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 “
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 905
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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