Beowulf Essay, Research Paper

Beowulf vs. Grendel Beowulf and Grendel are two narratives. They portion capable affair. They portion secret plan. They portion puting and Tell of the exact same events, but Beowulf and Grendel have two wholly different subjects. Beowulf is an heroic verse form about the honestness, courage, and humbleness that defined the ideal Dane. John Gardner & # 8217 ; s Grendel, a retelling of Beowulf, is a narrative about turning up and seeking for the replies to & # 8220 ; Why? & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; How? & # 8221 ; Gardner shows unbelievable accomplishment when he writes an wholly different narrative while utilizing the same facts as another narrative. Some say that Grendel is merely a sarcasm that makes Grendel the hero and Beowulf the scoundrel. This is clearly true, but this train of idea can be followed farther. Grendel was written in 1971. The late 1960ss and the early seventiesmade up one of the greatest societal revolutions in the history of the United States. This societal revolution was all about inquiring & # 8220 ; Why? & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; How? & # 8221 ; ; it was all about the hunt for enlightenment. If, for a minute, we ignore the fact that Gardner follows the same narrative line as Beowulf, we will see that Grendel is invariably inquiring & # 8220 ; Why? and & # 8220 ; How? & # 8221 ; and seeking for enlightenment. Most of Grendel is about Grendel seeking for grounds for his being, people & # 8217 ; s being, and the being and concluding behind most anything he sees. He begins by inquiring his female parent, who is of no aid. He so goes on to inquire the Dragon, who is small comfort with his pessimistic and hardhearted replies. Grendel is experiencing an emptiness, a deficiency of apprehension, and he is merely seeking for something to make full this hole. This hunt for apprehension is a human trait, and B

rings a new perspective to the original relationship between Grendel and Cain, slayer of Able. Grendel has all the traits of a human and therefore an outcast of his own society. It is impossible for him to communicate to his mother, and there is no other character for us to compare him to as a peer. If we look beyond his outward appearance, we see a confused young man. Unforunteatly for grendel, he is not a man. He is a lonely beast whose only purpose on this Earth is to keep man’s population under control. This is discovered with the help of the Dragon, the only source of enlightenment Grendel has. Grendel is truly a man in beast’s clothing. Like frankenstein’s monster, Grendel, has a heart and soul. Like Frankenstein’s monster, Grendel will never be accepted by society. It is a sad story. It is a deep and complicated story about the search for truth and answers to the unknown. Grendel is burdened with the human desire to know all. Beowulf is a tale about a hero which has passed on for centuries. It is simple. It is simple because Beowulf is completely admirable, and completely unrealistic. Beowulf possesses no faults except old age, something he cannot avoid but still handles with great grace. Grendelis a more believable, well-rounded character. He shows a struggle that we all know. He has a conscience and makes mistakes, just like any other man. He also seeks the truth as to why this is the case. When both stories are examined in this light, we see that Grendel is a man, and Beowulf is a god. Gardner’s reasoning behind Grendel is as much a mystery as is the the author of Beowulf. The point is that plot and setting are not the most important parts of a story.