alice
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Post by alice on Jul 14, 2013 5:37:12 GMT
Grendel's communication is something that stuck out to me. His mother never learned how to speak and he could not remember where he learned. Only choice villagers could understand what he was saying even though he spoke their language, although very harshly. Throughout the novel, however, Gardner used many phrases using words that suggest communication. That sounds weird and obvious but quotes like these are what I'm talking about:
"Talking, talking. Spinning a web of words, pale walls of dreams, between myself and all I see" (8).
"Talking, talking, spinning a skin, a skin..."(29).
"talking talking, complaining, complaining, filling the world I walk with words" (80).
"whispering, whispering. Grendel has is occurred to you my dear that you are crazy?" (92).
Additionally, the Beowolf man guy tells Grendel, "You make the world by whispers, second by second" (171).
Do you think Grendel's semi-strange form of communication reveals anything about him? If so, what? Do you think that Grendel's communication was part of his demise? I don't really have a distinct focus here but what do you think about this repetition?
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Post by hannahlewman on Jul 18, 2013 21:41:15 GMT
It seems that Grendel's inability to directly partake in society through speech allows him a more objective view of the world. Because he cannot speak and truly participate in an intimate way, his ability to perceive the world's flaws and subtleties is more honed than the abilities of the humans. At one point Grendel even says about animals, which seems to include humans as well, "That is their happiness: they see all life without observing it"( Gardner 8). By not speaking, Grendel keeps his distance and in a way is not "tainted" by communication with humans, he is able to remain an objective observer. This isolation is both a curse and a gift as it allows a high level of insight and many theories about the human condition without the bias one might have from actually being a human. His strange form of communication shows that he does not fully know what it is to be human, and therefore his opinions on humans can be trusted more than those of an actual person who might have predisposed opinions about mankind because he or she is a human.
The repetition of speech, talking, whispering, etc seems to show an obsession with what Grendel knows he cannot have. It's like the forbidden fruit; Grendel wants to partake in speech, and thus the human experience, not because it is so miraculous but because it is what he does not have. For all his disgust with humans, the amount he mentions speech and talking shows a deep obsession with wanting to experience the human condition. Just like humans, even monsters want what they cannot have. This apparent fixation on human communication and life proves Grendel's qualifications for narrating a story centering on humans. Despite lacking an essential part of being human, the ability to speak, Grendel repeatedly proves himself a credible being to talk about the human condition.
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Post by moreno on Aug 1, 2013 3:20:43 GMT
I think Grendel’s communication can be seen two different ways. First, his inability to fully converse with the humans allows him to narrate more objectively. Like Hannah said above, because of his lack of intimate communication, Grendel stays away and is less ‘tainted’ by their perspectives and opinions. This is a refreshing point of view as most narrators naturally give the opinions of others, as they are unable to fully think for themselves, a consequence of living in human society.
The second way to look at Grendel’s communication is that it leads to his eventual demise. At one point in the novel Grendel attempts to join the humans but is fiercely rejected because they do not understand him. Golding writes:
“I staggered out into the open and up toward the hall with my burden, groaning out, ‘Mercy! Peace!’ The harper broke off, the people screamed. (They have their own versions but this is the truth.) Drunken men rushed me with battle-axes. I sank to my knees, crying, ‘Friend! Friend!’ They hacked me, yipping like dogs,” (51,52).
Grendel tries to communicate with them, shouting things like ‘friend!’ and ‘peace!’ Unfortunately, to my understanding, the people only hear Grendel’s attempts at communicating as moans and roars. If Grendel could fully speak their language and express that he means no harm, maybe the humans would learn not to fear him. As this is not the case, Grendel suffers from loneliness and a lack of relationships, the things that eventually lead to his demise.
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Post by allegra on Aug 11, 2013 7:45:58 GMT
I think Grendel’s inability or difficulty with communication is a huge part of his frustration with the world and a huge part of his demise. Grendel is fascinated and disgusted with human life- how they care for each other in what he believes to be simplistic ways. He finds them stupid yet understands them to a certain extent (though how he ever learned how to speak is a mystery). I think his ability to understand speech made him even more aware of his similarities with huimankind and able to point out his own differences and dislikes easier which, as a self-proclaimed cynic, were the only things he latched onto.
I also think his ability to understand human language contributed towards his frustration with the shaper. Grendel says “What was he? The man had changed the world, had torn up the past by its thick, gnarled roots and had transmuted it, and they, who knew the truth, remembered it his way- and so did I” (Gardner 43).
Grendel is frustrated with the lies and the human’s abilities to accept lies so easily when he believes to know the truth. His frustration goes hand in hand with his fascination, however. If it were not for his ability to understand humankind, he would have killed without thought rather than attempt to battle, ultimately leading him to his end.
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