Time to analyze the oh so lovable, foul mouthed, terribly sarcastic monster. Is he, as some believe, the ultimate representation of the existentialist? Feel free to explore the following in your theoretical analysis:
Grendel's journey through the philosophies as stated in your packet...or... Grendel's journey through the facets of existentialism each chapter
Grendel's fear of falling into the realm of nihilism...or did he fear it? And, if he fell, would he then be an existentialist who gave up? Would this have been a better fate?
The theory of existentialism in general...is it truly something we are able to categorize, or is it, instead, a journey into another category?
Be yourselves but use support. Your post due by Sunday, 6 PM... respond to someone else by Monday, 6 PM....
Grendel, as the symbol of existentialism throughout the novel, makes a statement about it and essentially confirms that it is, in fact, a search, a hodge podge of ideas and thoughts and confusion, and overall, doubt. He wants so thoroughly, wants everything, and always ends up stuck in the middle. Grendel wants "to heal the split" (44-5) in his mind, "but [can't]" (44-5). He wants answers at first, then he wants the dragon's golden emptiness, Wealtheow's impossible humanity, and finally, a new challenge, ANY new challenge. Never does he light on any of these symbolic equivalents of ideological representations - he only wants. He calls "reality...essentially shoddy" (88) and then through that shoddy uncertainty and immensely jumbled desperation, he actually defines existentialism as such.
As for his relation to nihilism, he both fears it and wishes for it. He says that "tedium is the worst pain," and while his ironic "existential-hero's-journey" of a life is dull, dull, dull - he is not willing to give in to the ultimate acceptance of this tedium, or the dragon's nihilism. He says, "I would fall, if I could, through Time and Space, to the dragon. I cannot." Once again, he just cannot.
This where the two topics intertwine (him on a search and his reluctance to ever end that search). This is where Grendel becomes Grendel - the great existential baby. Because he is stuck, paralyzed, in every aspect, not just with the dragon. He is paralyzed with fear, with envy and clandestine hope for Wealtheow and friendship, his own disillusionment towards the world and the possibility that he in fact is unable to have possibilities, his own almost-lack-of-belief and hatred at the fact that he exists that way. That he does in fact exist, unfairly and alone. This is the core of Grendel, and this is the core of existentialism.
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Hannah Rooks
11/4/2013 09:40:34 am
I like how you stated that Grendel not only fears nihilism, but wishes for it. He doesn't want to fall into nihilism because of who he would become, yet he wished for it as an easy way out.
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Christian Anna Coker
11/3/2013 03:40:58 am
Existentialism focuses on the choices we make in our lives, and the responsibility we must accept with those choices. It is through these empirical and objective results of those choices that existentialists quest for the meaning of life, and an authentic life. Grendel was not the perfect existentialist. However, he did follow the three stages of existentialism created by philosopher Kirkegaard in the 19th century.The three stages are the aesthetic, religious and enlightened.
The first stage, aesthetic, is the ideal that extreme behaviors like disciplined study would provide the happiness and fulfill the emptiness that most existentialists experience. Grendel would "[watch the humans] from the eaves of the forest, mostly from up off the ground, in the branches" (30) as his form of study. He became obsessed with their doings. Like most in this stage, he finds that the obsession only disappoints him and he feels "sorrow and tenderness." (44) His encounter with the dragon only reinforced these feelings because then "he knew" the way of the world. (75)
It is then that Grendel experiences the religious stage. This is like the aesthetic stage except instead of curiosity, the person now feels a sense of duty to devote all their time to one certain thing as if to discover life's meaning through purpose. For Grendel it is "settling his soul on destroying [Hrothgar]-slowly and cruelly." (30) I believe he does this because he is enraged by the people's "confidence, their blissful, and swinish ignorance, and, worst of all, their hope." (77) It is the human condition to want what we cannot obtain. To obtain those things is what Grendel quest for.
Finally Grendel comes to the enlightenment stage. He fails to destroy the kingdom because it occurs to him, "what would he live for?" (158) Enlightenment reaches Grendel through this failure because it causes self-discovery. Although he knows he embodies "the vision of the dragon: absolute, final waste" (158) he also sees that he exists. Grendel describes it as a "glorious recognition". (158) Shortly after, he is killed dying a true existentialist, questioning his life still, thinking "Is it joy I feel?" (173)
Grendel a misunderstood individual uses his experiences and observation to try to grasp the meaning of life. He does not turn to nihilism because of his hope and acknowledgement of his existence after questing through the three stages of existentialism. His focus on the choices he makes and his constant analysis of man and himself along with that quest thoroughly convey his existentialism to the readers.
