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The Theme Of Isolation In Grendel

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In John Gardner’s novel Grendel the tale is portrayed from Grendel’s point of view, a villain who wreaks havoc on Hrothgar’s lands and leaves his citizens in fear. This affects the way we construe the theme of isolation in the novel which makes Grendel appear increasingly more innocent than the readers expect, and he is also victimized by the citizens, which causes him to be a recluse in society. Multiple times, Grendel attempts to conversate with the people, but he has been secluded for so many years that nobody can comprehend his words “Talking, talking, spinning a spell, pale skin of words that closes me in like a coffin. Not in a language that anyone any longer understands- Degenerate mutter of noises I send out before me wherever
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Between the story, "Grendel", and the beliefs of the Anglo Saxon culture, there are many similarities. Such as in the story, there is a setting of a place named, "Herot" which is a mead hall and in the Anglo Saxon culture, mead halls were also present at the time. Although in the poem, the hall is attacked by the beast, it was actually a place where everyone can meet up and be friendly with one another. In Anglo Saxon culture, that is exactly what they are used for.

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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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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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In the book Grendel he seems to change throughout the book. At the beginning of the story Grendel is sensitive , immature and very lonely. Giving a feeling of sympathy . That all changes when Grendel talks to The Dragon. When Grendel first meet The Dragon he was afraid of it. He was so terrified to ask him questions.

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To begin, when Grendel is first introduced he is alone, watching and casting questions towards a ram and the sky, however he receives no answer. This is a first look into the mindset of this descendent of Cain, Grendel has no one to speak to. Later on, when his mother is introduced, it is revealed that she is incapable of verbally speaking with her son. This lack of communication creates a canyon between Grendel and his mother, one that no bridge can cover. There is no mother or God to guide or teach him the ways of socialization, and so, he is isolated; watching the lives of others through a crack in a wall.

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At the end of Chapter 12, Grendel’s last words were “Poor Grendel’s had an accident … So may you all.” (Gardner 174). Such words are meant as a curse to affect mankind. To start off, Grendel’s relationship with humans are not great.

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When Grendel is first presented, he is described as

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“Grendel should be home now, what is wrong with that child,” the mother of the descendant of Caine thought. Just then Grendel burst through the ceiling, deep dark red blood gushing from his shoulder. He trails blood through the chalet towards his room where he collapses from his injuries on his bed. His mother instantly falls to his side trying to save him but it is too late for he has passed. “SO MUCH BLOOD.

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Pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered children, martyred cows” (Gardner 54). Grendel recognizes that it is the isolation that has turned him into what he is. He has seen how the humans have rejected him and tried to kill him, the first person viewpoint allows us to share this experience with

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Grendel had no one to call a "comrade" or a "friend", but whatever relationship he had damaged his self image. His feelings about himself could not have been very well. However, Grendel kept changing himself after forming some relationship,especially from after he had learned something new from his relationship. The relationships that affected him the most were with human creatures

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John Gardner gave Grendel emotions that the reader was able to see and hear through his own words. Grendel told tales of his childhood causing the reader to become invested in Grendel’s past giving the feeling of a connection. As in the way he describes instances of his imaginative play, “I use to play games when I was young…explored our far-flung underground world in an endless wargame of leaps onto nothing…quick whispered plottings with invisible friends” (Gardner 15). Consequently, this information gives the feeling of sympathy for Grendel, for his lonely childhood and circumstance. Gardner continues to play on the sympathies of the reader after Grendel’s first interaction with the Danes.

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In most stories there is a very distinguishable character that carries the traits of a hero. However in John Gardener’s Grendel, the word hero becomes blurred. With the thoughts and perspective from the monster himself you see the world in a whole new perspective. During an attack one brave soul stands up and begins a conversation with the monster. His name is Unferth and according to the 9 noble viking virtues he is the real hero in the story.

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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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Throughout the novel Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel comes across as a ruthless monster who takes pride in murdering others. His actions give the impression that he is an evil figure, but in hindsight he is not as evil as he appears to be. Gardner makes the readers feel sympathy for Grendel because Grendel lives a lonely life, is consistently treated poorly, and attempts to make peace. If Grendel was truly evil, readers would have difficulty having sympathy for him. Therefore, Grendel is not evil and is no different than the rest of humanity.

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Grendel in both stories is described as a vicious "Monster", but is viewed differently. The character of Grendel, in the novel by John Gardner, portrays a different visualization than that of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf. In the novel the story is told in first person point of view which gives Grendel human qualities while Grendel in Beowulf is told in third person point of view not giving Grendel his standpoint. In both works, the authors give two different perspectives of Grendel. Grendel in the novel is not seen as a "Monster", but as a human that has emotions and is very sympathetic about everything that comes his way.

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