Symbolism of Good vs. Evil
Beowulf, without a doubt, accurately presents the symolism in the battle of good verses evil. Sense biblical times, stories have been written portraying a well respected, heroic figure defending his people, as well as himself against wickedness, and all that immortality entails. In most cases the good conquer the inferior. Justice is served. Whether the situation involved a horrific fight or loss of a character, the reader is pleased with the almost always predictable notion that malevolence was been defeated. Yet, how does the audience decide which is good, which is evil? The author plays a huge role in shaping the pre-conceived notions of the characters that interact in each plot. One might confer that the writer has already made up his mind who will be victorious in the end within the first page. He has. The common reader tends to agree with the author, due to indirect persuasion suggested in metaphors, foreshadowing, and literary conventions. These all assist the reader in making up his mind. Grendel may raise a few eyebrows to those that agree with this theory. He is not your average evil. Although, judging by physical appearance, you might say Grendel is above average. His reputation mirrors that of his looks. He seems
To summarize the fight, Grendel makes an attempt to use his claw to take out Beowulf. "Then he stepped to another. Still bloody, clutched at Beowulf with his claws" (page 46 745-755). Beowulf resists. Instead of hiding from Grendel, he does not fear these grotesque claws. Instead, he grabs right a hold of one and begins to pull at the large monster. It is at this time, Grendel realizes just how stong Beowulf is. "Knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands were harder. His mind flooded with fear- but nothing could take his talons and himself from that tight, hard grip. Grendels one thought was to run from Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there" (page 47, lines 751-757). Has Grendel met his match? In order to further emphasize Beowul's force, he explains; "Hands that moved with thirty men's strength, and courage to match. Our Holy Father has sent him as a sign of his grace, a mark of His favor, to help us defeat Grendel" (page 35, lines 380-383). Now, not only is Grendel fighting against the Geats, the core of Grendel's affliction, still persists; it seems the battle between Grendel and God, is more heavily focused on. Being aware of both, Beowulf and Grendel's reputation, it can be assumed that the battle encompasses the fight of good (Beowulf) against evil (Grendel). What leads to the first battle scene between Beowulf and Grendel? Do either have a motive? In particular, Grendel's misery was mounting before he reeked havoc on the geats. "Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty hills and bogs, bearing God's hatred, Grendel came, hoping to kill" (page 45, lines 710-713). The purpose of this phrase is to depict just how miserabl
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Approximate Word count = 1129
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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