Grendel In Beowulf Essay

“Grendel”, by John Gardner, is about a monster who lives in a cave with his nonverbal mother. Grendel, in the novel, is an antagonist who is merely misunderstood. Granted, when Grendel recalls a memory of his first encounter with a human, when he was stuck between a tree trunk, he tried to talk to them but they were terrified and confused and instead, attacked him. Now, a twelve-year wars between the humans erupted and Hrothgar, the king gained power. In between the war, Grendel discovers a newfound hate for the humans and depicted them as wasteful and brutal, hence, they kill other humans for no reason and destroy nature. Through various encounter with humans, one being with a Sharper who sang a song about a man killing his brother and was cursed and Grendel was the descendant of that brother, Grendel decided to be the monster that society made him as. Yet, upon the arrival of a Beowulf, a man who promised to kill Grendel, Grendel believes maybe society is as evil as they make Grendel seem to be. “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 …show more content…
Throughout the novel, Grendel battles with his evil urges. Upon hearing the Shaper’s song, Grendel’s mind is lured into believing in hopeful things, however; society seems to pull him out of his fantasies. Conversely, the temporary feeling gets reminded, by the Dragon and various encounters, that he will always be an outcast. Furthermore, good vs. evil becomes a theme in the novel. For instance, the humans see Beowulf, the man who drove Grendel to his death, as a hero but, Grendel views him as another version of the Dragon who wants power, by admiration. Overall, I believe everyone is born with good and evil, yet depending on their perspective and experience their dark side is showcased a different