Post by shannonfender on Aug 20, 2013 21:37:30 GMT
The encounter with the dragon seems very odd to me. I'm not sure if anyone else felt this way, but the dragon seems more like a figment of Grendel's imagination rather than an actual, tangible entity. My initial speculation began when Grendel describes his descend into the dragon's lair, "I made my mind a black and fell, sank away like a stone though earth and sea, toward the dragon" (56). To me, this seems like an introspective journey into Grendel's mind. The dragon is simply a symbol of Grendel's predisposed outlook: The world is essentially doomed.
So if the dragon is in fact a creation of Grendel's own mind, there are a fair number of gaps in need of resolution.
First of all, what was the meaning behind the charm that the dragon supposedly casts on Grendel? If I am assuming the dragon is not real, then surely the protective charm cannot be real as well. To me, the charm represents Grendel's isolation and separation from society. After conversing with the dragon and adopting a hopeless outlook on life, Grendel discovers that he is impenetrable by weapons. He says, "Though I scorned them, sometimes hated them, there had been something between myself and men when we could fight. Now, invulnerable, I was as solitary as one live tree in a vast landscape of coal" (76). By living so guardedly, Grendel both physically and metaphorically shields himself from outsiders, but in doing so he isolates himself from society. Perhaps Gardner is trying to say something here? I may be over analyzing this a bit but I feel Gardner could be trying to reveal the dangers of this attitude.
Secondly, Grendel is obviously afraid of the dragon. Could this be a metaphor for what Grendel is truly afraid of? If at this point you think I'm crazy, hear me out...
Throughout the novel we witness an existential struggle within Grendel. He is disgusted by his mother (which is, perhaps, a look into the future for Grendel), and he scrambles to create a sense of self-worth and meaning for his life. Maybe Grendel is afraid to face what he believes is his ineludible destiny?
This is just some of my personal speculation, but I figured it may be interesting to discuss further.
Questions: (Please keep in mind that these questions, with the exception of the first one, are all under the assumption that the dragon is not real.)
1. Is the dragon is real, or simply a manifestation of the darkness in Grendel's mind? (Or even something else?)
2. What was the purpose behind visiting the dragon, and what prompted this visit? Why did Grendel chose that moment in his life to visit the dragon?
3. What is the meaning behind the charm that the dragon casts on Grendel? Did the dragon cast this charm out of spite, or does it have significance?
4.Why is Grendel afraid of the dragon?
So if the dragon is in fact a creation of Grendel's own mind, there are a fair number of gaps in need of resolution.
First of all, what was the meaning behind the charm that the dragon supposedly casts on Grendel? If I am assuming the dragon is not real, then surely the protective charm cannot be real as well. To me, the charm represents Grendel's isolation and separation from society. After conversing with the dragon and adopting a hopeless outlook on life, Grendel discovers that he is impenetrable by weapons. He says, "Though I scorned them, sometimes hated them, there had been something between myself and men when we could fight. Now, invulnerable, I was as solitary as one live tree in a vast landscape of coal" (76). By living so guardedly, Grendel both physically and metaphorically shields himself from outsiders, but in doing so he isolates himself from society. Perhaps Gardner is trying to say something here? I may be over analyzing this a bit but I feel Gardner could be trying to reveal the dangers of this attitude.
Secondly, Grendel is obviously afraid of the dragon. Could this be a metaphor for what Grendel is truly afraid of? If at this point you think I'm crazy, hear me out...
Throughout the novel we witness an existential struggle within Grendel. He is disgusted by his mother (which is, perhaps, a look into the future for Grendel), and he scrambles to create a sense of self-worth and meaning for his life. Maybe Grendel is afraid to face what he believes is his ineludible destiny?
This is just some of my personal speculation, but I figured it may be interesting to discuss further.
Questions: (Please keep in mind that these questions, with the exception of the first one, are all under the assumption that the dragon is not real.)
1. Is the dragon is real, or simply a manifestation of the darkness in Grendel's mind? (Or even something else?)
2. What was the purpose behind visiting the dragon, and what prompted this visit? Why did Grendel chose that moment in his life to visit the dragon?
3. What is the meaning behind the charm that the dragon casts on Grendel? Did the dragon cast this charm out of spite, or does it have significance?
4.Why is Grendel afraid of the dragon?