Beowulf's Self-Image Changes In Grendel '

Grendel’s self image changes throughout the story because the effect of some characters that is taken upon Grendel’s personality. Grendel’s mother had an effect on him through the story he had a soft spot when it came to his mother. For example, “ of all the creatures i knew, in those days only my mother really looked at me.” (Gardner 17). Grendel is hideous, no one really pays attention to him. He’s hideous and ugly, to ugly to look at. Although, he feels loved by his mother, that is his sweet spot, the only person that really cares for him. He says “ she loved me, in some mysterious sense I understood without her speaking it. I was her creation” (Gardner 17). That’s the only one that’s there for him and the only one that he would trust which

Grendel let’s the animals know that his fate will soon happen to him and he knows this, but the animals are not understood they are just looking at him slowly die. “Overcome by both terror and joy, Grendel whispers to them, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident. . . . So may you all” (Gardner 12). Grendel whisper’s the quote and is overcome with joy because he never knew that the animals were so calm and that they wouldn’t attack him for unexplainable reasons and he is terrified because he remembers all the times that he was attacked or spooked off by the animals. Finally, Grendel is done with life he get’s to the cliff and sits there thinking about what’s going to happen in his life flashes before his eyes and he thinks of how Beowulf got him and claims it was an accident because she slipped on blood, so he runs out of the hall. “Grendel stumbles out of the hall and into the darkness of the night…...Grendel calls for his mother one last time” (Gardner 12). As Grendel awaits his death he speaks clearly and once again says to the animals who have surrounded him to watch him die. “Poor Grendel’s had an accident...So may you