Separation Of 'Anti-Hero In Grendel' By John Gardner

Heroes in books and movies alike are celebrated for saving frail women from demonic fiends, saving planets from alien invasion, and are often seen as role models and figureheads who serve as society’s source of admiration. However, not all heroes exhibit these stereotypical traits; an example of this break from the trend includes the anti-hero, or a hero who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities. And although most people expect such a character to be cowardly or even unheroic altogether, contrary to popular belief, the anti-hero possesses a fundamental role in the progression of a story. In the novel Grendel by John Gardner, Gardner relates his own separation from society to the character of Grendel by establishing him as the antihero

For example, Gardner separates Grendel’s direct and unambiguous qualities from the Shaper’s dishonest interpretation events when he conveys how as the Shaper “finished, the hall was as quiet as a mound. I too was silent, my ear pressed tight against the timbers. Even to me, incredibly, he had made it all seem true and very fine” (43). Whereas Grendel delivers his message of terror and of existentialism very directly through the form of violence, the Shaper delivers his ideology in the form of indirect storytelling, often bending deeds and history to make it more enthusiastically accepted by the Thanes. The comparison between Grendel and the Shaper is very ironic: although the Thanes view Grendel as the evil imposter and the Shaper as a pure prophet, Grendel represents the harsh truth they are not willing to success and the Shaper merely lies in order to appease them. In addition, Gardner tells of society’s condemning view towards ideas that challenge their way of life when he tells “of an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light. And I, Grendel, was the dark side, he said in effect. The terrible race God cursed” (51). Gardner believes that society cannot bear with the prospect of the truth, which can be shown through the Danes’ acceptance of a warped reality and not of Grendel’s brutal truth. He represents the idea that society often labels ideas they do not want to accept as dark and evil whereas the blatant re-telling of history excluding evil acts is considered to be genuine. Lastly, Gardner conveys society’s quick adoption of the mentality that: what is stated in history is fact, and what is excluded is fiction since “That’s where the Shaper saves them. He knows no more than they do about total reality-less, if anything: works with the same old clutter of atoms, the givens of his time