The change in point of view is the essence of Grendel by John Gardner. The entire book is a story we have already heard, from a different, more defining perspective. Gardner used this not only to affect the plot of the story, but also the themes. In Grendel, Gardner uses the point of view to alter the themes by changing the perception of events and the author's voice. There is more than one theme in Grendel, one of them being heroism, that Gardner affects by altering the perception of the book. Because of the different viewpoint, events, such as the boasting at the meadhall, can be interpreted differently. The men at Hrothgar’s hall listen to the Shaper as he “sing the glory of Hrothgar’s line and gild his wisdom and stir up his men”(42).
