Grendel: The Cursed Race

A detailed Summary of Grendel: The Cursed Race


"In the alchemy of man's soul almost all noble attributes- courage, honor, love, hope, faith, duty, loyalty, and so on- can be transmuted into ruthlessness. Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us. Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion, even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless" (Eric Hoffer). This too is true for Grendel, for in Grendel by John Gardner, he is split into two souls, one full of compassion and another filled with hate. Grendel is clearly not the slobbering beast portrayed in Beowulf but an individual full of thoughts that is driven to evil by his exile from society.

Grendel is portrayed as two separate individuals, the logical man wishing to coexist with humanity and the murderous brute whom kills for no reason. Before he goes to see the dragon he is innocent and curious


Grendel is a creature of equal or greater intelligence than humans, but he is portrayed as a wild beast. Grendel is a lost soul simply looking for an identity. When he finds out that he is part of the cursed race he feels that it is his purpose in life to be evil though wishes he wasn't. He even wishes that the shaper could alter reality and make him good. He lives his life in denial, hating God each and every day for making him the way he is. His examination of life and how meaningless it truly is shows Grendel's superior intellect.

The new Grendel has no respect for life and simply kills to fill the nothingness in his life. This Grendel is evil, yet sympathy is felt for Grendel, for somewhere deep within his soul is the innocent and curious child, which was driven to evil by a judgmental society.

Grendel is exiled from society and is forced to live his meaningless life alone. Humans be

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Approximate Word count = 606
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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