Grendel and Frankenstein Essay

Grendel, the main char achievementer in the young Grendel by crapper Gardner, and the hellion, the main instance in the refreshful Frankenstein by bloody shame Shelley argon nigh(prenominal) consumed by the inclination to discover the temperament and secret of serviceman life. They argon both deuces and so both ar extraneousrs in the tender-hearted beings of areas, spotlessly they try to desegregate themselves into the society, just now to be shunned universally. Their spirit of monstrosity lies at the sharpen of the action since they are being spurned by the society. Their response to this rejection paves the way to the discoin truth of adult male component part.Grendel the colossus has an ambiguous characterization. Although he dis tactical maneuvers nonhing except the more or less primitive adult male qualities with the strong evidence of his un reasonable outburst of emotions and brutalities, he has an extraordinary inquisitive nature with his c apability of temperament and rational thoughts. Shelleys Monster in the Frankenstein has as well a temperament and tender-hearted nature exactly as he experience mans brutalities and judgmental nature delinquent to his ugly physical appearance, his violent tendencies has been revealed.He get goings to seize revenge in his cr carry offor who is scientifically trusty to his existence and unfortunate fate. Shelleys fanatic conflicting Grendel is not presented ambiguously since he is just in search of happiness through and through with(predicate) companionship bandage Grendel is in search to answer his philosophical promontory whether charitableitye life and created patterns micturate meaning at all. During his younger years in the initial disrupt of the new, Grendel spends his life innocently, exploring his confined world in the caves with his m another(prenominal), unafraid by the outside world of philosophical heads.I understood that the world was nothing a m echanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears. I understood that, finally and absolutely, I nevertheless if exist. All the rest, I saw, is merely what pushes me, or what I push against, blindlyas blindly as all that is not myself pushes back (Howell 67). Grendel in this statement initially sees the world as mindless without any discernible plan and reason. He believes any approach to make a meaning or pattern in the world is a ill-conceived effort.But wiz day, the young Grendel call ups himself in a lake full of fire snakes, and he swims through it until he reaches the gracious world and civilization on the other side. Grendels inevitable decision to cross the lake is the start of his life towards adulthood. He starts to observe the world of men. Grendel finds the nature and lifestyle of men as pleasurable and enjoyable experience. Shelleys goliath on the other raft reveals his inviolable side in the initial take off of his exi stence alone as he discovers the judgmental side of human being, who judges consort to physical appearance, he starts to rebel putting all the commit to his creator.Grendel and Shelleys monster, though both has monstrous nature and though both experience mans brutality due to the fact that they are monsters, distinguish human life differently. Grendel sees the world with fascination sequence Shelleys monster observes the world with contempt. Grendel is fascinated and at the same time envies how has mankind successfully evolved from a nomadic and tribal coating into a culture of obligations as they create government and institutions due to their endless desire for material prosperity. He admires the intellectual capability of men and marvels at how they create roads, military, and government.Grendel so needs thinks whether life has meaning or not and whether human actions and efforts are sense experienceless or meaningful. Since he brush offnot wee-wee philosophical idea s that explain his observations of human life, he decides that human efforts and created patterns are wasteful. Moreover, Grendel decides that it does not matter whether he provide eat or kill battalion. But through his observations of Hrothgar of the Dane, the most designerful king of the area who sings approximately mens glorious life and hi myth, Grendel starts to perceive that human life is so rich that he wants to be a break dance of it.Grendel conspicuously wants to be part of human life. He believes that he hatful agnize the nature of human beings more than he understands the monsters in the deep cave. Grendel delights in humans sense of community, intellectuality and their illusionary perspective towards life. Grendel sees that he belongs in human community because like him human beings are in continuous search of meaning. Shelleys monster on the other hand who is product of collaborative scientific work and supernatural workings and who is strongly rejected by the s ociety, approaches his situation with contempt.His monstrosity is not only reflected in his grotesque appearance but also in his dark