Monster In Beowulf

Isolation from society will drive anyone to seek a purpose for living. In Grendel by Jack Gardner, purpose is the purpose behind Grendel’s violent behavior. The novel follows Beowulf’s antagonist’s trials through three phases of his life. In each phase, Grendel learns a valuable lesson about life. Having already lost his will to live, Grendel suffers from isolation in his violent pursuit for meaning. Grendel is a monster who is a distant descendant of the Biblical Cain, the first person to commit homicide, according to the book of Genesis. The shared history between Grendel and humanity only serves to place both into permanent hostility, not to unite the two. Grendel thinks like a human, but has the innate instincts of an animal. He lacks the capability to act above his primitive instincts. Grendel’s existential crisis and his isolation from society drove him to seek for a meaning in life, even if it means he would die a villain.

Grendel’s description, according to the narrator, is that of a “demon” (Raffel 101) who “made his home in a hell/ not hell but earth” (Raffel 103). According to the narrator, the beast was also “conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain” (Raffel 105). By making a connection between Grendel and Cain (the first murderer in biblical history) the Danes are able to find to justify and comprehend Grendel’s evil nature. If Grendel was evil enough to “[snatch] up thirty men”(Raffel 123), and eat them, then, the narrator reasons, he must be kin of the bible’s most infamous killer. By relating Grendel to Cain, and relating the words of negative connotation such as “demon” and “hell” to Grendel, the Anglo-Saxons are able to fully explain Grendel’s evil nature. Along with God causing all the evil in the world, the Danes also reflect how God creates all good that is in the

The novel Grendel, by John Gardner, gives the reader an inside look on the “monster… demon… [and] fiend” (Beowulf, 99) who, in Beowulf (translated by Burton Raffel), seems only capable of destruction, sneaking around in the night and killing soldiers off by the dozen. Grendel is a non-human entity who possesses human characteristics; no one truly knows who or what he is. He is monstrously huge, absurdly strong, and insatiable (he has been murdering for approximately twelve years). He is a “[monster] born of Cain, [a] murderous [creature]” (Beowulf, 105-106). He lives with his mother in a swampy marsh that is secluded by a “pool of firesnakes” who guard “the sunken door” to the strange world of humans (Grendel, 16). Beowulf does not provide any information of where he came from or any history about him, except that he is a pre-cursed, wicked being with no conscience. This seems like a biased assumption because the story

This method gives readers an even clearer idea of how fate overpowers free will than does Beowulf. Grendel is the monster that is introduced in the poem Beowulf. In the poem he is feared by the Danes and killed by the hero Beowulf, but this novella allows the reader to see how Grendel became a “monster”. Grendel is supposedly a cursed descendent of Cain, “he was spawned in that slime/Of Cain, murderous creatures banished/ By God, punished forever for the crime/ Of Abel's death.

Beowulf displays Christian influences in the description of Grendel especially through the allusion to the Old Testament. Initially, Grendel is presented as a monster that simply kills without any justification in why he decides to act in such fashion. However, as one alludes to the Old Testament specifically to the Book Genesis and the Book Wisdom, the reasoning behind Grendel’s actions become clear. Grendel’s tendency to kill out purely out of rage, provides a parallel to the biblical story of Cain and Abel, which explores the preposterousness of Grendel’s human aspects. The monster Grendel, who is heavily influenced by Cain’s

The story of Cain, and the murderous rage he inflicts on his brother Abel is one that many remember because of the curse Cain receives from God. After lying to God about killing his brother, Cain can no longer live a fruitful and successful life. He and his descendants are cursed to misery and torment for his transgression. Grendel, one of the unfortunate descendants of Cain, is a prime example of biblical allusion in Beowulf. “He was spawned in that slime, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God, punished forever for the crime / Of Abel’s death” (19-23). This description of Grendel attaches a stigma to him without giving him any real characteristics. Before he has even

Grendel could only take so much neglect and abuse before he transformed into the monster that readers recognize him to be. The actions of man were nothing short of monstrous, and they caused Grendel to turn into a monster. The men did not allow Grendel into the Mead Hall and they tried to kill him whenever they saw him. Even when man was not doing something directly to Grendel, their

I already watched the movie countless times so I`m practically bored during the movie viewing, it is because I already know what will happen next, it is also the reason why I don`t watch/read a movie/book twice because it spoils the fun of anticipating what will happen next.

