Grendel: the Impersonation of Existential Philosophy.

Analysis of the Role of Grendel As Depicted By John Gardner in His Book and the Classic Verse Composition Beowulf Grendel Vs. Grendel In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel is seen as pure evil and nothing more. He brings bad things and he kills loved ones. The epic poem just shows him as a monster who needs to be killed.

One of the predominate themes in Grendel is the need for community. Throughout the novel, Grendel is in search of community. Grendel desperately tries to fit in a community, but he will always be an outsider. Grendel tries to join the human community when he went to the hall and cried out “friend! Friend! ” (52).

Grendel at the end of chapter 11 finally sums up his true philosophy when he says, “Nihil ex nihilo, I always say” (Gardner 150). That represents the phrase, “life itself is meaningless”. Apart from his apparent death you can see by the end of the book how the author John Gardner used Grendel’s demeanor and emotions throughout the book to be seen as a major demonstration of nihilism.

While Gardner presents countless philosophies and thoughts in Grendel, the two most prominent are nihilism and existentialism. The monster Grendel begins life as an existentialist. After leaving his mother’s cave, he is introduced to a vast, confusing world.

Grendel displays a nihilistic philosophy throughout the novel and ultimately this philosophy leaves him purposeless and plagues him with habitual boredom, therefore Grendel’s nihilism leads to his death because both of these factors lead him to crave death.

Grendel a Philisophical Point of View Grendel follows the philosophical evolution, from solipsism to nihilism, of a socially isolated creature, a monster. It is an examination of human supernatural curiosity and its many dangers, specifically the tendency toward blind cynicism. Grendel is a censure.

A Descriptive Essay of Grendel from “Beowulf” Essay Sample. Grendel is one of the three major antagonists in the poem “Beowulf”. We are told he is a monster and a descendant of the biblical figure “Cain” early on in the text.

Here is one amateur's way of coping with the dizzying array of characters, philosophies, and terms that our sad monster throws at us. The Ultimate Spoiler In a letter to a teacher and some eager students who sent analytical papers for review, John Gardner reveals his intentions about the role of philosophy and the characters in Grendel. Movies.

Grendel a Philisophical Point of View Grendel follows the philosophical evolution, from solipsism to nihilism, of a socially isolated creature, a monster. It is an examination of human supernatural curiosity and its many dangers, specifically the tendency toward blind cynicism.

In John Gardners book Grendel, the retelling of the ages old story Beowulf, further blurs the line between good and evil. Circumstance and perhaps a confused view of reality allow the monster, Grendel, to conceivably defend his evil beliefs. In order to better understand evil, using Grendel as a guide, I intend to attempt to justify it.

Gardner’s Grendel and Existentialism Essay Gardner chose to display the philosophical idea of existentialism in his novel, Grendel. Grendel, the main character, shows proof of supporting these ideas. Existentialism related to the basic idea of individualism, in which each individual is an isolated being too which is cast into an alien universe.

Grendel’s Philosophical Development Grendel, by John Gardner, is told from the point of view of Grendel. The narrator, Grendel, is a lizard-like monster who lives in a cave beneath the ground. As the novel progresses, Grendel’s view of the world changes.