An Isolated thought?

     Isolation. Sometimes being isolated is good it allows one to be productive and get their work done without distraction for example me writing this post. However sometimes people or things bred in isolation lead to terrible things. When people have questions that are left unanswered it is natural human curiosity that tends to cause them to seek an answer. However in a situation where a human is isolated the answers the find or the manner in which they obtain them may not reach appropriate societal standards. Grendel as a personified monster that John Gardner wrote about is the perfect example of someone or something bred in isolation. As a beast his only knowledge of the world he lives in is separated by what he sees from a third person point of view or what his mother has shown him. Grendel finds his answers about the world in isolation and sadness. The end result of Grendel’s life of isolation results in the fate he meets in Beowulf. However the personification of the beast from Beowulf seems to have some qualities of other “monstrosities” that have appeared in popular literature Grendel’s life of isolation (as perceived by the reader) makes him misunderstood and simply in search for some kind of extraneous knowledge or companionship. Initially he seeks out the dragon who just furthers Grendel’s isolation by telling him that his life is insignificant in comparison to the span of time itself.

            

        Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein exemplifies qualities extremely similar to the personification John Gardner creates in Grendel. The monster as it is simply put, after being brought to “life” wanders from Dr. Frankenstein’s lab in search of any form of answers about himself similar to Grendel. However rather than comparing the Doctor to Grendel’s mother the doctor plays the role of the Dragon from the Epic Poem.  The Dragon and the Doctor alike both explain to the monsters that outside of the world they already know they will find nothing because in the words of the Dragon “humans make roadmaps through hell with their theories”. Naturally both Grendel and the Monster venture to encounter humans and animals alike, each of which react in fear to them. Grendel’s encounter with the Vikings on the mountain, and every time he “visits” the mead hall versus the Monster interacting with the scholars and townsfolk in an attempt to learn about himself.

           

     

   As for what purpose this comparison serves from a literary standpoint, I am not entirely sure, however I do know that as time has passed so have the monsters it has created. Grendel, Frankenstein’s Monster along with most likely many others are built with similar qualities resulting in tragic fates. This further shows the impact Beowulf as an Epic Poem has had on generations of literature around the world. Additionally the use of isolation as a literary feature coupled with the personification of what is perceived to be a monster ultimately results in a plausible argument for labeling Grendel and monsters similar to him as Tragic heroes, mind you this is only a valid argument for the Grendel in John Gardner’s story not the beast portrayed in the original Epic Beowulf.