Have you ever wanted to kill your brother due to jealousy? Or kill people just for pleasure? Cain and Grendel have . Cain is the son of Adam and Eve. He is known for killing his brother Abel. He originated from the Bible from the book of Genesis. Grendel is a bloodthirsty monster who eats humans just for pleasure. He is also a descendent of Cain. He originated from the story of Beowulf, a Pagan Anglo-Saxons tale that was later re-written by Christian monks.

Monsters play a big role in the poem of Beowulf. Without them, there would not be much of a story, and there is a purpose for each of them. They are there to represent the forces that go against the grain, trying to stop others from prevailing. Describing Grendel, “bearing God’s hatred, Grendel came hoping to kill” (Beowulf 33). They take pride in doing so and do not want to be associated with anyone. Later on, the author describes the dragon as “anxious to find the man who had robbed it of silver”(Beowulf 95). The monsters have many ways of heroic code by taking pride with what they do and going against what seems evil to them. It is what they believe in and are unique to themselves. They decide to be and act differently than everyone

Grendel symbolizes evil and how the Anglo-Saxons of that time believed in things, such as demons and monsters; tangible enemies that could come and destroy or wipe out everything, at any given time. Beowulf symbolizes Christianity and the more modern way of thinking. We think although there are forces that can come together for the greater good, they are not monsters and demons. The idea of an ordinary or what seems to be ordinary man and woman can be just as powerful as any monster or demon there was. In the epic, Beowulf and ordinary man with extraordinary strength goes against Grendel, a ‘‘Bone crunching blood sucking monster’’, there was supposed to be no fear in this monsters heart at all.

They are under beds, hiding in the dark, and slithering in the sea. The word, “monster”, has a specific meaning to it that most associate with a big, frightening figure. However, use of the word monster has changed throughout time do to pagan influences and American slang. It is still associated with a beastly creature, but can be used to describe amazing feats and wonders as the old French word once did. The definition of Monster has stayed consistent due to storytelling, yet evolved from its humble beginnings.

The story digressed from talking about Grendel to talking about Cain and Abel. Once again, this digression served more than one purpose. “He had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan”(104-106). Here we see that Grendel is a descendent of Cain. This biblical reference shows the importance of Christianity to the Anglo Saxon people. “The giants too who strove with God time and again until he gave them their reward”(113-114). They had a strong belief in a God and higher beings, as well, that the reason things happen is because God is sending a message. A theme throughout this digression is good vs. evil or Cain vs. Abel. This digressions theme is not just related to the digression, but to the overall story of Beowulf. Beowulf is the heroic warrior, and Grendel is the malevolent monster. This digression purpose was to show the importance of the Christianity culture and an overall theme of the epic

More often than not, the line that separates man from monster is blurred. This is evident in the existence of Grendel, one of the many antagonists to the main character in the anonymously-written epic poem, Beowulf. The poem depicts Beowulf, a strong and eager youth, arriving in the land of King Hrothgar and the Scyldings in order to try his hand at defeating the awful beast Grendel, who has been terrorizing the Scyldings and their mead hall, Heorot, for over a decade. Grendel is described in the most horrific terms, but as to exactly who or what he is, we are never given a definite explanation. He is clearly far from human, with immense strength and clawed hands, yet there is something of his history that suggests less monstrous beginnings. Given Grendel’s introduction into the poem, found in lines 86 through 114 of Beowulf, it can be inferred that he was once a man who lived a life very similar to the one he now torments, but his time in exile left him forsaken by both God and his fellow man, thus making him into the monstrous figure that we see portrayed in the epic of Beowulf.

Grendel was a monster that represented evil. He was a descendent of Cain. The Anglo Saxons lived in a hard time. Tough winters , illness, and a lot of uncontrollable events. “So times were pleasant for the people there until finally one, a fiend out of hell, began to work his evil in the world” (Heaney 99-101). The monster, Grendel, represents something ugly in society, like loss from an unexpected illness or a natural disaster. Today we wouldn't necessarily use a monster in a story to represent fear of the unknown because today people fear the known more than the unknown. Today monsters would more likely represent a fictional challenge used as a prop to convey the positive or negative message of the story.