Nihilism And Solipsism Analysis

Grendel is a fictional character, designed by John Gardner. Throughout the book Grendel develops new philosophies as he continues to explore the world and encounters new surroundings. Solipsism is an idea that everything is created out of your own mind, that your mind is the only thing to actually exist. Nihilism is the thought that life is meaningless. Solipsism is developed after Grendel explores his new world for the first time. Nihilism is created in Grendel after he has a discussion with a Dragon who tells him the world is pointless. Grendel shows Nihilism and Solipsism throughout the story.

Solipsism is first brought about in the first chapter of Grendel. After discovering a new world Grendel shouts, “The world is all a pointless accident,” I say. Shouting now, my fists clenched. “I exist, nothing else.” (28 Grendel). He has believes that nothing exists but his own mind which is
the definition of solipsism. Grendel knows whatever he thinks is what is created, “That's all there is. The Mountains are what I define them as.” (28 Grendel). Grendel found the world to be cruel as he was stuck in a tree, beaten by a bull and taunted by men, he believes that none of it was true and all created in his head. He was affected throughout the story with solipsism, “The Shaper’s act of creation with words challenges Grendel’s solipsism and continues to haunt Grendel throughout the novel.” (Gordon). Grendel ran into solipsism throughout the book as he discovers the humans and their point, such as the Shaper.

Solipsism continues to develop in Grendel as he observes humans. After discovering humans, “He comes into contact with them because he is forced to, and he then seeks to proceed observation to communication and understanding” (49 Sanchez). Grendel tries to understand the humans, understand himself to understand the humans, as he is the creator of their existence. He describes an example of this, “Then one night I went down to spy, they were gone, vanished like starling from a tree.” (96, Gardner). It is believed to have been all in his mind, as if he created the men he was spying on as they seemed to have vanished in thin air, or rather in his mind. He also studied the humans to understand them, “...the significance of Grendel's alienation is that, though it, he gives value and meaning to Hrothgar's society,” (49, Sanchez). Grendel being isolated allowed him to understand the meaning of Hrothgar’s society, it gave him time to think about why he thought he had created it. The idea of solipsism caused Grendel to wonder his point of being in the world, so then comes nihilism.
Grendel discovers nihilism when he encounters the Dragon who then affects his whole outlook on life.
Grendel was puzzled by the way nature worked, “He is frustrated by the stupidity of an old ram, the unresponsiveness of the sky to his complaints, and the very existence of the trees, birds, and animals around him.” (masterplots). From the very beginning Grendel was unsure of the meaning of the world, it was just reassured when Grendel ran into the Dragon. The dragon says, “The beginning, the present, the end. Everything” (62 Grendel). At this point the dragon believes the the whole universe will come to an end so in all reality there is no point to anything. But he does not always fully believe nihilism is the sole philosophy of the Universe, “I have not committed the ultimate act of nihilism. I have not killed the queen.” (93 Grendel). By not killing the queen, as he sees humanity in her, he does not act upon his belief in nihilism because he feels that there is a point in Queen Wealthow. Without believing in nihilism, Grendel never would have developed into the
character.