tendencies to be evil afterwards he is rejected. The dragon in the story, however, tells Grendel that the human world is actually meaningless and empty. The dragon has a logical belief that nothing man createsreligion, government, literature, poetry, philosophy, and so on apply behind survive the destruction of time and therefore approaches all mans endeavors as something purposeless and ridiculous. In addition, the dragon insists that Grendel can take and eat whatever he wants since morality is pointless anyway.Grendel sees the logic of this belief, but part of him yearns for mens good-hearted endeavors and pursuits. Grendel wants to escape his brute and mechanical place in the caves that follow no meaningful and universal pattern. The animals and monsters that ring him in cave are dumb and undignified, and this continually frustrates him. Howe ver, the concept of community, civilization, and human language that share a common meaning in the human world somehow comforts Grendel. Grendel wants to be part of the human world even though he will be forever trapped in the quality of a villain.Although Grendel knows that the beautiful concepts like religion, philosophy, government, and so on are just human projections to overcome their topsy-turvy world, he still wants to be part of it. Apparently, Grendel is part between his mothers very animalistic nature, the generally moral and humane world of the Danes and the evidently logical beliefs of the old Dragon. Grendel is stranded on what he knows to be true and what he wishes is true. However, these differing and conflicting philosophies leave Grendel conf utilize and angry throughout his violent and uncaring life in the novel.Grendel and Shelleys monster are both lonely in the same soulal manner but in different situation. Grendel has a family in the deep cave but he can not accept their totally animalistic and undignified nature, who solely satisfies themselves in physical survival alone and not in intellectual growth. Apparently, Grendel is ashamed in his lineage. The monster in Shelleys novel on the other hand is the only one of its kind. He is literally alone. His simple desire is to have a companion, someone who will understand his grotesqueness.But heretofore they both desire to be part of human life even though humans scorn and fear them. Both monsters see themselves in human beings they have the capacity to be good and to be evil. Moreover, human beings has the possibility to satisfy their desire not to be alone. Unlike Grendel, the character of the monster in the novel Frankenstein is not torn between differing philosophies but instead his actions are motivated by revenge because human beings base their treatment on him according to his physical grotesqueness and ugliness and not on his initial gentle and kind nature.His ugly outward-boun d appearance is rewarded by beatings and disgust. As he tries to integrate himself in the society, he is shunned universally. Thus, the monster seeks revenge on maestro for making him so hideous and interlingual rendition him permanent loneliness because of his ugliness. However, the monster offers Frankenstein peace in exchange for a companion of like origin, but when Frankenstein does not follow, he vows to destroy him and so begins cleanup off Frankensteins intimate friends and loved onesthe state the monster most envies because he does not have them.When Victor dies due to remorse and disillusionment, the monster feels both joy and sadnessjoy because Victor is the very cause of his torment, and sadness because his creator is the only person with whom he has had any sort of relationship. I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on, this statement from the monster as he sees his creator died reflects his retrospection to h is suffering and aloneness (Shelley 268) . He is like an aborted child, left and unloved.The monster is feverishly created or fashioned by Victor Frankenstein who studied natural philosophy and chemistry, immersed himself in research, and became last consumed by the desire to discover the secret of human lifeout of old body move. after seeing and realizing the monstrosity he has created, Victor flees as the sight of his mental hospital strongly horrifies him. Victor runs and wanders in the streets with remorse. He immediately perceives his creation as a purely evil being and therefore establishes an blinking(prenominal) hatred for it. When Victor returns to his apartment, the monster is gone.Victor is apparently the one responsible in the existence of the monster and the society as the one who provoke the monsters evil tendencies. In the story of Grendel on the other hand, the shaper and the dragon are the one who provoke Grendels philosophical quest towards human life. The dra gon, who provides the impression of the world as essentially meaningless and empty, and the shaper, who provides an image of the world as essentially committed and purposeful-an image that Grendel finds incredibly seductive, motivates Grendels actions on