Known as “a monster born of Cain” in John Gardner’s Grendel, Grendel rebels against what he considers a meaningless, preposterous world. Reuben Sanchez of Fresno State University concludes that Grendel gives value and meaning to the world of man and, in return, that man defines life for Grendel. In short, Sanchez explores the development of Grendel and his admission of insanity: his own and the worlds’. Sanchez, however, believes that Grendel must “hold fast” to the truth in a world of disorder. With this in mind, the reader is left with the same question Grendel asks himself before his demise, “Is it joy that I
