While watching the film Aliens, it is easy to link these
hideous beings with Grendel purely because of the monster element. While they
may be similar in the sense of being violent, murderous and having a protective
mommy that tries to save the day, the person who matches Grendel in an
emotional sense is Burke. It is clear that Burke doesn’t physically look like a
monster and is actually a well-dressed, clean cut business man, but his
emotional state is so terrifying it basically makes him worse than a monster.
He’s calculating, deceitful, and a complete traitor. Grendel never betrayed his
own kind for his benefit, so which one is actually worse here?
At the beginning, Burke makes it seem like he wants to
befriend Ripley and even offers her a way to get her license back, so the
audience sees him as a positive influence in the movie. At the beginning of
Grendel’s story, he is a child who doesn’t see to do much harm until he meets
humans. He’s not so much a positive figure, but not as negative yet. In a
sense, both characters are seen as harmless in the beginning of their tales. As
the works progress, their true colors are shown.
For one, both characters are extremely self-centered and
evil. Burke’s plans are solely surrounded around making maximum profit for
himself no matter who has to die or get hurt. Grendel’s plans are purely
centered on his entertainment and he also accomplishes this by destroying other
people’s happiness. It’s also quite
peculiar that both of them prey on a child at some point in the story. Burke
tries to impregnate Newt by locking her and Ripley in a room with the face-huggers.
Grendel similarly torments kids as mentioned: “A shadow looms over them (mine)
and they’re gone forever”(Gardner 142). The point is, they both have no sense
of pity for the innocence of children, which basically makes them the worst
people ever.
Once again, these two are eerily similar in a way much worse
than killing or physically hurting people. It is far worse to be a monster in
an emotional sense because usually your victim doesn’t even see you coming. It
is easier to lie, betray, and abandon the people who trust you while you are
planning the ways to use them for your benefit. Grendel had a little more of an
upfront approach like the aliens, but emotionally, he is very connected to
Burke.
