Chaos vs. Order
The central theme of Grendel revolves around whether the universe is chaotic or structured, and the profound ethical consequences stemming from that conclusion. For Grendel, all order is "theoretical, unreal — a harmless, sensible, smiling mask men slide between two great, dark realities, the self and the world — two snake-pits." If there is no inherent order, then there is no ethical framework to guide human behavior. Grendel, exploring this idea to its ultimate conclusion, finds only monotony. By the time Beowulf arrives to confront him, the monster is so exhausted from upholding an ethically meaningless system that he eagerly anticipates the challenge the Geat will bring.
Outsider Status
Beowulf and Grendel share a significant similarity: both are outsiders in Hrothgar's realm. Upon first seeing the Geat, Grendel identifies him as "an outsider not only among the Danes but everywhere." Although unsure why he fears the hero, Grendel briefly contemplates halting his raids but ultimately welcomes the possibility that the hero might be capable of defeating him. His world, devoid of challenges as well as values, has become even emptier with the death of his old rival, the Shaper. Yet, while the singer is gone, his songs remain. A young Shaper, with his harp and songs, introduces the concept of recurrence that Beowulf will whisper in Grendel's ear during their confrontation.
Transformation and Belief
Many readers have focused on the fact that Beowulf makes Grendel "sing walls" as evidence that the monster is transformed in his demise, but the story's details do not truly support this interpretation. Grendel has not become another Shaper; his singing does not construct walls, unlike the Shaper's songs that inspire listeners to envision the potential for ideal order. He points out, while in Beowulf's death-grip, that his singing did not create the wall he banged his head against and that Beowulf's theory is a "lunatic theory of matter and mind." As he goes off to die, Grendel holds onto his belief that Beowulf triumphed due to "accident," a random occurrence in an unpredictable universe.
Nihilism vs. Purpose
For Gardner, the crucial element is that Beowulf holds onto a belief. Like his "long-lost brother, kinsman-thane" Grendel, he understands that everything fades, and all people and objects lead to destruction. However, for Grendel, this realization resulted in nihilism, whereas for Beowulf, it led to a sense of purpose. He came to Hrothgar's hall with the intention of doing good, and he shares with Grendel the idea of recurrence central to much of Gardner's work: "Though you murder the world, turn plains into stone, transmogrify life into I and it, strong searching roots will crack your cave and rain will cleanse it: The world will turn green, sperm build again. My promise." The downfall of Gardner's Grendel signifies that there is an order in the cycle of nature, contradicting existential nihilism.
Artists and Society
In Grendel , the artist is represented by the Shaper, the court musician. His songs about the deeds of great men, even when exaggerated or fabricated, immortalize both the individuals and their actions. Artists may come and go, replaced by those with superior talents, as seen when the Shaper replaces the old harper in Hrothgar's hall (Chapter 3). Despite this, the power of art endures. While kings are responsible for uniting nations politically, Gardner suggests that their success relies on the courage and selflessness of people inspired by the Shaper to achieve remarkable feats. The poet's influence is so profound that it even impacts Grendel. After listening to the blind harper praise "the glory of Hrothgar's line," Grendel retreats, feeling like a "ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry." Although Grendel eventually dismisses the Shaper's tale, he...
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continues to seek understanding through poetry. After destroying Hrothgar's meadhall in Chapter 6, Grendel acknowledges, "as never before, I was alone." As the "Wrecker of Kings," he realizes he is insignificant once he has no more kings to destroy, since "physical destruction is finite," as Howell points out. Later, when Grendel wishes to torment Hrothgar, he contemplates inducing a nightmare about a "heavy blade in flight" during the king's sleep (Chapter 8). These words, borrowed from Thomas Kinsella's poem "Wormwood," are intended to trigger a terrifying memory in the old king of the moment he hurled an ax at Grendel, igniting their conflict.
Death
There is a striking difference in how various monsters and Beowulf and his warriors, especially Unferth, perceive death. Through this contrast, Gardner suggests that the hero sees personal death as trivial if it offers a path to immortality. For Grendel, a solipsist who believes only the self exists, killing others holds no significance. However, when Grendel himself is faced with even the slightest threat of harm, he is driven to cry out to his mother (Chapters 2, 12). Gardner expands the dragon's character significantly but omits the original epic's scene where the dragon kills Beowulf. Instead, Beowulf survives to deliver a message of death and rebirth: "The world will burn green, sperm build again. My promise. Time is the mind, the hand that makes (fingers on harpstrings, hero-swords, the acts, the eyes of queens). By that I kill you" (Chapter 12). This suggests that through creativity, imagination, and inspiration, one can vanquish evil and achieve immortality, even if heroic deeds endure only in poetry and song.