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Ashli Jordan
11/4/2013 06:41:37 am
I have to agree with you on that one, Christian Anna. Its up to the people themselves to know whether they are existentialists or not by the choices they make. If you lived life to the fullest and had no regrets, it wouldn't seem likely that they'd be an existentialist. But if they received nothing but pain and misery all their lives, they wouldn't think life had anything for them, making them believe life is empty and has no meaning to it, making them existentialists.
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Rachel Lord
11/3/2013 05:07:33 am
Grendel is the quintessential existentialist. Throughout Gardner's entire novel, he is searching for something he will never attain. He travels through several different philosophies, yet he never seems to gain much actual "truth". Despite his failure to find what he is looking for, Grendel never falls into the pit of nihilism.
Grendel is seen as an existentialist because of statements like "the days are an arrow in a dead man's chest" (page 125) showing the reader that Grendel doesn't believe the days matter. They are meaningless and do nothing for him. Grendel also exhibits the qualities of an existentialist with his need for action. Although his many attacks on the humans are an "idiotic war" (page 92) in Grendel's own words, he still continues to attack them. Existentialism puts an emphasis on the action, and Grendel's need for it is developed even further when Beowulf and his men come. He decides to attack them even though it would make him a more "sensible beast" (page 157) if he stayed in his cave. He says this is a "ridiculous theory" (page 157) however, because he knows he has to do something.
Grendel's search for his own humanity or truth is unsuccessful. He is always alone, even when he tried to befriend exiles from the villages of the humans. His mother can not talk to him or comfort him, and although he thinks the humans are corrupt and senseless for the most part, he admires humans like Wealtheow. His obsession with her shows that he wants something more.
Part of the reason that Grendel fails to make the transition from existentialist to a nihilist is partly due to his never committing "the ultimate act of nihilism" (page 93) in killing the queen. Her innocence represents hope, and he never kills her, which would be the destruction of hope. He never becomes completely hopeless like the nihilistic dragon. Furthermore, his fear of death at the end shows that he still clings to life. He is not ready to give everything up because he is still hopeful that if he lives he will eventually find what he is searching for.
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Ashli Jordan
11/3/2013 07:31:33 am
I wouldn't say that Grendel is the most excellent example of an existentialist. Grendel does follow the point of absurdness in existentialism, that there is no meaning to be found in the world beyond the meaning that we give to it, and the utter "unfairness" of the world. In the beginning of the book, he stated, "Ah, the unfairness of everything..." (Pg. 8). This may be because when he tried to go be friendly towards the people in the mead hall, they would scream and try to attack him, calling him horrible names.
Another point of existentialism that he embodies is authenticity. Grendel began to think later on in the book that since Hrothgar and his meadhall became what it was thanks to his killings and "nightly visits", he thought that he had to commit and live the role that the others have made him out to be. Grendel is actually pretty smart and doesn't kill other than what he needs to eat or protecting himself, but now that he made them famous for his misdoings, he chose to live out the "role" he created.
Even though he has all these great points of an existentialist, he has also broken some as well. He may have thought at the start that he was someone who didn't live by what others expected of him, but he eventually decided that since he didn't want to be nothing if Hrothgar became nothing, he willingly chose to live by the piece he created. But, all in all, Grendel seems to be an alright existentialist.
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Alex Tomlinson
11/4/2013 08:36:58 am
I like how you point out that Grendel embodies authenticity, Ashli. That couldn't be more true, and that is what I like about Grendel. He is completely misunderstood by the humans and even his mother.
Grendel is told by the dragon that his role in life is to terrorize and kill the Thanes, and that is exactly what he does. As you said, he fulfills his role. I think that that is truly what made Grendel an existentialist and prevented him from completely slipping into the realm of nihilism.
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Hannah Rooks
11/3/2013 08:41:45 am
Throughout Grendel, I believe that it is a mixture of the philosophies stated in the packet and the facets of existentialism. In each chapter the tone emanated the philosophy, but the majority of Grendel’s words and actions displayed the different facets of existentialism.
Nihilism: Grendel saw what Nihilism did to the dragon, what it made the dragon become and that was not what he wanted for his life. He saw the people together and their happiness with being together- that is what he wanted, to not be lonely and to belong. It was as if the looming sensation of needing to belong and not changing could only last so long, and if it did go on too long, that change would be nihilism.
I think that existentialism is just theory that floats between philosophies. It is their point of searching after they have lost something and until they find the next thing. Think of it like this: A railroad system. Each train station is a philosophy and the track in between is the doubt, questions, and thoughts that lead to the next philosophy. Existentialism comes in when the trains have to stop during their routes. They have momentarily lost their sense of direction and until they can find a new path or the path they were on, they can’t keep moving on to the next philosophy.
