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Process In The Novel 'Grendel' By John Gardner

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Grendel Essay- Process Paper
In the novel Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel is the main character in the story. He is seen as a murderous monster who has antagonized the Danes for 12 years. Grendel takes the role of the outcast in the human's world and becomes a menace to King Hrothgar and his men. In Grendel's perspective, he faces rejection from every corner. Imagery, allusions, and nihilism, are used in Grendel to highlight Grendel's interactions with the humans, which truly establishes the central theme that ignorance brings out the brute within.
As an illustration of Grendel's identity evolving , Garder uses imagery to exemplify how going through a traumatic experience allows for the brute within to emerge. Grendel referring back to his …show more content…

The dragon introduced the idea of nihilism. His advice to Grendel was to “seek gold and sit on it” (74) When Grendel was instilled by the dragon that things were meaningless, Grendel became apathetic bringing out the brute within him. Grendel's law is an example of how he started to become more nihilistic which proved the sharpers tales right bringing out the brute “There is no limit to desire but desire’s needs” (93). The limit to his desire is the death of all the men in the mead hall meaning that if he killed everyone in the mead hall there would be nothing for him. This is proving that without having the humans to kill there will be nothing left for him. He is ignorant about how killing the humans gives him meaning to his life. Grendel becomes this savagery violent creature based upon this lack of awareness. Later, Grendel philosophy of nihilism was invalidated by Beowulf. Grendel lives life believing that things are meaningless and causing destruction to others. Beowulf accordingly told Grendel that whatever his view on life he has, life will still go on, as beowulf explained “As you see it it is , while the seeing last, dark nightmare-history, time-as-coffin; but where the water was rigid there will be fish and men will survive on their flesh till spring...Though you murder the world, turn plains to stone, transmogrify life into I and it, strong searching roots will crack you cave and rain rain will cleanse it. The world will burn green, sperm build again. My promise” (170). Beowulf invalidated all of Grendel's thoughts and beliefs. Grendel's ignorant view on drove him to his death. His ignorance is what causes his violent

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Grendel’s Internal Battle Throughout John Gardner’s novel, Grendel, Grendel’s thoughts are constantly at war with each other. He does not know what or whom to believe, and how to distinguish lies from what he knows to be true. The Shaper’s songs, the brutal reality of the corpse, and the dragon’s cynical way of thinking all change Grendel’s view of life and thoughts, and are examples of how the art of falsehood in seen throughout the novel.

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As Grendel is swaying in suffrage from a tree, he has epiphany of the truth about his universal role in the kingdom. He also realized that there is only fate. “I understood that the world was nothing; a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears. I

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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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The dragon’s views about the world had finally gotten to him. After witnessing a goat mindlessly climb a mountain, and the death of the Shaper, Grendel’s final outlook on life becomes clear. “Nihil ex nihilo, I always say" (Gardner 150). This statement translates to nothing can come of nothing; it becomes clear Grendel views life as meaningless and pointless. His internal battle of philosophical beliefs came to a final halt, and never changed once he accepted nihilism.

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Since the beginning of time, people have debated about whether we make our own choices or if we live out a predetermined life. In literary works, the idea of fate being the reason for a character’s actions leads to empathy toward him/her. Free-will, however, makes the character responsible for his/her actions. In many literary cases, fate seems to be the reason for everything. In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel is a murderous monster that terrorizes the people of Herot.

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“I was Grendel, Ruiner of Meadhalls, Wrecker of Kings! But also, as never before, I was alone.” (Grendel, p. 80) Grendel says this depressing statement when he learns that the enchantment placed upon him by the dragon has left him unable to be harmed by the Scylding's weapons. He vainly basks in his new-found glory, but he soon has the realization that his imperviousness has now separated him even more from the place he yearns for among men.

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After the encounter, he describes that the dragon has put a “charm” in him and that is he indeed undefeatable because humans are “powerless”. Grendel, according to him, has transformed into a “darker” being and is “invulnerable”. The choice of diction by Grendel above creates a significant shift in the thoughts by claiming that life is meaningless and transforms him into a real monster. It is only due to the unacceptance, the unacceptance of a humane-minded being with only a different

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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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Both authors paint a grotesque picture of their creations and how they both desire to destroy beauty; Aesthetic Iconoclasm, that is shared between the two figures. However, both authors present their monsters separate to one another in philosophy; with Grendel being a mindless savage and the Monster being more contemplative and questioning the nature of its own creation. ‘Monster’ characters have always been a target of both folk tales and pagan myths since the dawn of humanity, the very concept of a monstrous creature harkens back to the primal fear instinct of facing a dangerous predator that presents a danger to humanity. Grendel from Beowulf is the perfect example of this hysteria and

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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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This is the beginning of Grendel falling directly into the role that the dragon said he would need to fill. Grendel’s murderous tendencies completely reflect the monstrous side of his personality and the more he kills the more he grows insane, separating from rational, humanistic thought. “I am swollen with excitement, bloodlust and joy and a strange fear that mingle in my chest like the twisting rage of a bone-fire... I am blazing, half-crazy with joy” (168). It is clear that, by the time Beowulf arrives, Grendel has embraced the fact that he is required to be evil, despite the fact that he previously claimed he would oppose that destiny.

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The poem, Beowulf, further explains that Grendel was fated to die, stating “fate, that night,intended Grendel to gnaw the broken bones of his last human supper”(225-259).Providing a clear illustration of how Grendel’s life was guided by fate ,and not free will like others might believe. He was doomed to die as fated by the powers that be when he grew too powerful and ruthless as he did terrorising the Danes for twelve winters ( Beowulf 58-62) . Grendel was banished by God,a direct result of his birth as a descendant of cain. According to Beowulf,Grendel “made his home in a hell, not earth but hell ……...

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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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He recognizes his actions, and he also recognizes his melancholy. Throughout the text, his perspective on life follows rhetoric of a being tired of existing and of being sickened by God. Although he describes his actions as mechanical and stale in the beginning, the fact he can even describe his actions in that manner proves he is very aware of his behavior. Grendel is stuck on a loop of habit, which has put him into a state of boredom and It isn’t until the threat of Beowulf arises when his excitement appearance He hears of his new rival and states “I am mad with joy... Strangers have come and it's a whole new game.”

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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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