Language and Meaning
Gardner suggests that art, particularly poetry, is the sole source of meaning in an otherwise purposeless universe. Language serves as the bridge for humans to connect with each other and the world of meaning, breaking through the barriers that separate them. This concept of a barrier is a recurring motif in Grendel (see Chapters 2, 3, 8, and 12). The critical role of language in overcoming this barrier is highlighted not only by the Shaper's importance but also by its influence on several other key characters. Most notably, Grendel himself evolves from an inarticulate being, similar to his mother, to someone who occasionally reaches new heights of poetic expression, though misunderstood by humans (see Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 12). Perhaps the most pitiable character is Grendel's mother, who is entirely mute and incomprehensible even to her son. Though she ventures out of her cave at least once to save him, she largely remains confined to a dark cave, symbolizing her complete linguistic isolation.
Morals and Morality
The conflict in Grendel is essentially a battle between good and evil, morality and immorality. This struggle manifests both within individuals, like Grendel, and between them. Although Grendel may loathe himself or strive for change, he is often seen as embodying the forces of evil. In contrast, characters like Wealtheow, Beowulf, Hrothgar, and even Unferth (despite their sometimes cynical or humorous traits) symbolize morality. Critics Helen B. Ellis and Warren U. Ober, in John Gardner: Critical Perspectives, compare Gardner to poet William Blake, suggesting he demonstrates that "the case for a particular set of values can best be made by positing an 'ironic set' of contrary values." Even Grendel acknowledges that "balance is everything" (Chapter 7). Thus, Hrothgar, despite his ruthless efforts to maintain power, symbolizes societal order against anarchy. Wealtheow embodies another form of goodness by comforting the elderly king, sacrificing her own comfort to maintain peace between potentially hostile kingdoms. Ultimately, Beowulf's defeat of Grendel represents the triumph of good over evil. Despite his artistic endeavors, Grendel remains a nihilist who believes existence has no purpose, claiming the outcome of his fatal encounter was merely an "accident" (Chapter 12) in a meaningless world.
Nature of Man and the Meaning of Life
Beneath this fantasy story lies a serious metaphysical novel. Gardner’s chief concerns are the nature of man and the meaning of life itself. The musings of the monster and his interactions with the Scandinavian warriors provide a vehicle for the reader’s journey through the maze of philosophical issues confronting twentieth century man as he, too, searches for the rationale of human existence.
Existentialism and the Meaning of Life
Gardner’s position on the ultimate meaning of life remains unclear. Grendel is openly existentialist. (Indeed, many of his ideas and some of his very words are slyly adapted from the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre.) To him, life is merely an accident, unplanned and purposeless. No benevolent (or malevolent) deity presides over human destiny. Hence, there is no ultimate judge to pronounce men’s actions good or evil. Throughout the novel, Grendel learns that lesson, which is made most clear to him by the hero who kills him: “You make the world by whispers, second by second,” the hero tells him; “Whether you make it a grave or a garden of roses is not the point.” Life is what each man, or each monster, makes of it. To Grendel, man’s behavior seems merely ludicrous and hypocritical. Nevertheless, he sympathizes with those who display what the reader recognizes as man’s highest and most human qualities, one of which is to act with some regard to the afterlife. Hence, it would be naïve to assume simply that the monster’s fatalistic approach to life is the one that Gardner wants the reader to adopt.
Human Behavior and Identity
What is clear is that men behave in strange ways, often at odds with what they profess. That dichotomy provides much of the grim humor that characterizes this novel: The monster, whom the reader assumes to be less than human, actually appears to possess a better understanding of and appreciation for the best qualities that characterize the species Homo sapiens. Men are constantly defining themselves against other men, or against ideals. That is a central lesson of the book: Man becomes man, establishes his unique identity, only by engaging in such comparisons. Grendel—and the reader—discovers that monsters have existence as foils for men; everything in the world is defined, ultimately, by contrast with its opposite.
Significance of Poetry and Literature
An important minor theme in this novel is the significance of poetry (representative here of literature as a whole) in preserving and defining what is best in mankind. Grendel is enthralled with the Shaper, the old poet at Hrothgar’s hall who immortalizes the deeds of great heroes in his songs each evening. Men live on after death in the songs of the poet; great poets, Grendel discovers, create reality. On this powerful pronouncement Grendel and his modern-day creator seem to agree.