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Hatred In John Gardner's Grendel

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Hatred is a strong emotion that can overtake anyone at any given time. This capability leads many on a path of ruin and destruction, which is greatly portrayed through Grendel in John Gardner’s Grendel. Grendel, a destructive feral being, is taught in nihilism, which gives him the ideology of being superior over all living things (except the dragon), and it is because of this superiority complex that he begins a reign of terror over Hrothgar and his kingdom because of his disdain for humanity. His disdain for humanity stems from the humans senseless violence against one another and their lack of restraint against nature One of Grendel’s many reasons for hating humans is that they wreak senseless havoc upon each other. Grendel often watches humanity as it advances and notes patterns that he see as humanity goes in number and power, one being wars and …show more content…

As human have been advancing in sophistication Grendel has grown to hate the human for what he see them as, barbarians who only know how to destroy, such as the nature around them, which is observed by Grendel as he continues to watch the growth of humanity when he says, “They hacked down trees...and blistered the land….They..., killed birds for sport, set accidental fires that would burn for days.... There was nothing to stop the advance of man” (40). This quote expresses the human condition for destruction for no cause, which is a cause for Grendel to grow in disdain of the them, so much so that he begins to act against the humans, slaughtering some in their mead halls and others on separate occurrence; however, while his actions seemed to damp the spirit of the lowly humans, Grendel ended with more disdain for the humans because of their unwavering belief in their religion. This is disdain is observable in Grendel’s observation on the recently terrorized humans as they commence their

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Up until the end of Chapter 7, Grendel’s actions are influenced by the dragon.   He believes nothing matters, there is no good or bad, and everybody eventually dies. The people of Heort know Grendel as a monster and a killer and he lives up to his reputation.

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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”

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John Gardner's Grendel provides a fascinating penetration into the ineluctable mystery of order and chaos, good and evil, hero and monster, claiming throughout a place for the monster's point of view. Order and chaos can be shown how Grendel causes chaos for his own entertainment whereas the humans try to kill him calm the chaos down and good and evil can also be shown how Grendel views the human’s actions and how the humans view themselves compared to Grendel. The hero and monster reference can be found when Unferth tried to kill Grendel, declaring himself a hero to the land. In Chapter six page seventy-six, Grendel admits he creates chaos for his own pleasure.

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Grendel was a being sung about in the songs of the shaper, who twisted tales to fit his own means. In the song Grendel was made out to be a wretched monster, without intellect, who only sought to kill. This wasn’t the case entirely. Grendel was determined to enter society, to be a part of their gatherings, instead at every turn he was chased away, cursed, and attacked. He was only a monster to those in the mead hall, a beast who could never be a part of them.

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Moreover, Grendel’s last words indicate that something will happen to mankind as it did to himself. For instance, Grendel expresses, “there is no limit to desire but desire’s needs.” (Gardner 93). Such illustrates that Grendel can desire as much as he wants

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During these times in winter, humans lose their perseverance and interest in defying Grendel and resort to a more peaceful state. Grendel, although he does not usually raid in the winter, refuses to give them the freedom of not acting and seeks his own entertainment. By mocking the priests beliefs (93), Gardner demonstrates that humans hold on to unrealistic and unreliable faiths in dire situations and are willing to sacrifice their lives for these. Eventually, Grendel knows that he is in fact conquerable by humans and needs to accept their strength and determination. As he does get defeated, it becomes clear that all monsters can be destroyed with the will to do so, and humans have

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Grendel begins attacking the humans, “I eat and laugh until I can barely walk, my chest-hair matted with dribbled blood... my belly rumbles, sick on their sour meat” (Gardner 12). Grendel went from crying for his mother when his foot got stuck in a branch to killing and eating dozens of people. Seeing the events that lead up to this how Grendel did helps us further see the transformation he is making. It’s the isolation from the humans that transforms Grendel, “Not, of course, that I fool myself with thoughts that I'm more noble.

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In the novel Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel’s largest internal conflict is whether or not he can overcome his predestined status of monster. Throughout the course of the story Grendel is influenced by both sides, human and beast, through the dragon and the Shaper. Although Grendel initially wants to align himself with the humans, no matter how he tries to communicate with them as an equal they will not accept his company, causing him to become lonely and angry. Grendel’s anger turns to violence, which makes the humans turn further against him and, as he is alienated from any sense of humanity he ever had, he eventually discovers that he has no choice and must fulfill his role as the enemy to humans. Initially, Grendel’s free will

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Therefore, ultimately resulting in the use of violence and brutality to restore order and peace once again. Grendel whole existence is shrouded in darkness and mystery, which foster widespread fear among the mass due to their inability to control or comprehend

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Grendel was this grim beast who haunted the moors and secluded fens; this troublesome one had long lived with monsters since the Creator had declared his exile. Grendel had been punished and separated from the company of man and God through the sins of Cain. Being a descendant from Cain, Grendel is full of evil and deceitfulness. This fuels his hatred, and a desire to destroy goodness from the world of which he can have no part in. His first night of violent attacks was describe as “The unholy creature, grim and ravenous, was ready at once, ruthless and cruel, and took from their thirty thanes; thence

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Readers can learn some things about Grendel in Beowulf but in order to dive deeper into the character and who he is, people go to the book Grendel. The book takes a closer look at Grendel and how he discovers the order and disorder of people and the world (Sanchez). Grendel is thought to symbolize the dark side of humanity, or the sins of man (Farrell). It’s easy for readers to sympathize with Grendel at points because he is a natural outcast of society. He is said to be the son of Cain and because of that he was labeled from day one (Sanchez).

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In the poem Beowulf, there is a contrast between good and evil. This distinction is presented through the monsters Grendel and his mother, in parallel to the hero Beowulf. The themes of evil and monstrosity are therefore used in the story, as a way to create the notion of Grendel and his mother as monsters. Beowulf therefore appears as a character representing good. Although Beowulf shows traits of abnormal power, like Grendel and his mother, his motifs are interpreted differently.

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This time however, he is swept away by a person name the Shaper, who Grendel is ultimately scared of, because of the fact that the shaper is very good at changing the view of people very easily. During this same period, Grendel started to become more violent as well, first by attacking the humans. Grendel didn’t like the way Hrothgar lived and made the Mead Hall and in response, Grendel started to attack it at night. He killed anyone and everything that came into his sight, and even ate the humans. Grendel now became a real threat to the humans, which inevitably changed his status from sinister to pure

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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

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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.

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