Frankenstein And Grendel Comparison Essay

Many times throughout western literature, monsters are portrayed as a threat to the existence of humanity. In Grendel by John Gardner and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, this idea is skewed by the actions of their respective monsters. Both of these novels captivate the reader by having a monster narrate the story, which is uncommon in many works of literature. Although in Frankenstein the reader only witnesses the monster as a narrator once, it has a profound impact on the overall storyline of the book. In Grendel, the book is entirely narrated by Grendel, so the reader adapts to the idea of the main character being a monster. This unique perspective adds a new level of depth to these novels because the themes of alienation and loneliness are

“Days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language”(Shelley 99). At first the monster is eager to learn the ways of humans; however, this quickly changes when he encounters a human for the first time. Although the monster wants to be friendly, his appearance similar to that of Grendel, is viewed as a threat to humanity and so he is ridiculed in the same way. The monster stops trying to befriend humanity and instead moves to what he is better at, being a bane to their

Each novel shows a profound effect that man can have on the life of an outcast. Although Grendel and the monster have few things in common, the root of why humanity dislikes them is quite similar. Both beasts have trouble communicating their feelings toward humanity and so man views them as threatening. In Grendel the monster tries to befriend humanity because of his interest in their non-pattern making thought process, they do not understand his motives and instead make him an enemy. Frankenstein contains similar elements, the monster tries to be friendly when he helps the girl out of the water, but his motives mean nothing once the man sees him. Both Grendel and the monster have an appearance that prompts humanity to rebuke