Monsters, Saints, Who cares? They're two sides of the same coin.

“So times were pleasant for the people there until finally one, a fiend out of Hell, began to work his evil in the world”. Beowulf is all about good vs. evil, and in the novel Grendel, giving us the events through the monsters viewpoint intensifies this relationship and even makes us feel sympathetic for the monster at some points. Not because we want evil to win, but maybe evil isn’t just a person or monster like Grendel, instead Grendel could be the pure embodiment and personification of everything that is evil. We study monsters because they fascinate us, but what some people fail to realize, is that it is ourselves we are truly fascinated by. You see, we all have monsters within us; some just choose to wear a mask.

Moving on, while reading Grendel it felt like there were nonstop comparisons occurring; either ones made by Grendel himself, or ones made by the author. In particular, the relationship between Unferth and Grendel stands out to me. In the beginning, Unferth poses as a hero, in iconic symbol meant to give man hope, but the deeds he has done beforehand separate from every truly becoming this embodiment of a true hero. He was once named a “Kin-killer”, and just like Grendel who is a descendant of the first kin-killer, Cain, they are already two faces of the same coin. Something that shows even our heroes may be monsters.

Later in the story when Unferth swims down to the den in which Grendel lives, his life is spared by Grendel after giving a speech on what a true hero is while Grendel happily mocks him. I don’t think Grendel spared him for the laughs, but rather because he sees himself in Unferth. Like Unferth, at the beginning of the story Grendel just wants to be recognized by anyone, for something to give him attention. Thus, he repeatedly roars at the ram, the moon, the sky, etc. However, after being ridiculed by the humans for the way he looks, and almost killed as well, he begins to question his place in the world and that’s when he meets the dragon who helps Grendel come to an ultimate resolution, “Reality is only what he makes it”. Knowing this and seeing Unferth struggle to gain recognition from others, Grendel decides to put Unferth through the same, if not worse, tragedies as he himself has been through to show Unferth that the idea of a hero is nonexistent; there is only reality and reality is harsh. This is seen by always leaving Unferth alive after Grendel goes on a rampage, or by humiliating Unferth in the fight with the apples. This whole comparison between a die hard wannabe hero and the villain shows that there really is no fine line between the two, except it is a misunderstanding on one side.

The thing I like most about the story of Grendel, is this idea of vengeance. That no matter which side you may be affiliated with (Good or Evil), both sides take part in it. The one that stands out the most is when Grendel’s mother retaliates for the death of her son. The fact that she ends up taking Hrothgar’s most trusted and beloved friend is no coincidence. In a way, it falls in with the saying in the popular TV Series, “The 100” that “Jus drein jus daun!” which means “Blood must have Blood”. The idea of this is that when exacting vengeance or as other say, justice, the price of blood must be paid in equal. If someone slaughters 16 people, that one person will feel the pain of 16 deaths or 16 people affiliated with that person will die. Grendel has been slain, the one thing precious to his mother is now gone. So she in turn takes something of equal value, Hrothgar’s most trusted friend in which Hrothgar weeps relentlessly for. This results in an infinite cycle until one side is completely eradicated.

Gay or Nay?

            I decided to approach Grendel in a way that challenges the normative hetero-sexist interpretation. I think that it is arguable to say that Grendel may be gay. I’m not arguing that he fits neatly into any category like pansexuality, bisexuality, demisexuality, asexuality, or homosexuality, whether or not he is romantic or aromantic, I am simply putting forward a case for Grendel and any homoerotic tendencies he may have.

            What first stood out to me was the way that Grendel interacted with Wealhtheow after invading her bedroom. He spreads her legs apart and plots how he will kill her. He decides that he will “hold her over the fire and cook the ugly hole between her legs” gleeful at the prospect of “squeezing out her feces” (109) with his fists. Though he ended up sparing her life, he left the hall “concentrated on the memory of the ugliness between her legs (bright tears of blood) and laughed” (110). Wealhtheow and her femininity disgusts Grendel, he literally runs away thinking about how ugly the thing he saw under her dress was, that thing being her vagina. He doesn’t spare any thoughts that reveal a sense of intrigue over her genitalia, simply, her vagina is a hole and it is ugly.  