Therefore, I think that Grendel is the model of existentialism. He was born on that stopped train between philosophies, and died there. He could look and see the different philosophies surrounding him, but he couldn’t find the tracks to get the train moving. It was as if his world was the train and he had to go to the top hatch to observe the other train stations and for him that was the door surrounded by the fire snakes and the people.
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Alex Tomlinson
11/3/2013 12:06:57 pm
I think that Grendel does fear falling into nihilism. He stated that killing Queen Wealthow would be the "ultimate act of nihilism." Grendel is enamored with the Queen, so killing her would be equal to killing all hope of removing himself from the isolation and loneliness that he is subjected to from his mother and the humans. If he were to commit such an act, then he would have absolutely no hope and would become a nihilist like the dragon.
Grendel does come close to nihilism at one point, though. After he captures the Queen, he is very close to killing her, but decides at the last minute not to do so. He is close to the brink, but quickly pulls himself back from committing an act that would, in his mind, irrevocably transform him into a nihilist.
Grendel's death was the best fate for him. Of course Grendel was completely misunderstood by everyone and we all think that Beowulf is a savage, but his dying at the hands of Beowulf was fulfilling his purpose. The dragon told Grendel that his purpose was to terrorize the humans, so when Grendel is about to die, he asks, "Is it joy I feel?" I think that Grendel, in some twisted way, has realized that he has fulfilled his purpose in life, so he is content with how he is dying. Plus, he never has to worry about the loneliness and alienation that he feels.
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Christian Anna Coker
11/5/2013 07:24:01 am
I love how you said that Grendel's death was the best fate for him. Existentialism is a journey and Grendel was not experiencing a pleasant one. I agree that his statement about joy before he dies could be that he realizes he was fulfilling his purpose, but I also think it could be the relief he feels from the end of his loneliness and alienation.
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Morgan Pilkinton
11/3/2013 02:07:06 pm
If Grendel has taught me anything (which it has at least presented many new and interesting thoughts, though in regard to their truth...) it has certainly taught me that this theory of existentialism cannot be place in a box. A person could fixate on the central point, that life is meaningless, but just as most everything in life is, as Gardener tries to prove, it is subjective. For instance, it came to my attention that Gardener has very few mentions of the idea of a God or religion, with the exception of the section about the stone idols and the priest, but even then it is the equivalent of "fly on the face" as Deandre would say. It seems that someone searching, as we established is a sound summation of an existentialist, would at least turn to God as a question, but that is merely my opinion. John Gardener obviously thought differently, or at least did not see it relevant enough to add to Grendel. Therefore as every individuals situation are just that, individual, it is only sensible to apply that same theory to existentialism.
There is also the question of nihilism verses existentialism. I think Grendel very much wished to evade that dark and utterly helpless pit and therefore was searching for something to grab on to the entire novel. I don't think that his desire for hope could be disputed, show in his admiration of Welthow and his longing for the Shaper's songs to reveal truth, just for starters. I think the question of whether Grendel succumbing to nihilism would have been better somehow than his constant searching, his dying with no purpose, is a much more interesting thought. Of course neither are appealing, and it really is a hard question to answer. However, the thought of nihilism being the surrender to no purpose somehow come right back around to being a purpose. The dragon, for instance, intended to seek out gold and sit on it, and of course protect it at the cost of his life, but in this he contradicts his own theory. Humans end up having a purpose, even if their purpose is to defy life and a truth that they can't escape. So, I will say that having a purpose is always better, but what then can be said for nihilism?
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Madelyn Zorn
11/4/2013 07:31:53 am
I really liked that you pointed out the religous aspects of the novel, even though I personally thought that Gardner had very heavy religous overtones throughout. A lot of it was, admittedly, just that - an overtone, but it was there. While I like your point that Grendel should perhaps have at least wondered about turning to religion in answer to his existential crisis, and I think that in reality it's something most of us would do in the midst of questioning lifes meaning; however, I think Gardner was trying to make a deeper point with the portrayal of religion in "Grendel." I think, in the novel, religion was used as a literary element - a symbol - for man made organization and systematic thought. I think what you think of and is defined as "religion" is actually a man made system to control what Grendel was missing the whole time - belief in something. The closest we see to that in Grendel was Wealtheow.
I agree wholeheartedly that Grendel would've been able to separate himself from his own pit of despair if he had found God rather than religion or even if he'd just trusted in the existence of the only form of hope and belief he ha (Wealtheow), but then it would kind of take away Gardner's angle.
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Rachel Lord
11/4/2013 08:45:26 am
I really agree with you on the idea that existentialism can not be placed in a box. I think that's one of the key points in the novel. Grendel's continuous change of thought and the journey through different philosophies shows that existentialism is not something that can actually be defined.