Grendel Literary Analysis

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Grendel Major Works Notes Title: Grendel, John Gardner, 1971, United States of America. Setting: It was written in the mid 20th century (about 1971) and is set in the vast lands of Denmark. Not only is this story a fantasy but also a retelling of the Beowulf epic. And if one looks deeper through the text and action of the story, one can see and comprehend the understanding of the fictional world through a different set of eyes. Structure: I believe that this entire book is written in a semi-chronological order. The story describes the growing up of Grendel. He goes from an innocent little monster to one that sees the world through a different pair of eyes. Throughout the book, one sees the world through the 1st person. The world is constructed…show more content…
However, this makes him increasingly curious as to if, maybe, these humans are a solution to Grendels loneliness. However, the strongest change that comes upon him is the second meeting between him and the Shaper. And in this clandestine meeting, Grendel becomes convinced that he is the ultimate evil that God has cursed. This is a redefining of Grendel’s entire nature. Through this change, the world, to him, is a completely different universe. He realizes that he is the evil one. This causes him to start to become the monster we know as…show more content…
It means death to us in the tangible aspects of the world but in the intangible aspects, it symbolizes and escape, a way to free oneself from the restraints set by mundane qualities. o Beowulf o Beowulf symbolizes the bane of ones existence. He is the bane of Grendel’s existence. Everyone has his or her weaknesses, but to recognize that weakness can make one stronger. Life is a struggle and recognizing those weaknesses one can develop into a stronger person in mind and body. o Life is a cycle o This book is all about cycles. There is the cycle of time and the cycle of life and in these cycles we can see the repetitive nature of our world and how in the book, cycles sometimes are bad. It also symbolizes the repetitious nature of life. Also these cycles sometimes give a deeper insight on the setting and the environment of the world. If it’s a cycle of weather, you can understand the mood of the text in a better way. Motifs o Mead hall o The mead hall is a recurring symbol that defines the many conflicts in life. Conflicts can help or harm one in many ways. It all depends on how one will deal with
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