Process In The Novel 'Grendel' By John Gardner

In the novel Grendel by John Gardner, written in 1971, there are numerous concepts of the human nature portrayed and discussed. With the progression of the novel, the humans become develop to be described as increasingly careless, vicious and futile. Starting with Grendel 's first encounter with the humans to the death of the protagonist, Gardner illustrates an unusual view of the humans and their interactions with one another. Grendel begins as a creature similar to the people he observes, with many shared characteristics and thoughts, even though not all of the their actions are understood. His lasting wish is to be accepted into their society, as they accompany each other and he suffers of loneliness.

Fate is often described as the will or principle by which things in general are believed to come to be . The question of fate has been pondered over for ages , with the epic poem, Beowulf, raising questions on the concept of fate versus free will. The epic raises the question in the form of the complex,yet dynamic character Grendel. Although it seems at certain points that Grendel acts on free will ,he is in fact led entirely by fate. The idea of fate leading Grendel’s life is made entirely from the fact that he was born a monster and an unfortunate descendant of Cain.

When shown that our world is but a loop, we choose to continue. When shown that everything we do is simply the same struggle, over and over, forever the same waste of time, we don’t break away. We still go down this path of the least resistance, because we believe that that’s the way the world is. No matter what we as human beings do in life, we seem to be forever trapped in cycles, whether it be a cycle of work, a cycle of love, or any other type. But why do we follow monotonous cycles in life and even conform to such cycles?

At the end of Chapter 12, Grendel’s last words were “Poor Grendel’s had an accident … So may you all.” (Gardner 174). Such words are meant as a curse to affect mankind. To start off, Grendel’s relationship with humans are not great.

Both Grendel in Grendel and The Captain in The Sympathizer are conflicted in their own ideas as society’s influence on their beliefs corrupts and alters their mentalities. They find themselves in situations in which they cannot choose between themselves and the world. Although both characters are fundamentally different from others in each respective story because of their unique dual natures, they cannot escape the clutching forces of assimilation to the expectations of the world and society. Grendel and The Captain are able to create their own foundations in their own beliefs, but they are challenged in life through the exposure to the world and its expectations. The major problem explored throughout Grendel and The Sympathizer revolves around how each of

The Green Knight and Grendel are two characters that represent the face of evil and horror. Grendel is the typical monster. He is massive and malicious. On the other hand, the Green Knight is innovative and capable of living decapitated. Both being similar in the fact that they are meant to portray the same type of character (antagonist), they are different in the way they challenge the protagonists and how they grow as characters.

Apparently the time you are born predetermines your personality with a corresponding zodiac sign. If this is true, then why are there people who do not fit within the characteristics of the sign, or like Grendel have characteristics from all signs? In the his novel, Grendel, John Gardner incorporates each chapter of the book with a distinct astrological sign, to display the growth and withdraw in Grendel's philosophical development. The different zodiacs in each chapter are parallel to Grendel’s spiritual evolution, constantly seeking to understand the world around him and himself. Through the chapters of the book, it can be seen that all zodiac animals are interdependent of each other, and this tears Grendel apart emotionally.

Grendel in both stories is described as a vicious "Monster", but is viewed differently. The character of Grendel, in the novel by John Gardner, portrays a different visualization than that of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf. In the novel the story is told in first person point of view which gives Grendel human qualities while Grendel in Beowulf is told in third person point of view not giving Grendel his standpoint. In both works, the authors give two different perspectives of Grendel. 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.

Grendel remains in an inner conflict with his beliefs throughout the entire story. He is directed by two compelling desires in which play a role in introducing him to the divergences between good and evil. The Shaper convinces him with his meaningful music, whereas the dragon persuades him through his ideology of nihilism. Both the Shaper and the dragon play a part in influencing his views on the human society.

Grendel is a human-eating devious creature that seeks revenge on the Danes. Throughout the story Beowulf by Tom Shippey, Grendel is known as a very dangerous creature. Many people see him as a threat and they are very scared of him. Every night he seeks revenge on the Danes for the misery they have put him through his whole life. When Beowulf comes in to be a hero and save the day tells told Hrothgar “That I, alone and with the help of my men, May purge all evil from this hall” (165-167).

If someone were to pick copies of Antigone by Sophocles and Grendel by John Gardner and read them, he or she would find that the two pieces of literature are very different. Antigone is an Ancient Greek play that was written in or before the year 441 BC, while Grendel is a piece of fantasy written by an American author over 2000 years later. Antigone depicts the story of a woman named Antigone who is angry at King Creon for choosing to not bury her brother Polyneices. She then decides to bury him herself and in turn suffers the consequences for her actions. Grendel is about a monster who struggles with finding meaning in the world as well as deciphering between different philosophies.