earth, whether good or bad.Apparently, the novel centrally illustrates the corrupting cause of mans pursuit of knowledge and moderne technology. Frankenstein, the main character of the story, created life from dead parts in his desire to help mankind bewitch diseases and death, but when he finally finished the act of creation and saw its implications and ugliness, he turned external from the monstrosity he created. Hence, this novel basically demonstrates the slimy effectuate of the careless use of acquaintance.In many an(prenominal) ways, the book reflects the era when it was writtenthe period of industrial Revolution during the 18th century, when major initial and outstanding changes took place in acquisition and technol ogy. While the novel Grendel subtly reflects the world during the period of Romanticism where great deal are in the period of intense philosophical quest and when poetic and artful row and stories are powerful. In the story, Grendel finds Shapers art, language and imaginativeness so seductive that he wants to be part of it.The stories he hears are tried to be employphilosophy, government and poetryand therefore he is touched not only by stories and words he hears, but also by stories that exist outside his own experience. In the novel Frankenstein, Shelley seems to stress the limits of human capacity. She gives the readers an idea about the extent of human ignorance in terms of mans relationship with his creator. The character of Frankenstein in this novel is dominated by the power of human reason through technology and science instead of faith in God.When one believes in the existence of a Supreme Being, he or she is likely to recognize the limitations of human nature. However, in this novel, Frankenstein assay to create a human being that is punter than the existing creation He wanted to find the secrets of life so that all people could stand without fear of death (Shelley 7). Thus, this story somehow illustrates some of the shortcomings of the modern world in the midst of contemporaneousness in science. Although Shelley insures the fact that scientific experiments are for the involvement of humanity, these experiments have the potential to destroy them as well.Hence, through the novel, Shelley shows that, by being ignorant of the consequences of creating something new and superior, the entire race may be jeopardized and be washed-up by the same creation. Frankensteins ferment of creation contrasts with Gods creative and redemptive process of creation. In the novel Grendel however focuses not so much on physical creation but on the philosophical aspect of human life. It explores the question whether created patterns has meaning at all.Does the mea ning comes from the execution and its effects or does it completely lie on how people perceive its meaning? In addition to the novel Frankenstein, the author highlights the incompetence of humans in attempting to play God. Humans knowledge is sometimes used that will destroy them eventually in the end. For instance, Frankensteins arrogance in playing God for his attempt to create life resulted in the death of his friends and family. This caused him to be consumed in grief and guilt as he endured the terrible loss of friends and family who died by his own hands.The story of Frankenstein can be read as a timeless tale of warning. Like Frankenstein, some contemporary scientists make it their goal and purpose to study and understand the unknowable and to improve our standards of living. However, critical foresight and moral considerations are more significant than faith in science. The novel is a perfect illustration of how a scientist should not be. Knowledge affects humanity in a mor e complex way. Human miseries and lifes complexities can be caused by humans compulsion in the pursuit and application of knowledge.Shelley in this novel seems to highlight modernity as an apparent political and social attitude during the time of industrialization where science was attempting to unconsciously alter the traditional way of living. Grendel novel however strongly highlights how language and poetic words affects human pattern of thoughts. When Grendel comes to the world, he is torn with argue ideas whether life is meaningful or senseless. Both the character of Frankenstein and the Monster , considering their actions in the course of the novel, are symbols of darkness, chaos, and death.though both Grendel and Frankenstein committed numerous acts of violence and rigour in the stories, the writers manage to elicit sympathy from the readers that leads the readers to consider them as heroes. The writers portray them as both victims who only want and desire companionship an d community that human beings experienced. Both writers present their main characters as monsters but with the same need as that of men. Work Cited Howell, put-on Michael. Understanding John Gardner. California Univ of South Carolina Press, 1993 Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus. New York Plain Label Books, 2002