Contrasting Points of View in Grendel and Beowulf The contrasting points of view in Grendel and Beowulf significantly alter the reader's perception of religion, good and evil, and Grendel character. John Gardner's book, Grendel, is written in the first person. The book translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf, is written in the third person. Good and evil is one of the main conflicts in the novel Grendel. How is Grendel influenced by the concepts of good and evil? Grendel is an alienated individual who just wants to be a part of something. His desire to fit in leads him to do evil things. Grendel is fascinated by the poetry of the Shapers. He often returns to the mead hall to listen to it. One night, while listening, he hears the story of Cain and Abel, including the Danish explanation of Grendel. His reaction to this leads to one of his most dramatic emotional reactions: I believed him. Such was the power of the Shapers' harp! I was wriggling my face, letting tears fall from my nose, clenching my fists against my elbow, the corpse of proof that we were both cursed, or neither of us, that the brothers had never lived, nor the god who had judged them . Waaa! I screamed. Oh what a conversion (Gardner 51)! Grendel then asks the Danes for mercy. He wants their forgiveness as well as unification with them, which represents the good in him. The Danes push him back, mistaking his outburst of pain for an attack. After meeting a dragon who tells Grendel a fictional version of the Shapers story, Grendel continues to believe the Shapers story. Look for goodness in humans, which was mentioned in the story. He eats people only because it provides him with a place in society, even if it is a negative position (The Two Faces of Grendel, 2). Good and evil are one of the main conflicts in the poem Beowulf, and both cancel each other out in the end. Good is represented by God, while evil seems to be what fate has in store for the hero. Beowulf occasionally talks to God and asks him to give him strength before battle and to give him the valor he needs to defeat his enemy. Evil always seems to have the bad side of things as it is always defeated by God's good side. Even though this is true, evil lives the good life for a long time. Grendel, Beowulf's first adversary, killed thousands upon thousands of men before meeting his rival. Evil comes from monsters. They attack the good side by killing innocent men because they are hungry or simply want to defy the laws. Good reacts when the evil creations are killed and everything returns to normal. Beowulf is really good because he helps people when they need it most and hopes that God is with him even if he doesn't have to do anything to help people who have an evil creature killing the people of their village every night. In Grendel the main belief is that of existentialism, however there are also numerous references to Cain throughout the book. The basis for his version of existentialism is the following excerpt from the book itself: I realized that the world was nothing: a mechanical chaos of random and brutal enmity upon which we foolishly impose our hopes and fears. I understood that, finally and absolutely, only I exist. Everything else, I saw, is simply what drives me, or what I push back against, as blindly as everything that is not me pushes me back. I create the entire universe, blink by blink. An ugly god dying pitifully in a tree (Gardner 22) One can explain this view of existentialism by considering some simple concepts of existentialism. Existentialists believe that man is abandoned and totally responsible for his actions, and that his choicesare important because existence precedes essence. Furthermore, throughout the book you can find references to Cain, who represented chaos and the presence of evil. For example, after Cain kills his brother, he drinks his blood. This is typically something Grendel does after killing his victims. Furthermore, both Cain and Grendel are seen as social outcasts who must wander in the shadows. They are outside and looking in. They are external threats to the social order, as shown by Grendel with the Danes (Similarities between Grendel and Cain 1). Religious references to Cain, as well as the belief in existentialism are important aspects in Grendel. In Beowulf, the main belief is that of wyrd, or destiny, and sources say that Beowulf is a pagan poem adapted to fit the ideals of Christianity. Belief in the wyrd is one of the most pervasive Pagan elements. The Anglo-Saxons firmly believed that their lives were predestined and that powerful supernatural forces acted upon them. The inevitability of this fate is shown several times in the poem. When Beowulf prepares to fight Grendel, he abandons his armor and sword saying: Fate always turns out as it must (Beowulf page #). Furthermore, although there are Christian undertones, paganistic views are expressed whenever fate and destiny are discussed. For example, Beowulf makes a remark to Wiglaf that fate has swept away their race. But above all, he tells Wiglaf, I thank our Father in Heaven, Ruler of the Earth, for all that His grace has given me (Gardner 109). The epic poem Beowulf contains precise references to Christianity, but it is also full of pagan symbols such as that of destiny. The character Grendel is seen in a different light in the book Grendel. Grendel is pitiful in Grendel, however, Gardner uses this pity to evoke sympathy for Grendel by giving him human traits and emotions and using the first person. This novel is actually narrated by Grendel, which offers insight into the beast's innermost feelings, as well as evoking sympathy from the reader. In Grendel the antihero has human traits: he walks on two legs and speaks a language similar to that of the Danes. He also has strong emotions of fear, anger and grief as well as intellect. Grendel has a sense of alienation and just wants to fit in. The point of view of the book Grendel allows the reader to see another side of Grendel. In Beowulf, Grendel is seen as the evil antagonist and villain and is both feared and hated. The reader discovers Grendel seen through the eyes of his terrified victims. King Hrothgar, chief of the Danes, fears his visits: the famous ruler, the long famous prince, sat empty of joy; strong in his strength, he suffered, he grieved for his men when they saw the traces of the hateful monster, the evil spirit (Beowulf page #). Hrothgar would have feared the fateful nights when Grendel would dine on human flesh. The sovereign understands that Grendel attacks his men out of spite and jealousy (The Two Faces of Grendel, 1). When reading Grendel and Beowulf, one can find many similarities in the way events unfold in the books, however, due to the contrasting points of view, the reader gets a view of the whole picture from two different sides. This allows the reader to better understand each book and its contents, such as their own beliefs and the concept of good and evil, and to recognize the ways in which the character Grendel can be described. 1. Underline the titles of the novels. 2. Be sure to cite all quotes you use in your article. 3. Work on developing your introductory paragraph. A good introduction should be at least four sentences, including the thesis statement. The thesis itself should be the last sentence of the introduction. 4. Your thesis is detailed. However, try to limit.