The Heavens and Destiny in Grendel

A detailed Summary of The Heavens and Destiny in Grendel

In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare wrote, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

But in ourselves, that we are underlings." Humans constantly search for justification of their fate, whether in stars, tealeaves, or themselves. Likewise, in John Gardner's Grendel, Grendel and others search both the sky and their hearts for meaning in their existence when mortality sentences them to death. The repeating images of sky in Grendel reveal that humanity has a constant struggle to find sense and reason in life when fate the ultimate driving force of the universe.

Foremost, humans sometimes respond to the decisiveness of fate with spite and anger, and the repeated imagery of the sky reflects this attitude towards destiny. Grendel's conversations with the sky betray his bitterness and frustration at his fate. He looks to the heavens for answers as to why his destiny is to be a monster, and the "oblivious sky" and "witless moon" present no justification for his bad fortune (79). Grendel simply wants to discern why he must live his life as an outcast rather than with "someone to talk to," and when the stars offer no reply, their "rudeness" enrages him (53). He further reveals his abhorrence of his existence by making "obscene" and "

In addition, the sky imagery in Grendel reaffirms that people look to fate with resignation. Many characters feel their ultimate fate, to die, has them "locked in the deadly progression of moon and stars" (8). The dragon tells Grendel of when the universe will die, and there will be "no light" in the sky (71). Since all life is just "a brief pulsation in the black hole of eternity," trying to have a meaningful existence is pointless (74). At the end of his life, Grendel "[looks] down past stars" and finds not light or meaning, but darkness. His passive acceptance of his doom to be a monster is Grendel's downfall. Moreover, Wealtheow resigns to her fate as Queen of the Danes, and moon imagery abounds in descriptions of the Queen and her situation. With a "face paler than the moon," she sacrifices herself as a political pawn, and she believes she has no more control over her fate than she does the lunar cycle (101). She also embraces Hrothulf as a member of her household, though she knows that the ambitious boy, "quiet as the moon," will eventually overthrow her husband and sons (113). Furthermore, recurring images of the cycle of the sun emphasize the inanity and hopelessness of life. Grendel views the sun as a victim of fate also, resigned to walking "mindlessly overhead" and casting shadows "as if by plan" (138). The sun ac

Some common words found in the essay are:
Grendel Grendel, Queen Danes, Moreover Grendel, Grendel Beowulf, Beowulf Beowulf, Geats Beowulf, Caesar Shakespeare, Moreover Wealtheow, sky imagery, imagery sky, grendel feels, ultimate fate, grendel looks, beowulf's destiny, life grendel, fate hope, grendel grendel, destiny monster,

Approximate Word count = 905
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English