The Dragon's Influence Over Grendel

Before Grendel meets the Dragon, his attitude towards the Scyldings and other early settlers of his land was dictated more by curiosity than by hate or loathing. Upon learning the Dragon's logic, however, Grendel becomes deeply confused by what his role in the universe is, compelling him to kill even more humans as a sort of catharsis for his new-found confusion. Grendel begins to take more delight in the thought that he is no longer required to think of connections between himself and the others around him, as all such relationships are superfluous in the overarching theme of the universe. But at certain parts of the novel, Grendel appears to fight his destiny by exercising control over his own sentient thought. On page 79, Grendel is in the midst of a raid upon the mead hall when he thinks to himself, "...and, in spit of it all, I was afraid of them. I backed away, still holding the screaming guard. They merely started, with their useless weapons drawn, their shoulders hunched against my laughter" (79). Grendel, who enjoyed the slaying of the guardians of the hall, suddenly regained thought about his own emotion, only to cave into the idiosyncratic laughter of the Dragon. Similarly, on page 101, Grendel laments the captivity of Wealthoew, whom he views as an object of beauty, but later cackles at the sight of artificial unity between two previously warring sides. In short, how powerful is the Dragon's influence over Grendel? Does it extend to all acts of pointless behavior, or is it limited only to repress any feeling of kinship with the humans, a thought contemplated by Grendel earlier in the novel.