ipl-logo

Grendel's Nature And Evil In Beowulf

1682 Words7 Pages

Evil Outline Thesis: Grendel is evil because was he isolated by society, neglected by his mother, and had no identity or purpose. Neglect The fact that Grendel’s mother does not show affection towards him is directly linked to why he has developed into an evil being. “‘Why are we here?’ I used to ask her. ‘Why do we stand this putrid, stinking hole’. She trembles at my words. Her fat lips shake ‘Don’t ask!’ It must be some terrible secret, I used to think” Grendel repeatedly asks his mother for answers to all of his life questions. All he wants to know is why they are living in a hole, he just wants to find his identity and purpose. She won't even give him what he needs, she barely even speaks English. Throughout the book Grendel is constantly neglected by his …show more content…

“I think nurture from parents or a parent is the reason why a person acts the way the do, basically how the parents raise their children alters their personality, language and any way that they act with other people”(Nature). Parents contribute genes that are then passed on to their offspring, and can make up their ,mental and emotional characteristics. There is a direct connection to kindness, generosity and compassion from parent to child. People can be born evil, but it is also a learned behavior, and an outcome of bad parenthood. Grendel was a product of evil beings, he had no way to control it or stop it. His ancestors did not pass on any “compassionate traits”, and this is demonstrated through his mother's behaviors throughout the novel. According to the quote a parent's language is a key part to how their offspring will act in the future. Since Grendel’s mom barely even mumbles, this explains why he has amounted to be the evil being everyone thought he

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Grendel's Innocence

    313 Words  | 2 Pages

    Equally important, the innocence Grendel had as a child provide an outline for his lack of baneful intentions. One act of innocence that has shown through Grendel’s entire life, from childhood until death, was a tendency to call for his mother when in danger of any kind. Putting this into perspective, shortly before the death of Grendel, on page one-hundred and seventy, he calls for his mother for the final time. “Mama!” he is heard bellowing.

    Read More

  • Beowulf's Grendel-Human Or Monster

    330 Words  | 2 Pages

    He is portrayed in the poem as a horrendous beast with human characteristics, but looking closer to the text, he is a human out-casted and raised to be a monster. Although Grendel is written as a monstrous villain who kills with no remorse, he is actually a complex human with a repressed anger exploding in bursts. Grendel is often described in a negative way. He is reffered to as a demon in the text “from Beowulf”

    Read More

  • Grendel And Frankenstein Comparison

    870 Words  | 4 Pages

    To begin, when Grendel is first introduced he is alone, watching and casting questions towards a ram and the sky, however he receives no answer. This is a first look into the mindset of this descendent of Cain, Grendel has no one to speak to. Later on, when his mother is introduced, it is revealed that she is incapable of verbally speaking with her son. This lack of communication creates a canyon between Grendel and his mother, one that no bridge can cover. There is no mother or God to guide or teach him the ways of socialization, and so, he is isolated; watching the lives of others through a crack in a wall.

    Read More

  • Grendel's Human Nature

    518 Words  | 3 Pages

    He felt that she was on a higher class and was greater than himself. All he wanted, at least for that moment, was to do anything to please her. His whole psyche changed for, and he began to stalk her constantly because he was hypnotized by her beauty. With any of his relationship, Grendel learned something knew. It would enlighten him and confuse him.

    Read More

  • Comparing Beowulf And Grendel's Mother

    580 Words  | 3 Pages

    After Grendel’s death, she channeled all that hatred and grief towards the people that harmed her child. Her love for her child lead her to commit these acts. Even though her actions are considered evil, it is natural to feel some sort of pity and sympathy for Grendel’s mother after her loss. Unlike Grendel, Grendel’s mother doesn't kill or destroy randomly. It is clear that she only wanted to take revenge for her son and targeted those that harmed him.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Grendel, The Captain Of Evil

    1144 Words  | 5 Pages

    This constant fighting creates a balance between the two forces of good and evil, until one succumbs to the other. Throughout the novel, John Gardner will put Grendel through certain stages of his life, which would

