Rosen 1

Jeremy Rosen
Mr. Talevich
British Literature
17 January 2013
A Tale of Two Grendels
There are two schools of thought, in which fall the philosophies and religions that seek to
identify the meaning of life. The first school is faith, the second existentialism. The faithful
declare that the universe's many mysteries and incongruities fall into a pattern so great and
complex that a higher power is necessary to make sense of them all. The existentialists provide a
different interpretation. They claim that the only reality in the universe is that which a conscious
being makes for itself. Take existentialism one step further, and nihilism present itself. Nihilists
believe that not only is faith in a higher power wishful thinking but that life itself has no purpose.
According to a nihilist, good actions are no different in the grand scheme of things from evil
ones, for both will pass with time. John Gardner's Grendel explores nihilism in great detail while
simultaneously flipping the Anglo-Saxon classic Beowulf on its head. Beowulf itself is an epic
poem divided into three parts, and in the first part, the hero Beowulf slays the monster Grendel.
Over one thousand years after an anonymous poet composed Beowulf, Gardner crafted a novel
written from Grendel's point of view, a novel that places the conflict between faith and
existentialism at the forefront. In both these works, the authors provide Grendel with a certain
depth of character, but only in Grendel is Grendel's internal conflict between reason and insanity
explored in great depth. However, in both works, Grendel's conflicted soul meets its end in an
epic battle in desperate fashion at the hand of the heroic Beowulf.

Rosen 2
There are two measures, dynamism and roundness, that literary experts employ to
determine the complexity with which an author develops a character. A character may change
over the course of the story or remain largely the same. At the same time, this character may
display a multifaceted personality or a simple one. On the matter of dynamism, there is a clear
difference between the way the Beowulf poet and John Gardner develop Grendel. In Beowulf,
Grendel is a static character. Part of the reason for Grendel's consistent personality is that the
epic poem does not provide him with any time to change. Only in the first part does Grendel
serve as the primary antagonist. In the second part, Grendel is dead, and Beowulf must slay
Grendel's mother; in the third, a dragon must die. However, in Grendel, there are a few key
moments in which Grendel undergoes a personality change. The first occurs when he leaves the
confines of his mother's den and realizes that he is a fully conscious and independent being.
Shortly afterward, he has two encounters, one with a belligerent bull too simple-minded to gore
him any higher than his leg and the other with humans who, despite their unthreatening
appearance, are much more intelligent and thus dangerous than the bull. After these encounters,
the first threads of existentialism enter Grendel's psyche, and he wonders what exactly the
meaning of his existence is. His subsequent meeting with the dragon, most likely the very same
one who perishes at the end of Beowulf, influences him further. The dragon claims life is
meaningless, sarcastically advises Grendel spend his life "seek[ing] out gold and sit[ting] on it,"
(74) and places a charm on Grendel that makes human weapons powerless to harm Grendel.
Only after this discussion and only after the Danish King Hrothgar's thanes attack Grendel
without provocation does Grendel begin his bloody rampages. The matter of Grendel's
roundness, as opposed to his dynamism, is somewhat more complex. Clearly, in Grendel, the
antihero is a round character, for contradictions make up his identity. He is an existentialist, and

