Grendel

=**Title of the Work**= __Grendel__ =Author= John Gardner =Nationality/Ethnic Background= Anglo-Saxon =Genre and Sub-genres= Bildungsroman, Parallel Novel, Postmodern Novel, Metafiction =Pertinent Biographical Information= J ohn Gardner was born on July 21, 1933 in Batavia, New York. His father, John Champlin, was a dairy farmer and lay Presbyterian preacher, and his mother, Priscilla Gardner, was an English teacher. A few months before Gardner’s twelfth birthday, he accidentally killed his younger brother, Gilbert, by running him over with heavy farm machinery. This event caused a lifetime of psychological trauma for Gardner. However, this accident inspired Gardner’s literature. Gardner graduated from Washington University in 1955. After, he attended the University of Iowa for his graduate program where he studied medieval literature and creative writing. Gardner became a professor at the University of Detroit. Gardner married twice, and he was engaged when he died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 49. Because Gardner lived during the postmodern era, his work reflected of that period. =Literary Historical Period/Movement and Pertinent Background= John Gardner wrote with postmodern techniques during the modernist literature movement. In doing this, Gardner shows apparent realities are only social constructs. __Grendel__ parodies the sixth-century Anglo-Saxon epic poem, //Beowulf//. //Beowulf// is written from the viewpoint of Beowulf whose character sails to Denmark to rid the Danes of a gruesome monster, Grendel. However, Gardner writes __Grendel__ from the perspective of the monster, not the hero. This reflects an idea of the postmodern era because the story of Beowulf and Grendel is told from a nontraditional point of view. The reader is able to understand Grendel as a misunderstood outcast as opposed to a terrorizing beast. =Major Characters, Their Relationships, Their Conflicts=

**__Grendel__**: The protagonist of the novel who, unlike his character in the original //Beowulf//, has human like qualities. Throughout the novel, he struggles with intellectual problems and searches for answers to age old philosophical dilemmas of existential identity. Grendel desires to be apart of human society. He watches those around him in hopes of finding personal guidance. Through his interactions with both the Shaper and the Dragon, Grendel is exposed to differing point of views of the universe. This leaves Grendel mentally torn about what path to follow. **__The Shape__**__r__: A harpist in Hrothgar’s kingdom who tells stories through songs to the people, creating a perception of a universe where everyone has a purpose in life. Grendel is initially drawn to this concept because of the manipulative powers of the Shaper's song. **__The Dragon__**: A large and fearsome beast who sits on top of a pile of treasure and reveals an alternate view of the world to Grendel. In his perception of the world, everything is meaningless and without reason. His impact led Grendel to barbarically terrorize Hrothgar's people. **__Grendel’s mothe__**__r__: A large, dumb beast who sits in her cave all day long making grunting noises and rummaging through piles of bones. She attempts to keep Grendel in the cave with her and away from the outside world. Although the pair experience a language barrier, it is apparent that Grendel's mother cares for him deeply. Grendel's mother is the closest thing Grendel can identify himself to. **__Hrothgar:__** The king of the Danes. Because Hrothgar is next to God, Grendel is unable to kill or harm him. Hrothgar struggles with the attacks from Grendel. It is apparent Hrothgar cares for the people in the kingdom because of the way he reacts to great loss. Hrothgar is the one responsible to introducing the Shaper to the kingdom. The Shaper emotional affects Hrothgar. The Bull : Attacks Grendel while he is stuck in the tree. The attack hinders Grendel's philosophical development.

=Brief Plot Summary= =Motifs (Recurring Images, Ideas, Figures of Speech, Symbols, Colors) & Their Thematic Significance=
 * Grendel, a young bearlike monster, lives with his mother in a cave along the borders of human civilization.
 * In the beginning, Grendel wanders around the human world.
 * During his adventure, he manages to become stuck in a tree, making himself vulnerable to a bull and the humans think he is a tree fungus and try to feed him. Grendel laughs and the humans think the "tree fungus" is angry so they plan to attack him.
 * Fortunately, Grendel’s mother comes to his rescue.
 * Fascinated with the humans, Grendel observes them daily from a respectable distance, noticing the progress in their way of doing things. He watches their surprisingly barbaric and violent behavior toward each other.
 * Grendel also observes the Shaper, a harpist who seductively tells heroic and glorious stories of Hrothgar’s court. The content of the Shaper’s songs force Grendel to become more aware of his beastlike nature, making him feel even more of an outcast. In addition, the stories make Grendel want a place and a purpose in the human society.
 * Grendel visits the wise Dragon in an attempt to seek advice. The Dragon greatly influences Grendel with his existential theories. He tells Grendel that life is meaningless and the humans are ridiculous for attempting to apply meaning to their lives. Grendel leaves the Dragon feeling angry at the humans and begins to torture them by raiding their meadhall and starting a twelve year war.
 * The Surrounding kingdoms also attack Hrothgar and his kingdom during this time. Hrothgar joins in and attacks Hygmod, king of the Helmings. Wanting to avoid war, Hygmod offers his sister’s, Wealtheow’s, hand in marriage to Hrothgar. The two wed, and Wealtheow becomes the queen of the Danes.
 * One night, Grendel attacks Wealtheow but does not kill or rape her because he felt it was all meaningless and he also loved her. Later, Hrothgar’s nephew, Hrothulf, comes to live with Hrothgar when Hrothulf is orphaned. Hrothulf, noticing the corrupt ways of power, plans to overthrow of the government.
 * Nearing the end of the war, Grendel watches a religious ceremony where the people are asking their god, the Destroyer, to rid them of their enemy, Grendel. Once it is over and all but one priest is left, Grendel meets the old, blind priest and pretends to be the Destroyer. Grendel asks the old man what he knows about the Destroyer and the old man proceeds to carry on about evil in the world. The priest is so moved and he begins to cry leaving Grendel baffled about what to do.The other men return to the area and Grendel hides and sneaks away.
 * Later, the Shaper dies and a burial is prepared for him. Grendel attends the funeral despite efforts by his mother to prohibit him. The Shaper's assistant sings a song and the Shaper's body is burned. Meanwhile, fifteen Geats, led by Beowulf, are on their way to rid the Danes of Grendel.
 * When the Geats and the Danes fall asleep one night, Grendel attacks them. Amidst the battle, Beowulf grabs Grendel’s arm and rips it from his shoulder. Grendel realizes he has lost and runs away into the night to die.
 * The Seasons** – The novel begins in the spring of Grendel’s final year of life and ends in the winter of the same year. Spring symbolizes growth and rebirth, whereas winter is a symbolization of aging and death. __Grendel__ ends in winter, it is appropriate that the glory of Hrothgar’s kingdom is diminishing and Grendel dies, therefore symbolizing the end.


