Nihilism In Grendel Research Paper

The writer, Alan Moore, once said, “Why do we argue? Life’s so fragile, a successful virus clinging to a speck of mud, suspended in endless nothing.” This quote exemplifies the idea of nihilism, as it is saying that there is no point in arguing about anything in life, because life itself is not important enough to worry about. In Gardner’s Grendel, fate and boasting are important Anglo-Saxon elements. The lack of comitatus, or loyalty to one’s king is also relevant. The presence of these elements ties into Grendel’s nihilistic outlook. The different points of view that each piece of literature uses, along with these Anglo-Saxon elements, influence the reader’s perception on the archetypal hero. Having a satirical point of view, Grendel causes the reader to question what a hero really is. Being a nihilist, fate, boasting and lack of comitatus …show more content…
One’s reputation is dependent on his or her fate. This quote exemplifies Grendel’s fate in the novel, “Form is function. What will we call the Hrothgar-Wrecker when Hrothgar has been wrecked?” (Gardner 91). Grendel accepts the fact that his role in this world is to cause destruction to Hrothgar’s village, and that is all he will ever be. This contributes to his perpetual loneliness, because he is aware of his lack of sentimental importance to anyone. The idea of fate almost makes the reader feel bad for Grendel, as he or she can see throughout the novel how Grendel is terminally lonely. The aspect of wyrd could persuade the reader to side with Grendel, and believe that he is not the evil villain he is made out to be in Beowulf. In contrast, fate in the epic makes one think of Beowulf as the archetypal hero, armed with superhuman power. The reader can see that it is Beowulf’s fate to save Hrothgar’s village from the evil Grendel, whether that means life or death. Although present in both literary works, fate has different effects on the reader of