either of the two‚ good or evil. In the story Beowulf good and evil are portrayed in a very black and white manner. There are two main characters representing both‚ one good and one evil. The good character being Beowulf and the bad character being Grendel. Their reputations‚ the manner in which they use their strengths and their surroundings define the good and evil characters alike. A lot of times your reputation will say more about you than you ever could. In this story the characters reputations
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should include a hero‚ a large setting and a supernatural being or god-like image. Grendel‚ has similar characteristics with Cain in genesis 4:1-6. The familiar story explains how Cain was jealous and showed hatred towards his brother Abel. This was the same way with Grendel‚ how he hated the people in Heorot and the Danes. “Conceived by a pair of those born Of Cain‚ murderous creatures banished By God‚ punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death.” (Beowulf 105-107). Grendel on the other hand
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Authors often have to choose between concentrating on either plot or social commentary when writing their novels; in John Gardener’s Grendel‚ any notion of a plot is forgone in order for him to share his thoughts about late sixties-early seventies America and the world’s institutions as a whole. While Grendel’s exploits are nearly indecipherable and yawn inducing‚ they do provide the reader with the strong opinions the author carries. This existentialistic novel can be seen clearly as a narrative
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used and implied throughout the novel Grendel by John Gardner. The immense symbols are illustrated in a way in which all parts come together to affect the plot. However‚ the majority of symbolism is shown through one character‚ the dragon. The dragon is symbolic of the devil and corruption. These characteristics shape the world around Grendel and affect every aspect of his life. The dragon is a devious character. He frightens‚ ridicules‚ and angers Grendel. He is bold and does not care about anything
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portray Grendel in a fair manner. One of the main characters in the epic poem is called Grendel. Grendel is a monster who lives in a cave with his mother. He hates his mother and thinks that he is the most intelligent species and no one else’s life has meaning. Grendel in the epic poem is portrayed as a monster who only kills and cannot think for himself. John Gardner‚ an author of the book Grendel felt like the epic poem was one sided and Grendel did not get to share his side. In the book Grendel Gardner
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is the cause of most human misery‚ and prevents peace on earth. In John Gardner’s book Grendel‚ the retelling of the ages old story Beowulf‚ further blurs the line between good and evil. Circumstance and perhaps a confused view of reality allow the monster‚ Grendel‚ to conceivably defend his evil beliefs. In order to better understand evil‚ using Grendel as a guide‚ I intend to attempt to justify it. Grendel is born a neutral being‚
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Grendel – Sympathy When Beowulf is retold from Grendel’s point of view many different assumptions can be made when evaluating and comparing Grendel to Beowulf. The sympathy‚ which Grendel withholds‚ represents his innocence and how he isn’t just a “monster.” Due to this reason‚ readers feel very sympathetic towards Grendel compared to Beowulf due to the fact that he is incoherent to the many actions humans perform. Readers who have read Beowulf notice the different in Grendel’s character
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Grendel as a Bully or Grendel as Pleasant Have you ever heard the same story twice and had a different view on the story the second time you heard it? This is what happened in the novel Grendel by John Gardner; it was a retelling of the epic poem Beowulf just Gardner gave the reader an insight to what it was like to be in Grendel’s shoes. Although these two stories had a similar background‚ a main difference in the two was the perception at which each of the stories was told. Grendel was told
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Throughout John Gardner’s novel‚ Grendel‚ there are many literary tools and compositional risks used to support the overall meaning of the story and to show change in the main character‚ Grendel. One compositional risk that Gardner uses extremely effectively is motif. A motif is defined as recurring structures‚ contrasts‚ or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the piece’s major themes. The most effective motif Gardner uses over the course of the novel is the recurring references
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unfamiliar with until we talked about it in class. The relationship between Grendel and existentialism was profound to me not only in the way that it drew lines of symmetry‚ but in the way that it helped me to interpret the concepts behind the philosophy. This quote spoke to me because it demonstrates how Grendel is pressured into living an existentialist lifestyle by the very forces that he says push upon him. Grendel delves into the psyche of a man-beast whose only choice is to react to the world
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