The Humanity Of Inhumanity In Grendel, By John Gardner

The inhumanity of humanity is an intriguing paradox explored by John Gardner in his 1971 work, Grendel. Little is definitively known about the physique of the novel’s eponym, Grendel, but he is portrayed as decidedly inhuman; Grendel dwells on the skirts of humanity, in both a literal and figurative sense. While not human himself, Grendel experiences an incessant urge to explore humanity and the communities that compose it, including the Spear-Danes tribe. Through Grendel’s observations of human culture, he develops an understanding of his own monstrous stereotype. In Chapter 6, Grendel finally succumbs to the expectations put forth by human society, which closely parallels the approach taken by Unferth, a celebrated Danish warrior.†¦show more content†¦Gardner emphasizes Unferth’s preference to end his life rather than fall short of his tribe’s heroic standards for him, to convey the inarguably harmful, and potentially fatal, effects of striving to exemplify society’s expectations. Gardner has Unferth immediately promote his epic persona, when meeting Grendel: â€Å"tell them in Hell that Unferth, son of Ecglaf sent you, known far and wide in these Scanian lands as a hero among the Scyldyings† (82). Unferth’s command to â€Å"tell them in Hell† reveals his primary motivation: to spread his heroism, both in the â€Å"Scanian lands† and the underworld. Gardner strategically places Unferth’s self-assured declaration at the beginning of his encounter with Grendel, to efficiently express his core rationale. Gardner contrasts the bravado of Unferth’s initial assertion with the cowardice of his subsequent appeal to be killed by Grendel: â€Å"‘I’ll kill myself,’ [Unferth] whispered. He shook violently now. ‘Up to you,’ [Grendel] answered reasonably, ‘but you’ll admit it may seem at least a trifle cowardly to some’† (90). Un ferth’s threat evidences his inclination to commit suicide, in order to avoid returning to his tribe defeated. Additionally, it indicates that Unferth, the â€Å"hero among the Scyldyings,† cannot bear to be labeled a failure, as one loss might overwrite the legacy that he has constructed. In failing to battle Grendel, Unferth would fail to preserve his persona—heShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Grendel By John Gardner926 Words   |  4 Pagesshows that all assumptions are put to questioning. In the novel â€Å"Grendel† , written John Gardner, We really start to look into the personal thoughts of what most of us would consider a monster. It shows the constant battle of thoughts and feeling going on in his head and hows those thought ties to how he observes the â€Å"wasteful, greedy, and brutal creatures† of which we would know as mankind. In looking at the bigger picture, Grendel is more human like than monster because of how he thinks, sees, observes