount of skepticism, because all the contradictions between theologies and the points they strive to make together define the unpredictability of life itself.
“Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry—crawling, whimpering, streaming tears, across the world like a two-headed beast, like mixed-up lamb and kid at the tail of a baffled, indifferent ewe—and I gnashed my teeth and clutched the sides of my head as if to heal the split, but I couldn’t.” (Grendel, John Gardner, pg.44) In this moment, Grendel’s mind is split between what he understands to be The world is callous and careless, blunt and belligerent; this he knows. However, with the artistic style and formation of the Shaper’s words, he is brought to tears and is captivated by his spiritual and emotional yearnings. Grendel is also overwhelmed with disgust and shame for himself and his vile habits.
He doesn’t believe that he has done anything wrong, therefore he doesn’t believe that he is a bad person. In the novel Grendel, Grendel states that, “I saw, is merely what pushes me, or what I push against, blindly—as blindly as all that is not myself pushes back. I create the whole universe blink by blink… (Gardner, 22)”. This internal thought from Grendel at the beginning of his story shows his belief that he holds the power to choose his future and that he creates his own reality. He truly does believe that despite his killing nature and that he is not technically human, he can still live among them and rise above his original reputation. In his encounter with the dragon in chapter 5, Grendel is told that, "My knowledge of the future does not cause the future. It merely sees it” (Gardner 63). What the dragon says in this instance sticks with Grendel in the sense that even though he is drawing away from his existentialist views, he still knows that he controls himself. Him accepting this strikes as somewhat half existentialism and half nihilism due to the character arc taking place. In addition to the evidence of existentialism in the novel itself, there is also many instances within literary criticism that suggest Grendel’s
Authors often have to choose between concentrating on either plot or social commentary when writing their novels; in John Gardener's Grendel, the plot becomes is a secondary consideration. Grendel's exploits provide the reader with a clear understanding of the strong opinions the author carries and can be seen clearly as a narrative supporting nihilism in its many forms. The reader easily perceives the blatant religious subtext in the guise of corrupt priests and the foolish faithful. The notion of the old being wise is unacceptable to Gardener along with any notion of hero idolization. Within his novel, Gardner expresses his views concerning religion, wisdom and nature.
In times before printed books were common, stories and poems were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. From such oral traditions come great epics such as England’s heroic epic, Beowulf. In Beowulf, the monster Grendel serves as the evil character acting against the poem’s hero, as shown by his unnatural strength, beast-like qualities, and alienation from society.
In Grendel, John Gardner shows that Grendel’s sense of right and wrong is shaped by the sins of man.
As Friedrich Nietzsche said; “What does nihilism mean? That the highest values devaluate themselves. The aim is lacking; “why?” finds no answer.” Grendels journey through finding himself, leads him ultimately to becoming a nihilist. After his newfound view on the universe, Grendel steps out in his overly destructive ways only to be shown up by the hero, Beowulf. In John Gardner’s novel, Grendel, it shows Grendel throughout his life, from rejecting the morals and beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons, and his philosophical views on Nihilism. As seen through both Grendel and Beowulf, Grendel shows characteristics of a monster with no motive for destruction. Grendel only strives to live based on his ability to continue terrorizing and destroying all things that don’t believe in Nihilism.
In both stories, Grendel became the murderous being that the humans made him out to be. When he first attacked the hall after his confusion over the actions of humans on behalf of Wealthow being forced to go with the tribe, he finally snapped saying, “I would kill her and teach them reality. Grendel the truth teacher, phantasm-tester! It was what I would be from this day forward—my commitments, my character as long as I lived—and nothing could change my mind”(Gardner 110). Once Grendel lost faith in humans, he was forced to kill as he was disappointed and disgusted by their actions. With the lies of the Shaper, their murderous ways, and flawed beliefs, he has turned too far away from goodness and believed the only way to fulfill his life is to kill the ones who confuse him. This showed the complexity of Grendel as in Beowulf, the attacks by Grendel were seen as pointless acts of violence and evil when in reality the humans had pushed him to this point. One main reason for his violence was his constant fight with his belief of human religion. He was constantly questioning why God made him an evil creature and tested humans and their belief through violence. He framed himself as a god and wanted to feel the same power when calling himself the truth-teacher and phantasm-tester in order to make sense of the lies of humans and tried to understand his own purpose and situation. By the end of the novel Grendel had become completely untrusting of the people and finally decided that his role in life is instead to kill and torment the Scyldings because as he became more existential, he realized that his actions would not have an effect on the outcome of the universe, so filled the void in his life with rage on the people of the Hrothgar’s meadhall. As he goes to fight Beowulf and the Geats in the hall, he seemed to have accepted his role as, “[Grendel] seized up a sleeping man, tear at him hungrily, bite through his
The contrast between good and evil is evident in Beowulf and effectively characterizes the many diverse people and creatures featured in the poem. From the highest hero in Beowulf to the most vile villain in Grendel, the tendencies of the characters, as well as their environments and the motives behind their actions, illustrate the deep differences that run between the virtuous and the wicked in the epic poem
The epic poem, Beowulf, is one of the oldest European epics in existence. When Beowulf was written, the writer incorporated many of the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons. Some of these ideals included loyalty, bravery, selflessness, and justice and were demonstrated in the hero. Both the characters Beowulf and Grendel represent aspects of both good and evil, Christianity and Paganism, and what occurs when they collide with one another. A characteristic of an epic poem is the concern over struggles that humans face, which is presented in a serious manner. The hero often embodies the religious, national, and cultural values of his homeland and abroad. The premise of the story is quite simple: the Danes were in distress because of the great monster Grendel, so Beowulf, a native of the Geats, sails to engage in battle with Grendel and become victorious in saving the seemingly faithless Danes. Throughout the epic, there are many instances where examples of the thirteen epic conventions are used in the writing of Beowulf and in describing both the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons and the underlying challenges with mortal problems, such as good versus evil.
