So, the novel Grendel, by John Gardiner, was not what I expected it
to be whatsoever. Grendel, the infamous brute like creature of the epic story Beowulf,
was not only surprisingly human in the way he thought, functioned, and
interacted with other animal like creatures around him but also miraculously
influential when it came to the idea of how one's experience can impact their
mental well being into becoming something completely different from their once
completely innocent self; Grendel gains experience throughout this novel, and a
lot of his internal shifts from a childlike, angsty being to a matured
sinister, critical, and hopeless soul can be related to the poems "The
Divine Image (Songs of Innocence)" and "The Human Abstract (Songs of Experience)",
by William Blake. When we first meet Grendel he seems to be completely weighed
down by his past experiences, even stating that "childhood feels great at
first, before one happens to notice the terrible sameness, age after age"
(Gardiner 9); Grendel stating this makes is very clear that he wasn’t always
this way, and leads into the idea of him suddenly shifting inside "after
his fall". Grendel's "fall" was enlightenment, and the burdens
that came along with being completely aware of the world around him turned him
into someone who criticized those who weren't aware not because he saw them as
foolish and lost, but more so because he loathed the hope and positive outlook
they had for the world. Grendel is almost sorrowful for his lacking of
innocence, stating that "[he] used to take pride in that- the caution of
owls when [his] shape loomed in, the alarm [he] stirred in the giant northern
wolves. [He] was younger then. Still playing cat and mouse with the
universe" (Gardiner 10). Grendel's playing of cat and mouse with the world
around him was his time of innocence; his child like encounters that allowed
him to explore the world around him while also hoping to one day become one
with the society around him. Blake states in "The Divine Image",
"to mercy, pity, peace, and love, all pray in their distress; an to these
virtues of delight return their thankfulness" to describe the lacking of
awareness those who haven't been through experiences process the world around
them; everything is seen as whole, and nothing is seen as a root cause to
problems that lie in every corner of society. The emotions of "mercy,
pity, peace, and love" being stated as one whole personified being shows
how when one lives a life of innocence they, they live a life of constant
optimism; these separate factors that go into creating the whole that is
society are not seen as different structures but instead as something that is
one being that can be used for something to grow and prosper from. The outlook
of those personified emotions being one related to Grendel before his
enlightenment; before his experience his fall, Grendel saw the world as a whole
factor into the future meaning of the universe. His strong faith in his
innocent beliefs is what eventually lead to his harsh fall into reality after
his enlightenment, and shows how one attempting to be the same free spirited
soul after their fall is almost impossible to accomplish. Once Grendel becomes
aware, he almost becomes one with "The Human Abstract"; Blake states
within this specific poem “the raven his nest had made in its thickest
shade" which correlates to Grendel's transition into his experienced self.
Ravens symbolize shift, metamorphosis, and transitions which happen to be
exactly the things people experience once they've experienced the world. Ravens
are black, mysterious creatures that tend to lurk within the world around them,
and once Grendel becomes experienced he does just that. Lurks around the common
people. Mopes around with what seems to be a constant black cloud of
unhappiness hovering around him. Criticizes the world he once loved. With all
this being said, I ask you what does it all mean? Are these two works of
literature attempting to tell readers that experience/enlightenment are bad and
that the innocent stages in one’s life are what's needed if one wants
happiness? Or that the experience one gains through life is positive becomes it
allows them to become aware of the world around them in an attempt to make
themselves stronger? Who knows, really? No one really does, and it’s for that
reason alone that one must prepare themselves for what’s to come after their
personal "fall". Ya feel me?
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