Wuthering Heights And Grendel Comparison

Wuthering Heights and Grendel rough Draft

Wuthering Heights and Grendel are both literary masterpieces that dig deep into the psyche of the human mind. Through these characters journeys, the authors explore the themes of loneliness, suffering, as well as self-knowledge. By drawing these parallels, readers are able to further understand and enjoy these novels.

To begin, many characters experience the solitude of loneliness and isolation. Of course we have Grendel. This “monster” has grown up in practically complete isolation. His mother doesn’t speak his language, he lives in absolute darkness, and his attempts at communication with the humans make him a target. Grendel describes this feeling abundantly in the first few chapters. “[He] was

In Wuthering Heights, a good majority of the characters suffer in many ways. Anorexia, idiocy, and abuse are prevalent throughout this story. It is ultimately these sources that lead to character’s abundant psychological suffering. To name a few, Isabella enters a loveless marriage, the death of Hindley’s wife, and, above all, Heathcliff and Catherine have a constant back and forth of blaming the other for their pain (Baldys). Evan at the end of Catherine’s life, Heathcliff comments, “Misery, and degradation, and death, and nothing that God or Satan could inflict would have parted us, you, of your own will, did it. I have not broken your heart- you have broken it- and in breaking it, you have broken mine” (Bronte). This perfectly sums up a vicious cycle created in this novel. These characters are putting themselves I situations that will cause them to suffer, and as a result of their suffering, they inflict the same sensation on others. A perfect example being Heathcliff’s treatment of Hareton and Cathy, who, despite the abuse, are the few characters that are able to break out of this cycle. Similar situations can be found in Grendel. Of course there is the suffering of Grendel’s victims who are brutally torn apart and killed. Gardner also introduces Unferth who, despite his greatest attempts, cannot die. Grendel spares him time and time again, leaving him broken. Lastly, there is Grendel. Above all

When a person has a certain stereotype or expectation placed on them for long enough, they are bound to conform. Such a phenomenon is exhibited in Grendel himself. The humans merely see Grendel as a monster, a torment, who must be killed in the name of humanity. Even after being told by the Dragon where he really belonged in the order of things, Grendel tries to find his truth, or his purpose in life. In doing this, he actually ends up conforming to the idea of the citizens of Herot. His search of self, or self-knowledge, is one that stems from the best of intentions, but because of his ill-fated attempts, it backfires, and Grendel is left with less sense of who he was than when he started. In Wuthering Heights, self-knowledge is slightly different. There is so much false negative character in this novel; fronts in order to cover true emotion. “They identify with one another in the face of a common enemy, they rebel against a particular way of life which both find intolerable. It is not enough, however, simply to reject a particular way of life; one cannot define oneself wholly in terms of what he despises” (Beversluis). To expand, these characters must look past their hate, and learn about themselves just as they would any other person. Throughout both novels, we see Grendel, Catherine, and Heathcliff go through this process. At the conclusion of both novels the characters have completed their