    Read More

  • Grendel Point Of View Analysis

    487 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel’s innocence when he was younger is shown throughout the beginning of the story, “ One morning I caught my foot in the crack where two trees joined. “Mama!” I was out much later than I'd meant to be” (Gardner 18). Grendel is out exploring the world and got his foot caught in a branch and is crying for his mother. Seeing this event from

    Read More

  • Essay On Grendel As A Monster In Beowulf

    637 Words  | 3 Pages

    Grendel is classified as a monster due to his outsider status of being an outcast, unreligious, and dishonorable, which establishes him as the antithesis of Anglo Saxon culture. As an outcast of society, Grendel represents the idea that in Anglo Saxon culture unity and cooperation is what holds society together. In a world classified by kinship and strong family lineage, Grendel is “conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God” (Heaney 22). In a society focused upon blood lineage and strong family ties, to be related to a “monster“ in any form is something sinful, and cause enough for complete hatred.

    Read More

  • Grendel's Change In Beowulf By John Gardner

    639 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book Grendel he seems to change throughout the book. At the beginning of the story Grendel is sensitive , immature and very lonely. Giving a feeling of sympathy . That all changes when Grendel talks to The Dragon. When Grendel first meet The Dragon he was afraid of it. He was so terrified to ask him questions.

    Read More

  • Is Grendel Good Or Evil

    980 Words  | 4 Pages

    Feelings resentful of others, and reacting to this emotion does not necessarily make you evil. Even the best of people make mistakes. Although Grendel has made some horrible mistakes, he is not evil. He’s just like

    Read More

  • Quotes About Grendel's Loneliness

    674 Words  | 3 Pages

    Grendel believes he has no role in this world and he's always on the outside of everything, and he doesn't really know why he exists. Gardener wants to portray Grendel as an angry, lonely monster at the beginning to give the readers a good understanding of the main character. As Grendel continues his

    Read More

  • Examples Of Morally Ambiguous Characters In Grendel

    817 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, the villagers never made it clear if this creature is only viewed for her “beauty”, or her “deceitful nature”. Like Grendel's character, one knows that society only judges Grendel himself off of what they see on the outside, rather than the inside. So if we compare this to the mother, we know that what men said of her can not be entirely held to the truth. The reason is because, like Grendel, those humans are judging her off of looks, rather than knowing the other half of the story. Since the audience is able to see this second side through Grendel, we are overall the ones who are to decipher the nature of Grendel's

    Read More

  • Internal Conflict In Grendel

    703 Words  | 3 Pages

    His violent nature grew so much that he became crazy with the need to kill the humans. Therefore, Grendel’s actions reflect that his existence has drifted away from its partially civilized nature and into the barbaric. Grendel had no choice in becoming more beast than human because external forces constantly push him towards that fate. Whether it was the dragon, the actions of the humans, or Grendel’s own unconscious tendencies, he never really had the opportunity to make a choice, human or beast. What Grendel said and thought always clashed with the situations he encountered until there was simply no possibility of becoming the good in the way

    Read More

  • Fate Vs. Free Will In Beowulf

    783 Words  | 4 Pages

    To begin with , Grendel seemed to be a creature of free will, there are a number of things to take into consideration ,the first and most important being a matter of his birth .Being born a monster put him at a disadvantage where his appearance was put before almost everything else . Grendel was often judged on his appearance as seen with the reactions of almost everyone who saw him . He often tries to choose his own fate but seems to hold

    Read More

  • Grendel Psychoanalytic Analysis

    779 Words  | 4 Pages

    The way they treated him affected his personality to be more aggressive and to put up a wall when it came to humans. He had, however, tried to “befriend the exile” on other occasions, but “they were treacherous and in the end [he] had to eat them” (Gardner 33). Grendel knew the appropriate way to interact with people because he had watched them all these years. He had learned from them the way he should react in certain situations and knew you had to be friendly in order to make friends, but in the end, not being able to communicate was the biggest

    Read More

More about Grendel's Nature And Evil In Beowulf

Open Document