Rosen 3
even a nihilist, but he hesitates before performing "the ultimate act of nihilism" (93) on
Hrothgar's wife, Wealtheow. He lives apart from humans, a separate and notorious entity, but the
Shaper's words still have power over him. He is eloquent with language, but he cannot use
language for its true purpose, to communicate with others. Meanwhile, a listener of Beowulf may
jump to the opposite conclusion about Grendel's depth of character. He may claim that Grendel is
an evil, rapacious killer and nothing more. However, like the Grendel in Grendel, the Grendel in
Beowulf is an outsider, unable to live in peace with humans because of a crime of which not he,
but his ancestor Cain, is guilty. Beowulf's Grendel is also lonely and tormented. Simply put, in
both works, Grendel is a sad soul, albeit one with a odious nature.
Meanwhile, Grendel's many monologues in the novel that bears his name allude to an
internal conflict between reasoning and irrationality that happens in Grendel's mind. This internal
conflict takes form during Grendel's conversation with the dragon. When Grendel first sees the
dragon, he motions as to throw an emerald at the dragon. When the dragon rebukes Grendel,
comparing Grendel's fright to the fear humans experience when they see Grendel, Grendel makes
the logical decision to refrain from scaring people. However, the dragon criticizes that decision
by insinuating that frightening people or not frightening people will not change anything of
significance. At this point, the dragon launches himself into a whole series of nihilistic
arguments, telling Grendel that he, the dragon, can perceive the past, present, and future, and
from his visions, he realizes that the only certainty is time will destroy everything. Even he, the
dragon, will one day be slain. By this conversation, the dragon influences Grendel's psyche, and
under that influence, Grendel begins his raids. Grendel rationalizes that killing people is no
worse than not killing people, and Hrothgar's thanes are a violent bunch anyway. But is that
rationalization really logical? Is torturing a man, in this case Wiglaf, because of that man's nave

Rosen 4
beliefs about heroism really a rational action to take? Is pulling an innocent woman out of bed
and throwing her into a fire genitalia-first really acceptable? Even Grendel, nihilistic worldview
and all, is unwilling to let his logic take him that far. But then again, since torturing Wealtheow
or not torturing Wealtheow is the same thing, why torture her in the first place? Despite Grendel's
strict adherence to the dragon's theories, or his reservations about those theories, it is clear that
Grendel is a conflicted being. However, in Beowulf, the anonymous poet does not indicate that
Grendel has a rational side at all. Admittedly, Grendel acts stealthily before he enters the mead
hall and reacts in surprise when Beowulf grabs his arm, but many animals exhibit these types of
behaviors as well. For example, a lion will sneak up on its prey and show great surprise if it
encounters a creature stronger than it is. Although, as stated earlier, the Beowulf poet gives
Grendel's character some depth, and Grendel is elevated above the status of an animal, for no
animal would attack people based on a song whose lyrics it dislikes, the poet does not provide
Grendel with the ability to think complex thoughts.
The final way to measure how each author represents Grendel is by analyzing how
Grendel handles his final raid and his battle with his nemesis and foil, Beowulf. Indeed, Grendel
and Beowulf are foils. Both are outsiders to Danish culture, possess superhuman strength, and
have affinities for water. Grendel and his mother live in a lake, and Beowulf is known for
winning a swimming contest. Grendel's mother even warns Grendel to "warrovish," that is,
"beware the fish [Beowulf]" (145). However, Beowulf and Grendel are also polar opposites.
Grendel represents death and decay, and Beowulf represents rebirth, albeit rebirth performed in a
violent manner. In Grendel, Beowulf warns Grendel that Grendel's time of thrusting people into
the earth is up, and humanity's shoots are ready to poke up through the ground. As for Grendel
himself, his actions in the final battle are largely the same in both works. He sneaks into

Rosen 5
Hrothgar's hall, kills one man, happens upon Beowulf, feels fear for the first time, gets his arm
caught and torn off, and slinks away to die. The key difference is that unlike in Beowulf, in
Grendel, the author provides insight into Grendel's thoughts. Gardner keeps the events of the
final encounter the same to enhance the credibility of his account. However, Gardner also allows
Grendel to express his own excitement, his own demented sense of humor as made evident by
his prank with a tablecloth napkin, his own misstep on the spilled blood, and his own discussion
with Beowulf, the one in which Beowulf warns him that a new era is dawning. Grendel's final
line, the one he tells the animals of the forest, is, "Poor Grendel's had an accident. So may you
all" (174). This line is most telling, for Grendel is doing more than simply reacting in anger. It is
possible that Grendel, bored and tormented by the monotony of his life, actually rejoices at his
impending death and wishes that a similar "accident" affect the animals, so they too can break
free of their horribly repetitive instinctual drives. Grendel brings a whole new level of
complexity to the battle made so famous in Beowulf.
In essence, that complexity is the essence of Grendel. The events that take place in
Grendel are almost entirely consistent with those in Beowulf. Wiglaf, Hrothgar's bard,
Wealtheow, and the dragon all make appearances in Grendel. However, the function of Grendel
is not only to provide Grendel's point of view on the events in Beowulf but also to give the poem
a deeper meaning. In addition to discovering why Grendel acts the way he does, a reader can, by
reading Grendel, learn about human nature, the social structure of Hrothgar's people, Beowulf's
supernatural abilities, and the inner workings of the dragon's mind. Most importantly, Grendel
can teach the value of empathy by vividly illustrating the external and internal conflicts Grendel
faces. However, Grendel is a novel about nihilism, and this fact presents a great irony: a novel

