Grendel

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    Alienation In Grendel

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    Gardner plays with the themes of alienation and detachment in Grendel to great effect, reaching out to an audience that can identify with those ideas on a universal level. There is an intentional emotional appeal on Gardner’s part here; he purposely puts the reader into Grendel’s head, and harps on the fact that many readers will empathize with that struggle against a hostile world, particularly younger (teenaged) ones. In fact, from the very start of the novel, Gardner ensures that the audience is aware that Grendel is nothing more than lost and alone, and continues to develop the character with an essential sympathy for human nature and a yearning for interaction with them. Grendel fiercely wants to believe in the Shaper’s stories, despite being antagonized by the humans, and is even disappointed when Unferth fails to display the humans’ often preached of heroic ideals, expressing, “So much for heroism. So much for the harvest-virgin. So much, also, for the alternative visions of blind old poets and dragons…” (Gardner 90). It is far from a portrayal of a creature who is evil for evil’s sake. Gardner shows that Grendel is a conflicted, complex, and nuanced being, whose motivations are steeped in empathetic emotions. Because of that, Farrell compares Gardner’s Grendel to characters like Holden Caulfield; a pop culture symbol for rebellion and societal misfits (Farrell). Anyone who has ever been young and…

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    Grendel In Beowulf

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    In the epic Beowulf, Grendel is depicted as a demon with a horrific nature. This nature is elaborated by the poet through, the incorporation of the Christian element: the story of Cain, and Grendel’s extraordinary physical strength. Coming from a Christianized culture there are many references to the bible. The Spear-Danes (majority being Christian) see Grendel as the embodiment of all that is evil. He comes from an evil that crosses the Spear-Danes values. They believe “Of [Cain’s] blood was…

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    Grendel Character Analysis

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    In the novel Grendel by John Gardner, it tells the story of the epic poem of Beowulf, but from the “behemoth’s” point of view. This story gives a more sympathetic and altered portrayal of the creature known as Grendel. Grendel is speaking for himself and using empathy for his pain. It gives the reader the question of who the real evil in the world is, whether it is Monster or Men. In the beginning of the novel, Grendel is a misunderstood creature. He sees himself as similar to humans, but is…

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    character of Grendel in John Gardner’s novel is evidently more detailed than the character given in Beowulf due to the use of first person point of view, the emotional connection he conjures up on the reader, and the constant struggle of understanding his purpose in life. In John Gardner’s novel, Grendel describes all the events that are happening in his point of view. Grendel narrates in first person which allows us to know his inner thoughts and observations. We are able to go into…

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    Compare and Contrast: Grendel from Two Different Sources The epic poem Beowulf is known as the oldest epic poem, it features the hero Beowulf who gains fame by fighting several monsters. Grendel is a monster who is the main antagonist for the first parts of the poem, who gets swiftly killed by Beowulf and is used as a stepping stone for Beowulf to progress as a hero. Grendel also appears in the novel of the same name where he gets a story of his own as the main character however, Grendel is…

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    Grendel Literary Analysis

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    book”(Proverb). The fiction novel Grendel was such a dreadful book that it's worse than being robbed of your possessions. Grendel is about the twelve year between the Danes and Grendel and what happened during it. The story is told in Grendel's point of view in which Gardner portrayed him as a lonely and evil monster. Gardner throughout the novel uncovers the internal and external conflicts. Then at the end of the novel Grendel’s major external conflict is revealed which is his fight with…

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    extract is from Beowulf the poem. Grendel is described as a man-eating demon; the assumption is that he is in the form of a human he is Cain’s kin. While it is not clear if he is in human form possessed by a demon the above lines show that he is not loved by the Lord and is defined a monstrous evil who stalkers the marshes for human flesh. Monsters were not considered favored by the gods and thus were exiled to live alone in places that human could not inhabit. However, at times, they did…

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    Beowulf experienced three battles between Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. As news spread throughout the world Beowulf and his men agreed to battle this demon like character. The first interaction between Beowulf and Grendel occurred in the mead hall. Grendel enters the mead hall after tearing down the doors and eats a warrior. Beowulf steps up to Grendel with no armor or weapons. With Beowulf’s mighty strength he eventually rips Grendel’s arm out of socket and keeps his arm while…

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    of monstrosity, known as Grendel terrorizing Heorot. The movie Beowulf vs. Grendel (Gunnarrson 2005)is similar to the Beowulf (Heaney 2000)in many ways but there is a cultural shifts between the two, as well as additional characters. Beowulf is a Geat from Geatland that traveled to Hrothgar that was in need for assistance to defeat the evil Grendel that was destroying the town. Beowulf is depicted as this impeccable human being that is prepsterous strong and athletic. He also has some very…

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    obstacles faced can be either physical or mental and are found in today 's everyday life, the poem Beowulf and the story Grendel. Mental obstacles come in many different shapes and sizes, in real life or through a story. Anxiety and depression are common obstacles among most people in today 's society. These two obstacles are nearly impossible for some, not all, to overcome. In the novel Grendel, the main character Grendel faces a huge mental obstacle throughout his life that can…

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