            The way that Grendel interacts with Beowulf is much different. When Grendel first encounters Beowulf he gets the impression that Beowulf has a “gentle voice” and that his smile has “some magician-power” (154). Grendel goes into great detail describing Beowulf’s muscular physique, something that he seems to take great interest in. In fact, Grendel was so impressed by Beowulf’s musculature that he felt that he could “drop into a trance just looking at those shoulders,” sleek and “rippled with power.” As Beowulf talks, Grendel finds himself getting too distracted by “merely looking at his mouth” (155) to even listen to what he was saying. Getting distracted by Beowulf seems to be somewhat of a trend for Grendel as he yet again finds it hard to focus when he is faced with Beowulf’s “gleaming shoulders” (164) as he peeks into the hall after Wealhtheow makes a speech to Beowulf. Beowulf’s body undeniably intrigues Grendel.

            Whereas the feminine physical form seems to disgust Grendel, the masculine physical form is one he greatly admires. He thoroughly catalogs both forms; pulling Wealhtheow’s legs apart to observe her vagina and visually surveying Beowulf intensely on more than one occasion. If he keeps getting distracted because Beowulf’s body is just so magnificent that he can’t stop looking at it and thinks that vaginas are just ugly holes, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that Grendel may have some homoerotic proclivities.

So what do you think? Is Grendel Gay or nay?

Are Jeb and Grendel One and the Same?

Alright, I am going to go out on a limb here and compare the rise and fall of Grendel to the rise and fall of Jeb Bush. I know it sounds like a stretch, but I really think that I have some compelling arguments. (Now, I don’t mean to imply that Jeb is a descendant of Cain’s clan, but if you come to that conclusion on your own, more power to ya).

Even people that don’t necessarily like or agree with Grendel feel sympathy for him, and the same thing can be said for Jeb. We have talked several times in class about how the readers are supposed to feel some amount of compassion for Grendel. He is lonely and misunderstood, and ultimately just wants to be accepted by everyone. If Grendel had ever expressed this to Jeb, I like to think that Jeb’s response would have been “Same.” Throughout—but especially near the end of—Jeb’s candidacy, there has been an air of both loneliness and misunderstanding in the way Jeb was represented by the media. People booed at things he said on stage, and during the North Carolina, not many people seemed to agree with his policies. His poll numbers were so low in fact, that people who didn’t even agree with him started saying that they just wanted to give him a hug.

Grendel also really loved his mother. Though at some times it seems that he is a bit put off by her, it is still apparent through much of the text that Grendel is a mama’s boy. Jeb too, loves his mother, and said as much during the North Carolina Debate. He said that he felt that he “won the lottery” when he was born and saw his mom’s face. Though she loved him, Grendel’s mother would also occasionally look at him in a way that would make him feel that he was alone, obscene, and separated from her. One has to wonder if Jeb now feels a similar way.

Grendel also changed a lot as he aged. When he was young he was innocent and curious, and fought against his nature as best he could, and it can be argued that Jeb went though a similar process. It should come as a surprise to no one that the Bush family is quite wealthy, and that they tend operate in within a pretty elite circle. They hold powerful positions, and marry powerful, equally elite people. Naturally, Jeb would have been expected to follow suit. Instead, when he was in college, Jeb decided to study abroad in Mexico, where it just so happens that he met a girl and fell in love. Against the wishes of his fam-bam, he refused to come home until she was allowed to come with him (this is super sweet and probably my favorite thing about him). When he was young, Jeb rebelled hard-core against his nature, similar to Grendel. However as he aged, Jeb found his natural calling hard to resist, and eventually joined in the ranks of the men before him, and became a presidential candidate for the Republican Party. Like Grendel, this change soon led to his brief and frightening reign of terror, before he ultimately dropped dead out of the race.

A Game of Chess, Perhaps?

Almost all people know of the board game, chess. You move little pieces called pawns across the squares, following the rules of the handbook. The King and Queen are guarded by the pawns and other pieces. The objective of the game is to keep your King alive, essentially.

A King in reality, is similar to this game of chess. The King uses his men, as pawns for war and for keeping peace. Not only his men, but his Queen is used as a peacemaker between enemies of the King. 

