Comparing Grendel And Beowulf

The character of Grendel in John Gardner’s novel is evidently more detailed than the character given in Beowulf due to the use of first person point of view, the emotional connection he conjures up on the reader, and the constant struggle of understanding his purpose in life. In John Gardner’s novel, Grendel describes all the events that are happening in his point of view. Grendel narrates in first person which allows us to know his inner thoughts and observations. We are able to go into Grendel’s head as certain events are happening in both Beowulf and the novel Grendel. The novel states, “I sank to my knees, crying, “Friend! Friend!”… they could kill me- eventually would if I gave them a chance” (52). This shows that Grendel did not intend …show more content…
He is in awe by the humans and therefore wants to be a part of them but soon realizes they will not accept him. Gardner states,”…holding conversation with my only friend and comfort this world allows, my shadow” (8). This gives a reader a sense of sympathy due to the fact that he is lonely and cannot fit in with the humans. The isolation and pain that Grendel experiences forms a connection with the reader due to the fact that most humans tend to go through the same events. In the epic poem, Beowulf, they describe Grendel as a monster that does not care for friendship but will eat for the amusement and thrill of it. It is stated, “…seeking no peace, offering/ no truce, accepting no settlement…” (69-70). This shows that Grendel is described as an animal that does not have reason nor want harmony. He is not looking for peace but would rather torment the humans. We can infer from this quote that Grendel is not seeking companionship which would be contradicting what the novel stated. The novel and epic poem creates two different personalities of Grendel by portraying him as a being that seeks friendship and a being that seeks to kill anybody that gets near