Grendel Theme Essay

Why do authors use the vehicle of theme to connect to readers? Throughout the book Grendel, John Gardner uses theme to emphasize a connection of the story to the reader. Theme is used because in a story like Grendel with “heroes” and “monsters” hope is used to further the interest of the reader. Themes can be viewed through different perspectives, but in Grendel the author uses the themes of fate and free will; also language to express human qualities to connect “monsters” to humans in modern life.

During the book the theme of fate and free will is shown to give the readers hope. The theme of fate and free will is shown through the dragon's actions when he is telling Grendel about his ability to see the future. Grendel was fearful when hearing
The Dragon on the other hand is set with his future, he is ready for it to happen and very casual about his acceptance of his fate. The dragon tells Grendel “In a billion billion billion years, everything will have come and gone several times, in various forms. Even I will be gone. A certain man will absurdly kill me. A terrible pity—loss of a remarkable form of life. Conservationists will howl." He chuckled. "Meaningless, however. These jugs and pebbles, everything, these too will go.” The dragon expresses the other side of the human-like reliability on fate and that nothing he does in his lifetime will change his ending. He relize on fate and a higher power so he can rest easy and not have worry about his actions and how they affect others because everything will be gone one day. In the end Grendel knew his fate of death but that didn’t stop him from fighting “Afraid or not, I would go to the mead hall, I knew. I toyed, of course, with the ridiculous theory that I'd stay where I was safe, like a sensible beast. "Am I not free?—as free as a bird?" I whispered, leering, maniacal. I have seen—I