Grendel

In Grendel, the ideas that reflect what many assume to be “known” in the world, whether by religion or tradition, are challenged. The notions of fate and free will are thought of in terms of the purpose of living by Grendel. A monster-like creature who seems to spend the majority of his time reveling in his human-eating glory, often reflects on his own purpose in the world. He wonders whether someone has a plan for him or if he is in control of his own life. Grendel continues to question his existence at the end of the novel. This most likely occurs because the answer to his question is not definite; it can only be explored and debated, as Grendel does in his own mind. His real struggle, however, lies in trying to find the truth in good and evil. Grendel kills, but he claims to have a decent reason. He ruthlessly murders the humans of Herot because he is trying to bring light to the idea that there is no purpose in the world – only being alive. In this sense, Grendel tries to be the Prometheus of Herot, ultimately making him the protagonist and the idea of God the antagonist in the story.
Grendel sees God as his enemy because he finds that the people are blind sighted by their belief in him. God is the one who prevents Grendel from bringing his light to Herot, showing people the truth of the world. The idea that God has a plan for each and every one of his creations is absurd to Grendel. Though all of Herot sees Grendel as evil, Grendel himself does not. He believes that no one has a predetermined plan for him and professes that he has created a plan for himself – teaching the humans that they have no purpose. Grendel does not see himself as evil because in his mind, there is no evil. The idea of “evil” is relative to each person. What the Geats and the Danes find evil, Grendel does not. In fact, his opinion of what is evil is the exact opposite of theirs. The Geats and the Danes see Grendel as evil and God as the ultimate good. Grendel sees God as his enemy, and the Geats and the Danes are his pointless servants.
In the end, Grendel continues to question his purpose in the world. However, the reader can say that part of his self-proclaimed purpose has been found and met. Grendel acts upon his own free will to try to teach the Hrothgar and his kingdom what he already believes to be fact. Rather than shying away from his efforts when he knows Hrothgar wants him dead, Grendel returns to the castle to continue to mercilessly murder the people of the meadhall in order to prove his point. His perseverance is depicted by the relentlessness of his attacks. Even in death, Grendel proves that he has been the decider of his fate. If he had not gone to the meadhall to confront Grendel, he would not have died. Therefore, it can be said that Grendel, as the protagonist, wins.