Rosen 6
discussing a philosophy incongruous with empathy provides its readers with empathy for a
character derided in the poem that makes him famous.
Rubric:

Score

Max Score

Description
Essay identifies authors and
Essay identifies authors and
works in introduction, but lacks Essay identifies author or
works in an engaging
the engaging tone of the 4-point works in introduction, but
introduction, spells out
essay. Essay spells out most
lacks a clear thesis
important similarities and
important similarities and
statement that identifies
differences of the works in a
differences of the works in an important similarities and
clear thesis statement, and
identifiable thesis statement, and differences. Supporting
includes supporting
includes some supporting
evidence may be illogical
evidence in the body
evidence in the body
or inaccurate.
paragraphs.
paragraphs.

Essay does not include a

clear introduction or
thesis statement.
Supporting evidence is
lacking, illogical, or
inaccurate.

40

40

Ideas

30

30

Uses transitions to explain

Paper contains a few abrupt
comparisons and contrasts,
transitions, but organizes ideas
Organization organizes ideas consistently,
consistently. Conclusion may
and has an insightful
summarize key points of essay.
conclusion.

10

10

Voice

10

10

Writer uses vivid words and

phrases that linger or draw Writer uses vivid words and
Writer uses words that
pictures in the reader's
phrases that linger or draw
communicate clearly, but
Word Choice mind, and the choice and pictures in the reader's mind, but
the writing lacks variety,
placement of the words
occasionally the words are used
punch or flair.
seems accurate, natural and inaccurately or seem overdone.
not forced.

Sentence
Fluency

Every paragraph has

sentences that vary in
length.

Almost all paragraphs have

sentences that vary in length.

Conventions

Uses correct grammar,

spelling, and punctuation.

Essay contains over 10

Essay contains five or fewer
Essay contains 6-10 errors
errors in spelling,
errors in spelling, grammar, and in spelling, grammar, and
grammar, and
punctuation.
punctuation.
punctuation.

100

Paper has few effective

transitions, displays gaps
in continuity between
paragraphs, and offers
minimal insight in
conclusion.

Paper lacks transitions,

shows poor organization
of ideas, and lacks an
insightful conclusion.

Uses appropriate language Uses mostly appropriate

Uses some appropriate
for the audience and
language for audience and
Does not use appropriate
language for audience and
purpose. Voice is
purpose. Some language choices
language for audience
purpose, however, majority
appropriate for an academic may be informal for an
and purpose.
of language is informal.
audience.
academic essay.

Some sentences vary in

length.

Writer uses a limited

vocabulary that does not
communicate strongly or
capture the reader's
interest. Jargon or clichs
may be present and
detract from the meaning.
Sentences rarely vary in
length.

Total: 100

Feedback: Jeremy,

I teach analytical writing and sophomore composition at the University of Washington,

on my "off-years," and the focus of much of the coursework in those classes deals
with comparative thematics. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I note that the mindbogglingly sophisticated and detailed degree to which you've stripped this character
down--through a varying spectrum of lenses--is actually better than anything that a
student has ever submitted for either of those course sections, which says quite a lot
about the level at which you continue to perform at, in regards to our courses. :D
-Alek