Nihilism In Grendel's Existentialism

“"I staggered out into the open and up toward the hall with my burden, groaning out, "Mercy!, Peace!" the harper broke off, the people screamed." Agree or not, but these words by Grendel, define a moment when he searches for meaning in what to him feels like a meaningless world. Throughout the novel a recurring theme is Grendel’s ever changing philosophy, although beliefs often change , his fundamental belief is grounded in Existentialism. Existentialism is defined as the “struggle for individual meaning in an ultimately meaningless world”, this definition suits Grendel because it describes his mindset throughout most of the novel. Grendel is continually searching for meaning in his surrounding environments. Since the beginning of the novel …show more content…
The Dragon is a supreme being who knows past, present and future; Grendel’s meeting with the Dragon, “enlightens” him but also greatly confuses him.The Dragon believes that all things in the universe will come to an end and are therefore meaningless. Grendel leaves the Dragon's lair with a sense of purpose. Grendel accepts his role as the villain that helps advance humanity, an example of this is when he states I was Grendel, Ruiner of Meadhalls, Wrecker of Kings! But also, as never before, I was alone. (Gardner 80). While, Grendel may feel he is finding meaning in his world, in actuality, he is actively becoming more distant from any meaning other than being evil for the sake of being evil. Although Grendel enjoys nihilism for a while, Beowulf’s arrival is the end of nihilism. While the Dragon made Grendel believe that nothing has any meaning, Beowulf teaches Grendel that “the world will burn green, sperm build again." ( Gardner 170). This part of the novel is significant because it teaches Grendel that there is some meaning in the world, there is meaning in the cycles of life. Beowulf taught Grendel that evil would not prevail forever, good would eventually win