(Journal 5) Monster Analysis: Grendel

Grendel, the villain from Beowulf retells his story from his personal point of view in the modern novel Grendel. Grendel is a highly intellectual and observant creature, he is misunderstood by many and “neither proud nor ashamed” (Gardner 6) of himself. If we look closely at his actions, Grendel kills animals but he doesn’t do it for a sport. He lives of off these animals that he hunts. Grendel constantly questions and cries like a young child would, which lets us see his immaturity to some extent. Grendel is also a very curious creature; he believes that this was a spell he cursed with when he was younger, though he is steady like a wild animal and observant of the dealings that go around him. He is ungrateful of nature and possesses an extreme dislike for the human race for they are the roots of his immense hatred. When it comes to motives, we can’t say there are many to pick from. Grendel’s individual craving to discover the world around him has gotten his mind entangled in a series of mazes. In the novel he constantly asks “why not” as if expecting to get some type of reply back from the background, which makes him even more frustrated. He possesses many characteristics that can make him similar to humans; they both seek knowledge of the world around them. Very often the ignorance of a creature’s or person’s background will make others more hostile towards it, which generates large conflicts between the two. Grendel also is desperate for some company seeking a friend, seeking somebody to talk to, just someone to keep him company.
Grendel is a very sarcastic creature, he is deep and emotional, and he is also indirectly self-conscious. He is constantly judging his persona, calling himself a “poor old freak” (Gardner 6). He is a irrevocably pessimist person, always looking at the negativity of situations and never finding the ‘bright side’ of things. He cannot be blamed, for he has never had the opportunity to truly experience the positive things of life, or life itself. People and the times he has come across with them have not made this image of life any better. People will usually freak out or attempt to attack him or even kill him. Their most immediate reaction is disgust as well as running away. When it comes to the setting, it can be inferred that Grendel lives in what is now Denmark, for Beowulf is the parallel epic during the timeframe. Grendel spends most of his life in the woods and in his cave, only watching the outer world by hanging from trees and looking at the events as a far away spectator. Grendel can be the symbol of many things throughout the narrative, but the most prominent ones can remain as the following. One, his being evil; he is referred to as the son of Cain, so by nature he is evil himself. Two, he can represent the human curiosity and the personal and constant seek of knowledge. The journey is endless when seeking for knowledge but Grendel will forever remain as the ‘monster’ of the epic Beowulf, owner of his own tragedies.