John Gardners Grendel

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John Gardners Grendel
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Grendel

• Beowulf- epic poem- from the viewpoint of the
  man-eating monster Grendel
• Story of a once innocent and naïve beast who
  becomes corrupted and disillusioned
• Influenced and defined by his environment
• Grendel chooses his own fate in the novel

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Grendel

• Three-dimensional character
• Sense of humor, gift for language, weakness for
  poetry
• Strives to escape from the baseness of life

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Grendel

• He slowly loses faith in his importance in life
• He finally self-destructs mind before body
• He is the anti-hero an alienated loner with no
  self-definition or self-worth
• He struggles to understand his place in a
  meaningless world

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Grendel

• Unferth
• Definition of hero
• Foil for Grendel
• Grendels Mother
• Emphasizes the importance of language
• Dragon
• Relationship with Grendel
• Expand on concept of nihilism

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Character Development

• SOLIPSISM belief that the self can only know
  itself and it is the only entity which
  exists.
• Regardless of this belief the universe will
  continue to function and impose itself upon
  Grendel- causing him confusion and anger
• NIHILISM belief that nothing has meaning- life
  is a long series of accidents.
• Destroys his self quickly and totally- no hope
  or desire
• CYNICISM belief that everyone is for
  themselves- selfish.
• He becomes totally unhappy and sees nothing
  positive- his life is empty and void of life

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BEOWULF

• The alternative to nihilism and cynicism
• Represents truth and purity
• Provides the answers for Grendels questions
  beauty is beauty and truth is truth
• the answers are too late

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Themes

• Grendels fall into a brute existence
• Struggle between good and evil
• Clash between order and disorder
• His evolution from solipsism to nihilism