In the book Grendel, the author made the decision to use the character Grendel as the narrator. He knew that the readers would understand more about Grendel’s feelings. To know the real Grendel, you need to read it from his point of view, not anyone else’s. The story made more sense because it was written in stream of consciousness. Stream of consciousness means that the author writes down everything that he is thinking. In Grendel we got to read everything from his heart, his true feelings about everything. The story would have been really different if we hadn’t gotten to see who he was and what he was all about.…
Summary: In the very first chapter of the novel, Grendel is being introduced as any ordinary monster you could imagine, rage filled and rowdy. He describes to the reader an encounter with a ram that, despite being yelled at and violently threatened, ignores him and continues on with his ram-like activities. After throwing a rock and screaming towards the sky in…
It gives the reader the feeling that he does not possess the same thought processes as humans do; therefore, he is characterized as a monster. However, in this novel, Grendel’s point of view and thoughts are more developed and deeper than how he is portrayed in Beowulf. The readers get a glimpse of the story through his eyes and it may change their view of Grendel. He is a solitary and disoriented creature who is misunderstood by humans and all those around him. He looks for a place to belong and his quest is to know who and what he…
As Grendel is trapped in the tree he learns that not everyone will be there, especially when you need them the most. “Please, Mama!’ I sobbed as if heartbroken.” (Gardner 19) As Grendel stands with his foot trapped he is utterly hopeless and yells for his mother however she is nowhere to be found. Grendel learns that he must be by himself and be his own person, even in the most dire of times. As the bull rushes in too pulverize Grendel the bull hits too low. “But that was all. The tree shuddered as he banged it with his skull,” (Gardner 21) Grendel physically learns how to dodge a bull but most importantly he learns that he can handle things on his without the help of anyone which furthers this belief that he can be his OWN person, not one…
In Gardner's novel, Grendel speaks from a first person point of view and we discover that he is not so much the brutal and heartless beast that everyone believes he is, but rather a perpetually misunderstood, lonely creature. In this story the monster is given more of a personality and humane quality. He struggles to understand the human race, when every attempt is instantly shot down because of the fear he instills into every creature he comes across. In Grendel, Grendel is nothing more than a misguided being who is trying to find a purpose in life and acts violently as a result of fear. Readers are able to more closely identify with Grendel in this story and cannot help but to empathize with the monster whenever he is victimized by others. In this novel he is considered as the protagonist of the…
While Grendel was beginning his revenge, he was feeling great he couldn’t believe his luck. “ I can hardly believe my luck, and my wild heart laughs, but I let out no sound. Swiftly, softly, I will move from bed to bed and destroy them all, Swallow every last man” (Gardner 168). When Grendel found out it was all a trap to kill him, he thought he would be able to defeat them all. They were just men, he could simply eat them. But when he faces Beowulf he starts to think differently. “ I realize, have I encountered a grip like his. My whole arm was on fire” (gardner 168). When Grendel is seriously injured, he knows he has no chance against Beowulf. When Grendel is about to die a man mentions “ poor grendel’s had an accident” Grendel last words…
In defining the isolation and hatred that Grendel has experienced throughout his whole life, Gardner creates an anti-hero that has more defining characteristics than that in the “Beowulf” text. In all, without “Grendel” the reader would not be able to experience a different perspective that differs from its medieval origins but adds a new layer to complex…
Continuing, this now leads to the next point. That is, the curiosity found in Grendel helps to prove his actual morality. This is shown through his observance of animals, nature, and humans. The first example of this can be located on page six. Here Grendel is speaking of watching a bull go about it’s daily business. The bull mindlessly stares off into the distance, simply enjoying the cool breeze. With this, Grendel is agitated. “Why can’t these creatures discover a little dignity?” he ponders to himself. All throughout the recollection of Grendel’s life, he frequently mentions stopping to watch the sky and life around him. In a like manner, Grendel has also observed the humans. He found himself interested in the human impact on the environment…
In the poem Beowulf one of the characters Grendel has displayed evil among others and injustice throughout his life which has lead Beowulf to want to defeat Grendel and end him once and for all. His powers although scary, are plain. His background unknown, until the book begins and we find out who the real Grendel lying beyond the shadows is.…
Grendel’s goodness is continuously suppressed by the misunderstanding of humans. When Grendel first encounter’s humans, the humans immediately mistake Grendel for a bloodthirsty monster because of his appearance. In the beginning when Grendel is still developing his moral and spiritual understandings of the world,…
To begin with, Grendel’s last words are “ Poor Grendel’s had an accident,” I whisper. “So may you all” (Gardner 174). Grendel is cursing the animals around him. For instance, when Grendel illustrates that he doesn’t like animals. This is when he has several incidences with the animals. Likewise, Grendel yelled “I smile, threatened by an animal already dead, still climbing” (Gardner 140). Grendel felt threatened by the animal, therefore he had to kill the goat. The goat trespassed on Grendel’s rock, making Grendel dislike the goat because the goat wouldn’t leave his rock. Also, Grendel implies “Why can’t these creatures discover a little dignity”(Gardner 6). The animals bother Grendel a lot of times. Grendel is just trying to be alone. He doesn’t…
Grendel, generally seen as a monster or giant, is one of the main antagonists in the popular Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. Portrayed as the epitome of evil, Grendel brutally attacks the meadhall of the Danes for twelve years before being defeated by the epic hero Beowulf. Gardner, through his book Grendel, creates a new point of view of these events through Grendel eyes, as Grendel learns about the humans and how they seem like wild animals in their actions. In Grendel by John Gardner, Gardner reveals that “Man must have evil so that he may have good to balance…” through the use of juxtaposition and aphorisms (Gardner 6).…
Grendel and Frankenstein are two monsters whose society ignores their existence and find them to be burdensome to their society based on the mere fact that they are not like the rest of their surrounding man-kind. Grendel and Frankenstein both strive to accept their place in the views of their surrounding peoples. Although their sporadic happiness comes from them engaging in fights and killing members of their societies, they learn to accept their place within the societies by coping with their ability to stay loyal to themselves and to fight back with self-devotion and not wanting to give up on themselves.…
A hero is a person noted for their act of courage and nobility of a purpose. In the novel of Grendel by John Gardener, there is a hero but he is not who would think it is. The issue of who the true hero is illustrated through the conflict between Grendel and Unferth. Grendel is treated as a monster that killed villagers and considered embodiment of evil. Unferth goes after the “monster” in order to have his name live forever in history and, apparently, to save his people. While they both share the same primal instinct of survival, there are several major differences between them. Grendel is the hero of the story because he is proud, intelligent, and strong under fire.…
In the epic of Beowulf, one of the warrior’s biggest adversaries is a creature from the swamp named Grendel. Although the character of Grendel is present for only a short portion in the story of Beowulf, Grendel signifies one of the important messages in the text about humanity. In Beowulf, Grendel is called a ‘monster’. However, if observed closely, analyzing the meaning behind the story, it is easy to see that Grendel is not a typical monster, in fact, it doesn’t seem like he is a monster at all. There is much evidence within the short period of the text where Grendel is present, which indicates he is not a true monster. In observing the relationship with his mother, his circumstances of his given situation, and his own actions it is obvious that the character of Grendel is extremely complex and is much more than just your typical ‘monster’.…