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Heroes
Aug 21, 2013 0:32:43 GMT
Post by fionabyrne on Aug 21, 2013 0:32:43 GMT
This is a pretty basic question but I am really curious to hear what you all think about the way in which heroes are portrayed in this book. There were parts where I thought heroes were fooling themselves and parts where I saw them as noble. Is the general message that heroes are honorable or that dying brave is a cop-out? Or did you see another sentiment entirely?
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Heroes
Aug 26, 2013 23:13:35 GMT
Post by Lauren on Aug 26, 2013 23:13:35 GMT
In the beginning of the novel, Grendel's genuine fascination with humans makes it seem like he may have a positive opinion of them for the future. He soon matures from this naïveté after encountering more of the creatures. In one confrontation with Unferth, he explains his viewpoint of the notion of a hero saying, "it much be a terrible burden, though, being a hero--glory reaper, harvester of monsters! Everybody always watching you, weighing you, seeing if you're still heroic. You know how it is" (84). His sarcasm makes me believe that Gardner is expressing his negative views on these oh-so-perfect-people. Grendel himself has bias towards these men, seeing how others idolize them for their deeds. By having the narrator of the novel be the creature that the heroes wish to kill, Gardner can express a new perspective of someone who has no reason to like these men. As a contradiction of opinion though, Unferth speaks about "inner heroism"(88) and "all a hero asks for"(89) is a chance. But Gardener squashes his ideas by making him sound like a fool. Grendel comments on how heroes "contradict themselves" (88). The scene ultimately ends with Grendel pointing out how Unferth's suicide attempt would "seem at least a trifle cowardly to some"(90) and Grendel dragging Unferth home, alive and humiliated. This confirms Grendel's negative views on heroes and leaves him saying, "So much for heroism" (90). Through all of this it is clear that Grendel (the novel) points to a pessimistic look at the idea of heroism.
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Heroes
Aug 29, 2013 18:14:10 GMT
Post by mitralebuhn on Aug 29, 2013 18:14:10 GMT
I'm glad you brought this topic up, Fiona. I was thinking about heroes a lot as I read Grendel and what Gardner was saying a true hero really is. As mentioned above, the scene with Unferth made me feel as if Gardner was making a fool out of heroes. They appear arrogant and greedy for recognition, prideful characters. But now that I contemplate it more, I feel as if Gardner was only using these openly "heroic" characters to make a statement of what a true hero is. I believe Gardner's point was that Grendel is just as much of a hero, if not more of a hero, than these stereotypically heroic characters. Although Grendel grows to be a gruesome and terrible monster, he was not all that monstrous in the beginning. He grew into himself, or this character of himself, after the pivotal moment of speaking with the dragon. The dragon tells Grendel, "You improve them, my boy! Can't you see that yourself? You stimulate them! You make them think and scheme. You drive them to poetry, science, religion, all that makes them what they are for as long as they last...Brute existents, you know, are a dime a dozen...If man's the irrelevance that interests you, stick with him! Scare him to glory!" (72-73). The dragon goes on, romanticizing this idea of being "the monster". The reader is aware that Grendel sees the dragon's technique as Grendel thinks to himself, "I was sure he was lying. Or anyway half-sure. Flattering me into tormenting them because he, in his sullen hole, loved viciousness" (73). Grendel resists this concept of terrorizing the humans, but eventually gives in and becomes this "brute" that the dragon describes Grendel to have the potential to be. He makes the conscious choice to become this monster in order to help the human race grow, and I believe Grendel's character found his making this choice to be his sacrifice because of the way he resisted at first. I also see his guilt over his choice in the way he would pity himself, often making statements such as "poor Grendel" or "Pity poor Grendel" (92). Even the last line included the statement "Poor Grendel's had an accident" (174). In this way, Gardner makes Grendel both the monster and the true hero of this book, because although Grendel's actions were terrible, his intentions were out of love and the greater good for a race separate of his own. He chose to be the "bad guy" in order to help others develop, where as the human heroes simply wanted glory.
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