In the novel, Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel’s philosophical views are altered throughout many segments of the novel. Grendel’s thoughts and actions are influenced by various elements including the Shaper, the Dragon, as well as the general nature of humans and animals. Grendel’s confusion and misunderstanding of his surroundings have a strong effect on him. One example is his interaction with animals occurs with the ram, bull, and goat. In each instance, Grendel is rather intrigued yet misguided into an angry expression. With the ram, Grendel attempts to show dominance, which occurred in the introductions of the novel, by yelling at the animal, but the ram does not flinch or move. In direct opposition, when Grendel displays dominance over the goat, during the climactic section of the novel, the goat again did not respond. Grendel then kills the animal rather than leaving it alone as he did with the ram. This shows a sharp change in philosophical views, which influence Grendel’s actions. Throughout the novel, Gardner displays philosophical theories that Grendel attempts to comprehend and claim his own, which strongly affects his judgment and personal attachments. One of the other philosophical journeys Grendel went on was when he met the dragon. The dragon seemed to have all the answers to life, which is exactly what Grendel was looking for. The dragon told Grendel that all of life was meaningless and time would pass everyone by. Grendel eventually took to this type of existentialism even taking a sadistic approach killing humans for joy. Grendel goes on a long journey throughout the story changing his view on Earth throughout the story.
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