With this general theme in mind, Gardner portrays Hrothgar as the King of a game of chess. He portrays Grendel as the narrator as well as through a first person point of view. We see what happens at the Mead hall and the village through the use of Grendel's eyes. Grendel, an adolescent monster, learns to obey the rules of society even though they are superficial. Gardner allows Grendel to explain his observations of the King to himself, as he conquers more land, expands his kingdom and gains allies through marriages and exchanges of gold and gifts. Although it takes some time, the monster finally learns his importance in the game.

As the novel continues, Gardner changes the way Grendel tells his story. Grendel begins to see the events as a scene by scene storyboard, where there are cuts and additional comments. This can be interpreted in many ways, but here is one potential explanation. 

After an incident where Grendel plans to kill the Queen, however, Grendel's tone and mood of explaining the events he sees changes. In chess, the Queen holds most the power. Ironically, Grendel is unable to kill the Queen. 

  He becomes the cinematographer. Gardner uses this to show that Grendel has finally learned how to play this "game." He is able to watch as those of the King's family create each of his scenes. Grendel becomes the "King" that he has watched carefully for so long. Gardner uses this change of structure to explain how Grendel has learned of his place. Through this scenic structure, Grendel mocks the King and mocks those who follow his command. 

Another noticeable sequence of events includes when Grendel provokes Unferth into an embarrassing frenzy of attempts to kill him. Grendel is able to use this to his advantage; he is able to beat down the "hero" and is able to get Unferth right where he wants him, just as Hrothgar, the King, is able to do with his people. 

This interesting, and what seemed to be random, scenic structure of writing, is actually not random at all. Gardner cleverly stitches the ideas of the King and the monster, as beings that are more alike than society likes to believe. 

Grendel becomes an enemy of the King, but does the King become Grendel's pawn?

 

Of Monsters and Men

In the original epic tale of Beowulf, Grendel, one of the primary antagonists, was regarded as nothing more as a monster to be slain by the mighty hero Beowulf. Depicted in the epic as beast-like and inhuman as possible, very few redeeming qualities are afforded to Grendel. However in John Gardner's Grendel, we see a much more human side of the so-called beast. Compared to how Grendel is depicted in the classic tale, John Gardner's novel shows a much more intelligent creature who is capable of thinking and feeling as much as any human. The novel follows Grendel throughout several stages of his life leading up to his fateful encounter with Beowulf. Initially, Grendel is curious and fascinated with the human world, but that interest soon turns into disgust has he discovers mankind's inclination towards violence. As an outsider, Grendel observes the humans as they begin to settle and cultivate land, as well as pillage and murder. Because no one else is able to communicate with Grendel other than the Dragon, Grendel is isolated and must determine the meaning of his own existence. Even Grendel's mother is unable to orally communicate with him, leaving Grendel in a constant state of loneliness, with nothing but his own thoughts to occupy him. Grendel is constantly left to his own devices, forced to discover what it means to share such a violent world with other beings. To that end, he seeks the council of his only friend the Dragon whom shapes the former's personality. Because of the Dragon's long life span and through countless millennia of observation, it has come to conclusion that humans are nothing more than another sheep or bird that will soon die out. Nothing humans create will ever last, and that all things will come to an end. After the visit, Grendel is left with a much more cynical view of life and humanity in general, believing that humans are just horribly violent animals who communicate with each other. Despite initially trying to communicate with the humans, Grendel quickly abandons this line tactic when they attack him out of fear. Grendel instead retreats back into the shadows and continues to observe the humans, including the way treat one another. While humans as a whole disgust him, Grendel is still interested in the habits of humans and the way they think, not unlike watching an animal in a zoo. However, this all comes to ahead when Beowulf arrives to hunt down Grendel, who had been preying on other humans like they prey on themselves. Beowulf could be described as almost inhuman as Grendel, depicted as cold, mechanical and sadistic. Beowulf also begins to whisper to Grendel, echoing the Dragon's own words about how everything dies, but instead insists that all things will be reborn after death. Grendel's final, violent moments were not those of a beast, but as a man. Desperately trying to cling to life, while at the same time knowing that death was inevitable, Grendel's life was filled with more humanity than Beowulf's ever was. Grendel may have born a monster, but he died as a man as a result giving in to the same violent urges.

