John Gardner's "Grendel": Good Vs. Evil

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

what Grendel is and are very uneasy about the whole situation.
Like animals they are frightened of anything that is different from what
they are used to. When Grendel attempts to communicate they show their
ignorance and simple-mindedness. Instead of taking the time to understand
the anomaly in their world they panic and decide to destroy it. Without
being able to view the story from Grendel's point of view the reader might
assume that the humans had every right to attack. Another example of the
same type of simple-mindedness is their second premature attack on Grendel.
After hearing the shaper's words Grendel weeps, "'Mercy! Peac e!'"(ch.4,
pp.50) in the hopes of salvation from the god of these men. The men, in a
drunken state, merely misunderstand Grendel's intentions and attack him
once again. Instead of killing the men, which would have been an easy task
for the giant, Grendel escapes into the night. This action alone defines
the men as the "beasts" and Grendel as ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE: