Grendel’s self image changes throughout the story because the effect of some characters that is taken upon Grendel’s personality. Grendel’s mother had an effect on him through the story he had a soft spot when it came to his mother. For example, “ of all the creatures i knew, in those days only my mother really looked at me.” (Gardner 17). Grendel is hideous, no one really pays attention to him.
Throughout John Garder’s novel and the poem Beowolf the reader can tell that Grendel is a complex character that does not relate much to anyone else in the novel or the poem. Grendel in Garder’s novel is also different compared to the Grendel in the poem Beowolf by many different standards. Grendel in Garder’s novel is more a complicated character then the Grendel in Beowolf because the novel is set in first person point of view, the reader can have a deeper understanding of Grendel in the novel, and there is more modern philosophy in Grendel the novel. The novel Grendel is all written in first person which gives a deeper understanding of how Grendel interprets what is happening and how he reacts too many of the conflicts that happen to him.
Grendel’s story is not only from his perspective, but it also starts far before Beowulf enters the picture. Grendel does not even know of man’s existence before he encountered Hrothgar whom he starts to fear when he says “I knew I was dealing with no dull mechanical bull but with thinking creatures, pattern makers. The most dangerous things I’d ever met” (pg 27). His first encounter with these men left him wanting more. He spent most nights watching them in the shadows, trying to make sense of their actions.
The Wyrd Cross between Christianity and Fate in Beowulf/Grendel The poem Beowulf, authored by an anonymous person, remains to be one of the oldest epics in the Anglo-Saxon tradition. The poem serves as an important influence for later literature; the novel Grendel by John Gardner is one example. The settings of Beowulf and Grendel are a result of the assimilation of Christianity into the Anglo-Saxon pagan religion. Not only did the Anglo-Saxons belief in spiritual predestination but also in fatalism.
When Grendel last words “Poor Grendel’s had an accident . . . So may you all” . These words are used as a curse because just like Grendel suffered from an accident everyone else will suffer to . For example , “It was an accident,” I bellow back. I will cling to what is true.
Grendel: Human or Monster In the story Beowulf, the character Grendel is highly misunderstood. Grendel was born in the wild marshes outside of Herot. Being raised in such harsh conditions, Grendel grew to hate the Danes and God. As a descendant of Cain, he was banished as a small child and forced to live in exile with his mother.
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.
Beowulf is a story about a geatish warrior saving Denmark from the god-cursed Grendel, killing Grendel’s mother, becoming king of the Geats, and fighting a dragon. It is a classic take on the Anglo-Saxon society and their ending. This paper will be discussing about whether or not Beowulf was altruistic in his quest to save Denmark from Grendel. Altruism is the act of helping others for unselfish reasons, rather than for ones own benefit. Beowulf is not an altruistic character in his quest to save Denmark from Grendel.
Several differences can be seen throughout the old-English Beowulf (Heaney) and the modern-day film Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson) due to the cultural difference between the Middle ages and Modern time. More details entered the film to appeal to a more modern audience that requires reason and details. The old English poem held no use for complexity to tantalize the reader. Additions that add complexity to Grendel’s character in Beowulf and Grendel include backstories and new characters.
Francesca Sciacca The night is crisp and clear. In the sky stars caress the bright full moon. A creature trudges across a grass field. He pauses, inhales deeply as though he just got the scent of his next prey.
Prepared to spill the blood of unsuspecting, intoxicated warriors in their slumber, Grendel fleetly removed the strengthened door to the Herot with monstrous strength and cruelty. Grendel's strides were expansive. With every step, the beast's huge, thickened feet much flew, one once the opposite. the ground gave the impression to be instantly displaced owing to his spectacular lightness. " His eyes gleamed within the darkness, burned with a grotesque light".
How does point of view affect the theme of Grendel? John Gardner’s Grendel reveals the opposite side of the story depicted in Beowulf by making Grendel the narrator. Grendel, a monster, is the only source of information the reader has, which forces the reader to gain trust in Grendel’s thoughts and memories. Although Grendel and Beowulf share the same storyline, but switch perspectives, the themes happen to change, solely because the reader reaches a deeper level of connection with Grendel by discovering the similarities humans have with him and pities his loneliness.
In Grendel, by John Gardner, the majority of the story is focused on a character named Grendel, who is characterized as monster-like. During the story the readers are permitted entrance to Grendel’s subliminal and inner monologue, providing the sense of a personal relationship with him. This leads to enthrall one into express sympathy with Grendel, with historic literature in novels the main character is predominately a “good guy”, so having him be the protagonist this helps support that theory. Though this happen, Grendel often proves that he is ultimately not the hero in the novel. The contact that he has socially is highly limited, but his personality is extremely affected by this short contact with the other characters.
The common characteristics of what makes a monster have remained constant throughout society: evil, isolated, violent. Monsters have no regards for social normatives, and cause chaos and destruction wherever they go. Grendel is no exception. In Beowulf, Grendel manifests every characteristic of a stereotypical monster. He is considered inherently evil, and is an outcast; he roams alone and commits devilish atrocities whenever he pleases.
Grendel in both stories is described as a vicious "Monster", but is viewed differently. The character of Grendel, in the novel by John Gardner, portrays a different visualization than that of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf. In the novel the story is told in first person point of view which gives Grendel human qualities while Grendel in Beowulf is told in third person point of view not giving Grendel his standpoint. In both works, the authors give two different perspectives of Grendel. Grendel in the novel is not seen as a "Monster", but as a human that has emotions and is very sympathetic about everything that comes his way.
