Grendel

In the story of Grendel, Grendel begins as a young immature child, who wishes only to explore and ponder how and why things are the way they are. As he continues to discover the reality of the harsh cruel world that is the human world Grendel begins to feel lonely, unaccepted, and shameful. Instead of simply watching the humans as they evolve like he has for so many years, he begins to question himself and why he is the way he is. He watched the people develop into a happy and stable society and now he wishes to do the same fore he is neither happy nor stable. In the fifth chapter Grendel comes across the all-knowing dragon that is willing to answer his questions about why things are the way they are. The dragon represents the greed and darkness that is with in Grendel. It could be seen as Grendel’s id because it has been influencing to stop searching for answers to the questions of life and simply embrace the destruction he could cause to the humans. The dragon tells him to attack the humans and instead of asking why to ask why not. This vision of “why not” that is put into Grendel’s head makes him no longer have reason behind trying to be good and join the humans who were so unkind to him in the past. When Grendel leaves the dragon’s lair it marks a major tone shift in Grendel’s behaviors. The shaper that Grendel previously listened to with much interest, about why the people embraced the manipulation of history to create organization, no longer appealed to Grendel. This marks Grendel’s coming of age for he is passed the curiosity and exploration part of his life and is now making decisions based off knowledge. Grendel says “it is one thing to listen to poets’ versions of time past and visions to come, it’s another to know, as coldly and simply as my mother knows her pile of bones, what is” (75). He knows that what the shaper says is completely false and “it no longer filled [him] with doubt and distress, loneliness, shame. It enraged [me]” (75). His desire for harmony with the human race is now a distant memory and now the cruel reality that he and the humans are enemies fills him with anger. As a young adult Grendel is fighting to find his self-identity and his evil unconscious mind, the dragon, has made him into a human hating monster. When he is first attacked the part of him that is still a kid is frightened of the humans despite his invulnerable flesh, but when he finally has victory and bites off the head of the guard, he fulfills the desires of his subconscious. From this he develops an unknown joy from satisfaction that he is doing what he is “meant” to do. Finally feeling complete and having purpose Grendel is forced into a lifelong war with Hrothgar to continuously fulfill the needs of the dragon dictated to him.