In John Gardner’s, Grendel, the spotlight character Grendel has painted a negative picture on the existence of human civilization. Notably, with the various activities that he engages with the dragon, who uses various phenomenon to educate him on life events. These events in turn help mold his mind and make him see a different point of view. In a way, the dragon not only helps Grendel realize his negative view on civilization, he also helps him make peace with his true self. The dragon, being all knowing, takes the opportunity to frighten Grendel and make him uncomfortable, in order to open “his eyes” to a greater understanding. In Beowulf, an epic poem with Pagan origins, Grendel is seen as an enemy of man. In the original Anglo-Saxon poem, he is frequently described as, “the kindred of Cain crushed with His
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He elaborates through comparing an animal to a vegetable. He states, when the vegetable split into different pieces, actually no change is notable from the pieces, and the organization of the molecules remain in a consistent throughout the body. However, in the animal’s case it is, “dominated by one or more centers of the experience. If the dominant activity be severed from the rest of the body—if, for example, [they] cut of the head—the whole coordination collapses, and the animal dies” (Gardner 69). This perspective of collapse in Grendel's mind is one of the reasons as to why he does not kill Hrothgar. If the society is able to crumble even under God’s light, then he becomes truly alone. In the end, the dragon finally reveals that the world he knows is no more than the, “swirl in a stream of time” (Grendel 70), and a gathering of the dust will eventually fade away in a completely different form. All that considered of the man’s accomplishments will eventually disappear from the world entirely. The present is what matters, not the past or the
He elaborates through comparing an animal to a vegetable. He states, when the vegetable split into different pieces, actually no change is notable from the pieces, and the organization of the molecules remain in a consistent throughout the body. However, in the animal’s case it is, “dominated by one or more centers of the experience. If the dominant activity be severed from the rest of the body—if, for example, [they] cut of the head—the whole coordination collapses, and the animal dies” (Gardner 69). This perspective of collapse in Grendel's mind is one of the reasons as to why he does not kill Hrothgar. If the society is able to crumble even under God’s light, then he becomes truly alone. In the end, the dragon finally reveals that the world he knows is no more than the, “swirl in a stream of time” (Grendel 70), and a gathering of the dust will eventually fade away in a completely different form. All that considered of the man’s accomplishments will eventually disappear from the world entirely. The present is what matters, not the past or the