Grendel Themes

Outlook toward life

Grendel finds himself taking on polar opposites with his ideological questioning: on the one hand he grapples with nihilism, and, on the other, he sees that art and human life are meaningful. The Shaper and Unferth seem to suggest that the ideology one lives by can give meaning to one’s life. On the other hand, Red Horse and the dragon are both of the opinion that the world holds no inherent or unified meaning, that life is mostly just made up of accidents.

The Shaper’s meaning-making in the form of art is in opposition to the nihilistic point of view. The Shaper molds meaning, art, stories, and history. In doing so, he produces different versions of truth. The Shaper, therefore, makes a strong case for art’s capacity to provide humans meaning.

At the end of the novel, as Beowulf is about to slay Grendel, Bewoulf, too, talks of these conflicting philosophies to Grendel. In fact, Grendel’s journey in this novel takes the reader through many different systems of philosophical and political thought. The novel urges readers to consider the following questions: What makes life worthwhile? And how must we live to derive meaning and satisfaction?

Isolation and Identity of a Monster

A novel narrated from the perspective of a monster, Grendel is a stylistic experiment. Additionally, the author gives the monster the urge to connect with others, including the reader, through language. This is a unique ambition for a monster: in fact, in this context we must remember that Grendel’s mother could never satisfactorily communicate with him. In his quest to understand himself, the world he inhabits, and the human way of life, Grendel stumbles upon various similarities and stark differences between being a monster and being a human. Grendel’s quest is thus also an invitation for the reader to consider these questions. When they first see him, humans are so terrified of Grendel that they bracket him as the “other.” They call him a successor of the evil Cain, which sheds light on Grendel’s human roots. Nonetheless, the townsfolk are also keen to distance themselves from what they regard as his cruelty and ugliness. Ultimately, in the novel, humans and monsters gain their identity by distancing themselves from each other, though they have similar roots and journeys.

Grendel is a lonely monster who seeks meaningful connections throughout the novel and evokes a sympathetic response from the reader. Grendel’s encounter with the dragon and his decision to not wipe out the Danes are especially exemplary in this context. The dragon is the first entity he is able to communicate with in the language he is adept at. While the dragon patronizes and mocks him, Grendel still leaves the meeting with the desire to meet the dragon again. His decision to let the Danes survive shows two things. Firstly, as mentioned above, he needs humans to keep his identity intact, as humans and monsters define themselves in contrast to each other. Secondly, Grendel is curious about what an empire would be called when all its inhabitants die.

The Power of Language and Art

Language and art are central themes, and, accordingly, they inform the essence of many of the characters. Language is a driving force for Grendel’s journey into the human world—and indeed his journeys into other dimensions of the world. Language is also essential in the context of the novel’s foundational concepts, the various schools of thought Grendel examines. The notion that language is the precursor to meaning is also captured in Grendel’s description of his mother’s language as “limited” and “animalistic.” This throws light on the fact that Grendel considers a “less animalistic expression” as more well-formed and human. It also points to humans’ preoccupation with meaning and language, the latter being a means to attain meaning.

The Shaper’s character represents the merits of storytelling and art in general. The Shaper counterbalances the bull’s brute force and the dragon’s nihilistic attitudes toward the world. Grendel is aware that the Shaper’s art is mostly fabrication, but is still captivated by it. Stories and storytelling exist as ways to bring order to a world otherwise resistant to organization. The Shaper’s story about the Danes’ glorious ancestry is false, but moving. Grendel also notices that the Danes are especially proud of this fabricated version. He is thus ambivalent about art and storytelling. He even finds himself questioning the agenda or purpose behind artistic works.