In the beginning Grendel’s perspective of himself leads to various encounters that help him discover the meaninglessness to his very own existence. From the beginning through many centuries of pondering Grendel has come to the idea that the world consists entirely of Grendel and not-Grendel. Thus Grendel begins his search for meaning of his very own life with an existential philosophy, the belief that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will. While Grendel’s overall perspective of nature is that of mindless and mechanical machine, he believes that he is a separate entity from this machine. Furthermore he holds the philosophy that he himself is a god like creature that “blink by blink” creates the world. This philosophy undermined when Grendel notices that events occur before he can think them into existence. Grendel witnesses the death of a deer by the hands of humans: “Suddenly time is a rush for the hart: head flicks, he jerks, his front legs buckling, and he’s dead. He lies as still as the snow hurtling outward around him to the hushed world’s rim. The image clings to my mind like a
Some of the greatest villains in literature are characters who have merely been misunderstood. While we are drawn to literary heroes and admire their strengths, we often forget to consider the point of view of their enemies. Many of these enemies also possess strengths that the reader does not realize. Along with traditional heroes, the villain in a story can be considered an anti-hero. In the story Grendel, by John Gardner, the reader is challenged to contemplate the thoughts and feelings of the anti-hero, Grendel. Exploring heroes like Beowulf, and anti-heroes like Grendel, and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, causes the reader to develop a better understanding of the relationship that exists between the characters and their society.
Many may contend that the novel’s main character, Grendel, is guilty of evil by virtue of his vile actions. However, Gardner’s description of Grendel’s resistance to evil impulses and capability of human emotions suggest that Grendel is simply responding to his environment. Furthermore, Gardner deftly accrues readers’ sympathies towards Grendel, making it difficult for the empathetic reader to condemn the monster ex officio. By forging connections between humanity and his protagonist, Gardner indicates that readers are equally as guilty of sin as Grendel. Through this implication, he insinuates that humans are unqualified to judge Grendel’s actions, and, perhaps, each other. After all, if Grendel can be called evil, can the same not be said of all of mankind? The novel’s ultimate truth seems to harken back to Tupac Shakur’s assertion that, “Only God can judge me,” (Tupac
...erstanding of why things are happening the way sees them is due to the lack of communication from the humans, the lack of acceptance from the humans, and his very own ignorance. The three elements have taken him on a journey that leads to his death. Grendel saw past the religious aspect of the story and tried to clear his name from the records because he wanted to be accepted. In Grendel’s mind, the humans and himself have a lot in common.
The monster Grendel is the ironic eye through which the action is viewed and from this perspective he provides the reader with never-ending examples of buffoonery and self-parody. Often his claims reveal the Sartrean component in his makeup: "I create the whole universe, blink by blink"(Gardner 22). Gardner,of course,wants to make a point here about solipsism. There is more to the objective world than Grendel's ego. Naturally the universe still exists when Grendel closes his eyes. Likewise, when Grendel says "I observe myself observing what I observe", (Gardner 29) ,he reminds us of Sartre's view of the self-reflective nature of consciousness. As he said in his interview, Gardner planned to parody Sartre's ideas in Being and Nothingess in these sections of the novel.
Grendel is alone; he can not know God’s love and be comforted. He is an outcast, and the sins of his forefather have fallen upon him. Evil can not stand God being glorified just as the praising of God by the Danes angered Grendel.