Contrasting Viewpoints in Grendel and Beowulf The contrasting viewpoints in Grendel and Beowulf significantly alter the reader's perception of religion, good and evil, as well than the character of Grendel. John Gardner's book Grendel is written in the first person. Burton Raffel's translated book, Beowulf, is written in the third person. Good and evil are one of the main conflicts in the novel Grendel. How is Grendel affected by the concepts of good and evil? Grendel is an alienated individual who just wants to be part of something. His desire to fit in leads him to do bad things. Grendel is fascinated by the poetry of the Shapers. He often returns to the mead to listen to it. One night, while listening, he hears the story of Cain and Abel, including Grendel's Danish explanation. 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 stood, twisting my face, letting the tears fall down my nose, clutching my fists at my elbow the corpse of proof that we were both cursed, or neither, that the brothers were not had ever lived, nor the god who judged them. Waaa! I bawled. Oh what a conversion (Gardner 51)! Grendel then asks the Danes for mercy. He wants their forgiveness as well as their unification with them, which represents the good in him. The Danes reject him, confusing his bout of grief with an attack. After visiting a dragon who tells Grendel a fictionalized version of the Shapers' story, Grendel continues to believe the Shapers' story. He looks for goodness in human beings, which is mentioned in the story. He only eats people because it gives him 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 ultimately both fade away. Good is represented by God, and evil seems to be what fate has in store for the hero. Beowulf occasionally speaks to God and asks God 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 since it is always defeated by the good side of God. Even if this is true, evil lives a noble life for a long time. Grendel, Beowulf's first adversary, killed thousands and thousands of men before meeting his adversary. Evil comes from monsters. They attack the good side by killing innocent people because they are hungry or because they simply want to defy the laws. Good fights back 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 though he has no business helping people who have an evil creature that is killing their population. village every night. In Grendel, the main belief is that of existentialism, however, there are also many references to Cain throughout the book. The basis of his version of existentialism is the following excerpt from the book itself: I understood that the world was nothing: a mechanical chaos of brutal and casual enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and our fears. I understood that, finally and absolutely, I exist alone. Everything else, I have seen, is only what pushes me, or what I push against, blindly, as blindly as everything that is not me pushes away. I create the entire universe, blink by blink. An ugly god dying pitifully in a tree (Gardner 22) We can explain this view of existentialism by considering some simple concepts of existentialism. THEExistentialists believe that man is abandoned and totally responsible for his actions, and that his choices are important because existence precedes essence. Additionally, references to Cain, who represented chaos and the presence of evil, are found throughout the book. For example, after Cain kills his brother, he drinks his blood. This is usually something Grendel does after killing his victims. Additionally, both Cain and Grendel are seen as outcasts of society who must wander in the shadows. They are outside looking in. They constitute external threats to the social order as Grendel shows with the Danes (Similarities between Grendel and Cain 1). Religious references to Cain, as well as belief in existentialism, are important aspects of Grendel. In Beowulf, the main belief is that of wyrd, or destiny, and sources say that Beowulf is a pagan poem adapted to the ideals of Christianity. Belief in the wyrd is one of the most widespread pagan elements. The Anglo-Saxons firmly believed that their lives were predestined and that powerful supernatural forces acted on them. The inevitability of this fate is demonstrated repeatedly throughout the poem. When Beowulf prepares to fight Grendel, he abandons his armor and sword, saying, "Fate always unfolds as it must" (page Beowulf #). Additionally, although there are Christian overtones, paganist views are expressed whenever fate and destiny are discussed. For example, Beowulf points out to Wiglaf that fate has swept away their race. But just above that, he told Wiglaf, I thank our Heavenly Father, Ruler of Earth, for all that his grace has given me (Gardner 109). The epic poem Beowulf contains specific 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 elicit sympathy for Grendel by giving him human traits and emotions and using the first person. This novel is actually narrated by Grendel, which offers an understanding of the beast's innermost feelings and arouses sympathy in 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 experiences strong emotions of fear, anger and grief as well as intellect. Grendel has a feeling of alienation and just wants to fit in. The book's point of view Grendel allows the reader to see a different side of Grendel. In Beowulf, Grendel is seen as the antagonist and evil villain and is both feared and hated. The reader discovers Grendel seen through the eyes of his terrified victims. King Hrothgar, leader of the Danes, fears his visits: the renowned ruler, the long-standing prince, sat void of joy; With his power, he suffered, saddened for his men when they saw the trace of the hateful monster, the evil spirit (Beowulf page #). Hrothgar would fear the fatal nights when Grendel would feed on human flesh. The leader understands that Grendel attacks his men out of malice 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, but due to the contrasting viewpoints, the reader gets a glimpse of the whole picture from two different perspectives. This allows the reader to better understand each book and its contents, such as its beliefs and the concept of good and evil, and to recognize how the character of Grendel can be described. 1. Underline the titles of the novels. 2. Make sure you cite all..