Post by davidqin on Jul 18, 2013 0:21:33 GMT
As some of you may know, I come from a different era of LOHS history, back when Mr. Schultz was our Freshman Honors English teacher and we worshiped him. Of particular interest to us today when we try to understand Grendel is Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, also my favorite book of all time. Frankl tells us, "If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an eradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete" (Frankl 88). Perhaps this agrees with the dragon's message, that death is inevitable in the greater course of time. Grendel is likewise tormented by the joy of the humans when their great meadhall is completed: "My heart was light with Hrothgar's goodness, and leaden with grief at my own bloodthirsty ways" (Gardner 48).
Here we can draw a distinction between the predicament of Frankl in Auschwitz and Grendel in the Nordic wilderness. Frankl is trapped in a brutal camp, inured to misery and pain, with no hope for release. But Frankl also discovered a new meaning in life, that "what matters... is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment" (Frankl 131). Frankl found out ways of keeping himself sane and with a sensible goal to work towards; instead of expecting the liberation of the camp, he found his will to live through insignificant events such as receiving a slightly-larger piece of bread today or having survived yet another night. Grendel does not take delight in the small things in life, and he is too focused on what he cannot achieve (converse with his mother or the sky, become one of the humans). He yearns for the impossible, which is devastating to his journey to find meaning in his solitary life. Yet Grendel, even though he knows he suffers, makes no effort to identify any meaning in his suffering. This leads me to my question: What could be Grendel's meaning in life? Why does he continue to live when he could throw himself off the "dark chasms" on page 10? I personally think Grendel's meaning in life is to find acceptance and belonging. I am curious to see what you have to say on this topic.
Here we can draw a distinction between the predicament of Frankl in Auschwitz and Grendel in the Nordic wilderness. Frankl is trapped in a brutal camp, inured to misery and pain, with no hope for release. But Frankl also discovered a new meaning in life, that "what matters... is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment" (Frankl 131). Frankl found out ways of keeping himself sane and with a sensible goal to work towards; instead of expecting the liberation of the camp, he found his will to live through insignificant events such as receiving a slightly-larger piece of bread today or having survived yet another night. Grendel does not take delight in the small things in life, and he is too focused on what he cannot achieve (converse with his mother or the sky, become one of the humans). He yearns for the impossible, which is devastating to his journey to find meaning in his solitary life. Yet Grendel, even though he knows he suffers, makes no effort to identify any meaning in his suffering. This leads me to my question: What could be Grendel's meaning in life? Why does he continue to live when he could throw himself off the "dark chasms" on page 10? I personally think Grendel's meaning in life is to find acceptance and belonging. I am curious to see what you have to say on this topic.
