Who's the real monster?

For me, the focal point of the morality issue is not about what side is more moral than the other, but rather, who utilizes their morality best. Men in the novel don't appear to display any morality whatsoever. The priests were used as a symbol to show that even when morality is expected, it probably won't be found. Grendel scared the eldest of the priests, later running away and observing that one of the priests had been drinking, despite their higher moral obligation to the town. Even in marriage, Wealtheow was forcibly wedded to Hrothgar, showing that women have no control over what they might find moral or not. Meanwhile, Grendel appears to have some moral conscious, albeit warped by harsh logic, but he does what humans refuse to do; critically analyze his existence. Late in the novel, Grendel comes to the conclusion that his existence alone can be the savior of many things. Gardner describes Grendel's thoughts when he writes, "For even my mama loves me not for myself, my holy specialness (he ho he ha), but for my son-ness...i have set her aside, gently, picking her up by the armpits as would a child, and so have proved that she has no power but the little I give her in momentary whim" (158). As cold as Grendel's narcissism may be, he places himself in an area where he and the environment around him are directly connected. Without his existence, the armies of Hrothgar would have no purpose, but neither would Grendel. It is because Grendel can understand balance that he is separated from humans, as he shows restraint in situations where they would kill. In the novel, the humans arrived with established morals, but Grendel had to learn them, and despite their corruption, Grendel managed to forge his own system of ethics.