 * The Zodiac** – The Zodiac system is another yearlong cycle that is represented in __Grendel__. __Grendel__ is separated into twelve chapters (months) and each chapter is linked to its appropriate zodiac sign. For example, in the first chapter of __Grendel__, Grendel is arguing with a ram, which is the symbolic sign of Aries. This is significant because Aries is a representation of the start of spring.


 * Animals** – Grendel criticizes other animals in the wildlife as being unthinking beasts. He claims the animals follow patterns in a way that shows their stupidity and powerlessness, through their tedious routines and patterns. The last words of the novel are as follows: “They [the animals] watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction. ‘Poor Grendel’s had an accident,’ I whisper. ‘//So may you all//.’” Grendel is outcast by the animals because the animals do not understand why Grendel desires to be a part of human society. Because Grendel has no friends and no one understands him, the theme that loneliness is painful is revealed.


 * Hart (the meadhall)** – The meadhall symbolizes great political power as well as unity. Every time Grendel damages the Danes’ door to the meadhall, the people always repair it, working together to keep the kingdom in one piece, showing their commitment and unshakable belief in their values. In addition, all the dinners and meetings are held in meadhall, marking it as a community gathering space. This connects to Grendel's, because he wants to be a part of humanity.

= =
 * Appearance vs. Reality**- Through the Shaper’s songs, the shaper creates an alternate reality for Grendel and the humans. The song makes the people believe they have a higher purpose and leaves Grendel desiring to be a part of this society. Although the humans appear to be great through the Shaper’s song, in reality, the humans are barbaric because they engage in wars with surrounding kingdoms and kill other humans. Grendel appears to the humans as a horrible beast that kills and eats humans, when in reality, Grendel is just trying to find his purpose in life, just like the humans.

=Other Significant Thematic Elements (Significant Character's Names, Significant Quotations, Significant Actions/Events)=


 * **__The Bull:__** The bull that attacks Grendel while he is hanging from a tree is an example of beast-like behavior that is repeatedly revisited through out the novel. Grendel is considered to be mindless and mechanical, by the humans. Later in the novel, Grendel thinks of the world as mindless and mechanical, lacking an explanation or meaning for anything that happens.
 * **__The body of the murdered Dane:__** The corpse that Grendel encounters as he listens to the Shaper recount the tale of Cain (who committed the first murder) is significant in that it triggers something within Grendel that makes him aware of the cruelty that both men and monsters such as himself are capable of. Grendel is thought to be the brutal monster but in reality, the people are brutal and heartless.
 * __**The Desroyer:**__ Grendel encounters an old blind priest and pretends to be a great god, the Destroyer. This goes along with appearance vs. reality for the priest believes the voice to be a god who can help him when in reality it is the beast that is terrorizing the kingdom. This symbolizes that a lot of things that the humans believe in are just illusions.

=Major Themes=
 * **__Isolation causes pain:__ The pain that Grendel experiences throughout the the novel, although self inflicted, is a result of his longing for relationships. ** The ** world ignores Grendel and the only person that loves him (his mother) cannot speak ** ,because of this, Grendel is left s ** earching for companionship among the citizen's of Hrothgar's court. His pain is heightened after being attacked by the very people that he tries to befriend. After visiting the Dragon, Grendel reaches the ultimate sense of isolation upon hearing the Dragon's existential concepts that claim life to be meaningless. **
 * **__The world has no meaning:__** At the beginning of the novel, Grendel searches for his purpose in life. He tries to become a part of the humans but ultimately fails. After talking to the dragon, Grendel is open to the idea that there is no set purpose in life and that the humans are ridiculous for thinking there is. With guidance from the dragon, Grendel starts to brutally terrorize the kingdom with no regret because without purpose, there is no meaning, and without meaning Grendel has no care for the world.