In Grendel, Grendel does speak of himself as no more honorable or brave than any brainless animal. He call himself “Pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered children, martyred cows.”(6), Grendel’s nihilism is exhibited in Chapter One when he spots the signs of spring and also notes places where he has committed extreme acts of violence. Him admitting his wrongs but having no remorse expresses that he knew what he was doing yet did not care who he hurt. The answer of whether or not Grendel was a truly evil monster can’t really be determined due to it being a matter of opinion. However, the most common definition for monster from Webster’s Dictionary is “one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character.” This being known, Grendel does fit into the role of being a monster seeing as murder is rarely ever acceptable in human
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. He expresses his feelings saying, "Ah, the unfairness of everything, I say, and shake my head. It is a matter of
Grendel later mentions feeling that “everything had changed… [and] no weapon could cut [him].” The nihilistic idea of “power to will” has conspicuously affected Grendel, and sparked a feeling of superiority and ability in him that he did not previously have. However, this is in a dark, malicious way, as his intentions are to harm the humans he so
All Grendel does is look at the activities the people would do and after night he would hunt for people and he would eat them. He wasn’t only killing and eating the people, but he would also go into the town to try and eat more men while they were sleeping. When Grendel was younger, he seemed to care about other things he has immature and afraid of the world. But once he had realized he alone existed, he stopped caring. There were times where Grendel worried more about killing the man.
Another part of evil is that it is created by how the person, or in this case monster, is treated, therefore Grendel cannot be completely blamed for who he has become. The people gave him no chance to fit into society, and immediately assumed that he meant to do harm the first time they saw him. Although at first he was curious about the humans, he did not believe in their morals and ethics as a tribe. He was disgusted that they would kill others for pure power, and slaughter their animals to cause even more havoc for other civilizations. This is best
John Gardner author of Grendel and an Unknown author of Beowulf wrote these to compare one another into one mega story. Grendel is about a "monster" who has been at war with humans for over 12 years. Over time he became fascinated by the way that humans live. At the end, Beowulf fights Grendel, and Beowulf pulled his arm off, and then runs away. Beowulf is about how the Danes built a great mead hall to gather and Grendel came and ruined it, killing a lot of the Danes in the process.
Unlike Grendel, Grendel’s mother doesn't kill or destroy randomly. It is clear that she only wanted to take revenge for her son and targeted those that harmed him. Due to this, her situation is more relatable and it is easier to feel pity for her even though she did kill
Grendel simply represent an alternative darker side of humanity, which is reflected in his underwater sea cave. Compared to the dragon, Grendel is more human than monstrous. Grendel represent the dark side of humanity that have simply lost. Whereas, the dragon is truly a monster that human simply can’t relate at
This shows that even the coldest of creatures can succumb to the simplest pleasures of humanity. Similarly, Grendel from the novel also faces the same enticement by the lyrics of the shaper. Grendel states that, “I listened, felt myself swept up. I knew very well that all he said was ridiculous, not light for their darkness but flattery, illusion, a vortex pulling them from sunlight to heat, a kind of midsummer burgeoning, waltz to the sickle. Yet I was swept up.” (Gardner 48) Grendel, as much as he dislikes humanity cannot seem to pull away or forget the shapers’ words.
Grendel was a product of evil beings, he had no way to control it or stop it. His ancestors did not pass on any “compassionate traits”, and this is demonstrated through his mother's behaviors throughout the novel. According to the quote a parent's language is a key part to how their offspring will act in the future. Since Grendel’s mom barely even mumbles, this explains why he has amounted to be the evil being everyone thought he