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Michael King
Mr. Tawes
Honors British Lit.
3/6/2015
A Monsters Paradox
Man lives a life of continuous contradictions. Man responds to events
differently based upon the present factors, yet man is a creature of habit. Man
sometimes acts upon his benevolence. Man sometimes acts upon his malevolence.
However, whichever Man chooses to act upon does not make him a hero or a villain.
He is just Man, a human among many, trying to do his best to not only stay alive,
but to strive. In the epic Beowulf, the monster Grendel is a bloodthirsty demon, and
eventually falls in a battle by Beowulf. Yet there are always two sides to a story. In
Grendel by John Gardner, the reader gets a peek into the life of the monster, to find
out that the beast shares many of the characteristics of Man. Grendel is rained on
day after day from the omnipresent clouds of isolation. The constant one way
conversation in his mind is far more intelligent than animals and humans, yet is
filled with envy from not being associated with a companion to share it with.
Animals are too dumb to keep up with his thoughts, and Man wants Grendels head
on a stake. Grendel was wrongly perceived as a monster of which knew only evil
ways, however he was actually more Man than Monster.
Grendel is said to be the son of Cain. Man is the son of Abel. In the bible, Cain
being envious of Abel, performs the first murder ever in killing his brother resulting
in him being casted out by God. This is the reason Grendel lives on the edge of

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humanity in a cave. For his entire life, Grendel goes out to observe Man and his
ways. But because of his ancestor, is unable to join Man in any activity. One would
get jealous of everyday watching man making technological advances and
becoming a greater influence on the world, and not being able to be a part of it in
any way. This ignites the hatred that causes Grendel to go on a killing spree. This
also shows the reader how humanlike Grendel is. Animals do not have complex
emotions as Man does. However Grendel shows this everyday in his envy towards
his brother.
What separates Man from animal? Man and many animals share similar traits,
yet animals act like machines, and never change their ways. Man can change habits
to his benefit at will. The only thing that allows man to perform such great
achievements is the power of his mind. Grendel shares the same, if not a more
advanced, organ. However, unlike his brother, Grendel does not find purpose in life.
He believes that life has no point, and that everything happens by mere accident.
There is no consequence for his actions. Man would disagree. Man lives life to strive
to be a true hero, by doing good deeds. This is what allows Grendel to keep
attacking Man. He never has to answer to a complaining conscience.
The power of the mind is as infinite as the stars in the sky. It transfers energy
to anything you give it permission to. Man bases his whole life off the words good
and evil, giving those two words power over him. Grendel does not give those words
any such power, thus making himself much more powerful than most humans. To
Grendel, there are no such things as good deeds or bad deeds. They are just deeds.
There are no good men or bad trees or good animals. They are just as they are.
History has shown that Man hates what he doesnt understand. Grendel is not an
exception to this rule. Both are so incoherent to each others ways, that is makes it

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impossible for the two to live in peace. In finding each other so different, one does
not recognize the multitude of similarities they share.
One can relate to the life of Grendel. When covered by the shawl of
loneliness, one can befriend hatred easier than anticipated. This clouds the mind
and makes it harder to see truth. Grendel had isolation forced upon himself thanks
to his ancestor, making it his destiny to be killed by Man. In his private monologues,
talking about how different he was from Man, made him more like Man
exponentially. Thus living out the monsters paradox he was destined to be trapped
in.
Works Cited
Genesis. Genesis. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1964. Print.
John, Gardener. Grendel. New York City: Vintage Books USA, 1989