Two Monsters

Literary works are a product of their time period and the works are influenced heavily by the ideals and beliefs present during the era. The monsters an era produces reflect underlying cultural aspects and the characteristics attributed to a monster embody the social anxieties and stresses of the time. Grendel is one of a few monsters to transcend the barrier of time and become portrayed in different time periods and reflect the aspects of two different cultural influences. Grendel’s development in each portrayal shows distinct aspects influenced by the time period and changes in the human ideology. These cultural differences can be investigated through Grendel’s portrayal in both Beowulf and the story Grendel by John Gardner.

               Beowulf ‘s portrayal of Grendel shows interesting perceptions of evil for the time period. The writing is infused with sacred references and Grendel is portrayed as demonic. He attacks without reason or mercy. These aspects indicate the time period viewed evil as a presence outside of human control. Horrible events were attributed to God’s greater plan and humans are portrayed as helpless in the face of these obstacles. Only Beowulf is able to defeat Grendel and it’s only through God’s will that he has the ability to vanquish the evil. Beowulf doesn’t defeat Grendel using any weapons or protection and this furthers the idea of God’s will being the predominant reason for Grendel’s demise. Grendel acts as a venue to portray human weakness and reinforce the power of God.

               Grendel develops in Gardner’s Grendel and is illustrated as an antihero. He is instead humanized and shown to be capable of rational contemplation and deeper analyses. He is no longer portrayed as demonic but rather Grendel is perceived as an oddity, an individual with a unique perception. He is ostracized and alone because of his differences. These differences reflect the nihilistic views of the time period. Nihilism was still developing and not a widely accepted philosophy and Grendel helps to portray these underlying struggles behind the philosophy. Grendel’s relationship with his mother furthers the nihilistic undertones in his portrayal. He is detached and indifferent to her and yet she completely describes his existence because she is his only relationship. The portrayal of Grendel as a unique individual with human qualities brings to light the complexities facing the nihilistic movement during the time period.

               Each of these depictions of Grendel helps to bring to light underlying social conflicts of their respective time periods.

Grendel as an Environmentalist

In Grendel, by John Gardner, the reader is allowed a chance to hear the epic poem of Beowulf through one of its monster’s, Grendel, perspective. It is a fascinating look into the mind of a character that lacks sympathy or complexity in its original depiction. The perspective provides an insight into what life was like long before Beowulf showed up on the scene at Heorot. One passage in particular paints Grendel as somewhat of an environmentalist, someone who feels upset when he sees waste and destruction to the land and its creatures.

Chapter 3 details what Grendel witnessed as Hrothgar continued his reign. Grendel listens to the men in the meadhalls exchange their drunken musings with “eyebrows lifted, [his] lips pursed, the hair on the back of [his] neck standing up like pigs’ bristles” (Gardner 32). He felt “more amused than revolted” (Gardner 32) over time, and that shows a change in attitude. This change is important in exposing the monster’s capability of growth and maturation. During this time, Grendel watches “crafty-witted killers that worked in teams, hunting through the summer, shivering in caves or little huts in the winter” (Grendel 32), indicating not only the passage of seasons but a careful observation on the monster’s part. He must spend an awful lot of time paying close attention to these humans. Not only does he appreciate the humans, he takes special note of the spring bounty. He describes “every sheep and goat had its wobbly twins, and the first crops of the hillsides were coming into fruit” (Gardner 33). These details, I think, highlight Grendel’s credibility in the opinions he forms.

So, one night, when Grendel happens upon the scene of a meadhall just after a violent raid, he is disturbed. He sees “cows in their pens [lying] burbling blood through their nostrils with javelin holes in their necks. None had been eaten… The fallen hall was a square of flames and acrid smoke, and the people inside (none of them had been eaten either) were burned black” (Gardner 33-34). The fact that he mentions both the animals and humans that had been wasted is significant in that he sees the squandering of these resources as a sin.

The effect of this unique addition to Grendel’s personality is that it adds a layer of compassion. Respect and care for the environment, specifically, is a sweet tenderness because nature is symbolic of purity and provides an innocence that the reader does not expect the monster to possess.