An Analysis Of Grendel's Symbols

Throughout the novel, Grendel faces many things that challenge his philosophy of  the meaning of life. From his very own mother to Beowulf, Grendel changes. This is exactly like the structure of the novel. As each chapter is represented by a season and each ending of a chapter ends with a zodiac sign, it represents his change during his last year. Throughout the book, Grendel goes on a journey of self-discovery, and eventually becomes a nihilist, only to have his belief challenged by Beowulf. In the end Gardner proves that the virtues of individuality triumphs over meaningless violence and

The reader is able to see his internal conflict with time and willing confinement through the zodiac signs and their characteristics. The reader can also relate to his struggle dominated by the pre-existing nature that governs us all and makes us run on the same clock. Gardner writes that “the sun backs away from the world like a crab and the days grows shorter, the nights longer, more dark and dangerous” which shows the changing of the seasons through the sign of Cancer, but also the lack of control Grendel and us as humans have on time (46). All Grendel can truly do is wait, and it shows our equally useless battle against time.

The sign “Aries” is a sign that gives Grendel both aggressive and impulsive actions. Aries is the sign of chapter 1, and it introduces Grendel and his known ability to lose his temper. Aries is cleverly shown in this chapter by a ram approaching Grendel nonchalantly. Grendel, with no real reason, gets very angry at the ram and throws stones at it. Similar, Grendel also shows his repressed rage with his confusing anger towards the sky. Grendel “asks the sky [a question]. The sky says nothing, predictably.

Gardner’s Grendel is a novel containing twelve chapters which is parallel to the battle between Grendel and Hrothgar, the signs of the zodiac and the months of the year. These astrology references emphasize life’s cynical nature along with the inevitability of life.

When readers are introduced to Grendel, he is a melodramatic creature who has no one to truly understand him. His emotions contribute to Grendel is caught in situations where he tries to interact but there is a barrier. When he encounters humans they fear him because of how violent he is or seems to be, but they retaliate with the same violence. The irony in this passage is that humans are attacking him because

In the story of Grendel, Grendel’s self-image changes throughout the course of the book as he encounters several characters who have an impact on his life. Throughout the book, Grendel meets The Dragon, Beowulf, and The Shaper who have an effect upon his personality.

A common theme or motif in a literary work is the loss of innocence. This loss of innocence can refer to learning the truth of the world. Every person has to go through this loss of innocence in order to grow and develop as a person. In Grendel, the titular character goes through this sort of loss of innocence. The old dragon’s display of negativity creates conflict felt by Grendel and aids in his development as a character, as well as advances the plot.

Chapter 1: Aries, the Ram.1. What does Grendel's relationship with nature -- the ram, the sky, grass, the doe, the baby bird, owls, and wolves -- reveal about his own personality?2. Quote the various phrases Grendel uses to describe himself. What do they reveal about his self-image and how it was developed?3. What is the significance of the scene wherein Grendel challenges the "dark chasms"?4. What does Grendel mean when he speaks of "playing cat and mouse with the universe"? What does it mean to "see all life without observing it"?5. Describe Grendel's mother and his relationship with her.6. From Grendel's point of view, what is man?

In the beginning of Grendel, Grendel starts off by complaining about his life and what it’s like. Grendel narrates, “"The harp turned solemn. He told of an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light. And I Grendel, was the dark side, he said in effect. The terrible race God cursed,"” (Gardner 51). This quote can be interpreted as Grendel

Chapter seven is the chapter of Libra. Libra is represented by a set of scales and is the sign of balance (Heindel 189). Right off the bat, chapter seven begins with “balance is everything (Gardner 91). Wealtheow is the primary Libra character. She is an instrument of balance between two kingdoms. Balance is again mentioned in “I hung balance, a creature of two minds; and one of them said – unreasonable, stubborn as the mountains – that she was beautiful (Gardner 110). Grendel’s feelings towards Wealtheow are balanced between repulsion and amazement.

Grendel and the young boy both compare because of the alienation that occurs to them from society. Grendel is literally isolated from the people in the towns around him. He tended to sit back and watch them from afar. He did raid the mead hall of one particular king, Hrothgar. Grendel is not very fond of Hrothgar. So on some nights Grendel would sneak into the mead hall and attack Hrothgar’s men. He’d kill them and eat them. He’d ruin the beds they sleep on and break other things in the mead hall, but by the end of the attack he would always feel lonely. One night while he was raiding the mead hall Grendel ended up sinking to his knees, crying out, “Friend! Friend!”(Gardner, 52). Grendel was alienated from society and he just wanted to be friends with the people. Grendel all this time has been alone in the woods, wandering around observing from afar. He only wants to have companionship and not to feel alone. So when he attacks the mead hall and cries out “Friend!” he is only doing so, because he wants someone to help him feel less lonely in the world. Grendel does live in a cave with his mother, but she never really acknowledges him. She tends to just ignore him and even feel sorry for herself in having to be apart of him. While Grendel is dying at the end of the book he goes on to so yell, “‘Mama!’ I bellow. ‘Mama, Mama! I’m dying!’ But her love is history”(Gardner, 173). Grendel has his mom. He lives in a cave with her, but she does not love him. She does not care about

In John Gardner 's Grendel, Grendel states, "Tedium is the worst pain" (138). Grendel views boredom as an expression of his painful, purposeless existence. Perpetual boredom has steadily increased and intensifies in chapter ten leading Grendel to be anxious for something to happen. Ironically, Grendel claims nothing is happening, and all is boring, yet filled with longing and expecting for something big to happen soon. Grendel’s search intensifies and becomes desperate at the event of the Shaper’s death. He feels utterly alone and isolated. It seems Grendel can only talk to himself. In Chapter ten Gardner examines the significance of the astrological sign Capricorn, the

The book Grendel by John Gardner details the life of the monster Grendel until he is defeated by the hero Beowulf at the end of the story. Gardner paints Grendel in a more sympathetic light, compelling the reader to understand and even feel sorry for the monster. He appears philosophical and curios from the perspective Gardner creates, and the humans seem almost villainous for shunning him when he tries to understand and interact with them. The humans create the monster inside of Grendel by mistreating him, and that monster is tested by heroes like Unferth and Beowulf.

In the novel, Grendel by John Gardener, Grendel is a human-like creature capable of rational thought as well as feeling emotions. Early on in the story Gardener depicts Grendel as being very observant, critical and somewhat spiteful of the world around him. He describes himself as a murderous monster who smells of death and crouches in the shadows. Grendel watches the humans from the shadows of the trees and at first it seems as though they are the real monsters, slaughtering and pillaging all for the sake of their leaders and for power. This light that the humans are put in gives Grendel a certain charisma about him, making him seem like the one to side with in this novel. Later in the story, however, things change. Grendel seeks out the

In chapters four and seven, Grendel expresses similar emotions with the characters, where he relates back to the zodiac signs Cancer and Libra. In chapter four, it