Beowulf And Grendel Comparison

Superior Essays
What separates the epic poem Beowulf and John Gardner’s Grendel is how the devil-spawn Grendel, is presented. Is he a monster set on destroying humanity, or is he a misunderstood creature that is just trying to make amends with Hrothgar and his people? Gardner’s Grendel is a retelling of the story of Beowulf, through the monster’s eyes in depth. On the other hand, the epic poem introduces Grendel briefly, yet assertively. He is described as a terrible, evil being spawned by the devil and shunned by the most high. There is not much opportunity for the audience to analyze Grendel’s character. Grendel allows the monster to tell the story through his eyes and gives the audience an opportunity to look into his motives and analyze him as a character, rather than a brute who is introduced briefly and quickly killed. In addition, the novel indirectly presents a question: Grendel is presented as a monster, but can he also be considered a human? Physically speaking, he is far from what is defined as a human, but when scrutinizing his character, his humanity can be seen. When taking that into account, Grendel can be considered as a monster with human nature. As Gardner’s novel progresses, Grendel, like all humans have, matures mentally. The monster in the beginning of the novel has the mentality of an infant: he only cares about himself, and pushes away the outer world. He displays a strong sense of egocentrism and bears a solipsistic mindset. While stuck in the tree and being charged at by the bull, Grendel comes to a realization that the world is nothing and he is the only existing thing after no one comes to his aid: “. . . I alone exist. All the rest . . . is merely what pushes me, or what I push against . . .” (Gardner 22). However, this solipsistic attitude becomes challenged when Grendel begins to observe Hrothgar and his kingdom. When the Shaper arrives in Hrothgar’s kingdom, he sings songs about the great things Hrothgar has done, but does so in a way that baffles Grendel. Here, his egocentric attitude is highlighted. The Shaper told a history of the kingdom that is in stark contrast with his version, and cannot understand how. What was he? The man had changed the world, had torn the past up by its thick, gnarled roots and had transmuted it, and they, who knew the truth, remembered his way - and so did I. (Gardner 43). Much like children, he becomes uneasy when something he has known all his life becomes challenged. He decides to run away after hearing the Shaper and covers his ears while crying. His mental maturation begins after his encounter with the dragon. The dragon floods him with knowledge, some of which he cannot comprehend, and Grendel begins to realize that there are other entities but him, directly challenging his solipsism, and putting him in an existential crisis where he now questions: why bother to exist when everything will eventually die? His mind becomes expanded and opened, no longer being confined to the idea that only he matters and exists. In addition, the Shaper and his stories no longer …show more content…
Physically, it is quite obvious that he is a far cry from what a human is, but his behaviors and emotions say otherwise. In both Beowulf and Grendel, he is ostracized and shunned by society. Ruud asserts in his article that Grendel is an “outcast spirit” (9) and an “estranged being” (9), and is “alone . . . and remains alone” (9). He further expands upon this by quoting O.F. Emerson: “. . . Grendel’s chief motive in assaulting Hrothgar’s hall is not the mere thirst for gore . . . but . . envy of the Danes’ happiness.” (5). Envy is something that all humans experience, and for Grendel to experience such a strong, human-specific emotion makes him human in character. Monsters in nature do not think or feel, they seek to terrorize, and terrorize alone. This is emphasized in Beowulf, “. . . Grendel came, hoping to kill . . . Intended to tear the life from those bodies By morning . . .” (Raffel 49). Without Gardner’s Grendel, he would have only been seen as a brute monster, set out to kill. The novel allows us to that he is capable of thinking and feeling, which sets him apart and leads the audience to think that he is human in his

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