Comparing Beowulf And Grendel

Sexual Chasms in Beowulf and Grendel The fictional world of Grendel has great divides between male and female characters. While the novel is written in a fairly contemporary society, the world that Gardner constructs still follows under the same logic and principle as the ancient writings of Beowulf. The men are overtly masculine and tough, and the women are constructed with extreme passivity; there is marginal middle ground in both worlds. The constructions of how certain genders act are crucial to interrogate in order to understand one’s bias and become cognizant of the variety of gender roles men and women can endorse. The world of Grendel is full of symbols that construct men as violent, sexual creatures and women as passive objects.

Grendel’s mother is the only powerful female character, and it is because of this that she is diminished to nothing. Grendel’s mother is the only female character in the book that takes the role of a strong woman although she lacks much intelligence. The fact that she is only one who is strong and she is a monster is a representation that tough, independent women are failures in this fictional world because they are monstrous and do not fit into society. (Procházková 32). In other words, she is important, but the world that Grendel’s mother lives in has constructed her to be shaped in such a negative way. While other female characters are constantly desired for their qualities of beauty, Grendel’s mother is the symbolic representation of women in society that demonstrated unflinching resolve for their children even against what men said. The other women succumb to women, so therefore they are portrayed as monsters, but the only female character that is powerful is cast aside as a monster, indicating that men despise strong women. Her murder by Beowulf is the conquest of men over women that are challenging the dominant system of patriarchy. That is why she is a “miserable life’s curse” (Gardner 11). Grendel’s mother who is powerful and caring is constructed to demonstrate to women that oppose men that they are worthless and destined to

The effects of gender differences affect men too because they are constructed to be tough, violent, and assertive. These men are valued in society while those who are weak and cowards are never revered. There are some men like shapers that play music instead fight, but as long as a man is willing to engage in battle if the time arises, then they are masculine. If men run away from battle or they make excuses, they become people whose lives have no value. “Things about their fathers and their fathers’ fathers, things about justice and honor and lawful revenge—their throats swollen, their eyes rolling like a newborn colt’s, sweat running down their shoulders. Then they would fight” (Gardner 35). There is the warrior culture and honor mentality that is prevalent when the epic was constructed, and that culture demands men sacrifice and fight while the alternative is to die. If one were conquered or defeated in battle, then they had lost their value even if they could contribute in other ways. This conception of masculinity is repugnant because it did not allow men to be respected or treated properly if they possessed a dislike for violence. The static categories that are presented for men doom them to conform to social categories. (Dockray-Miller 31). With this culture, men are just as affected psychologically as women