Midterm Essay 3 - Nature vs Nurture

The ways in which we act, see ourselves, and view the world around us are dependent on society. We choose our actions according to the things we have observed and the people we wish to mimic. A character’s personality is the by-product of their environment. If they are raised in a violent manner, they will most likely grow to be the same way. Being the core of a kingdom’s hatred will cause them to hate themselves just as much as they feel that they are hated by society. We act according to the way that we believe society expects us to act; there is no predetermined good or evil.
John Gardner’s “Grendel” is the story of a monster-like creature who wreaks havoc on the mead hall of Herot. Grendel constantly questions his own free will and wonders if his fate is predetermined. He lives his life with a single goal – to prove to himself and to the rest of the world that no one has a purpose in life. Grendel is seen as the ultimate form of evil to the people of Herot. As he is constantly judged by the society that surrounds him, he develops a view on himself according to the way he believes society views him. They believe him to be evil, so he acts in a way that will cause them to continue to see him that way.
Raised by his neglectful mother, Grendel has lacked the proper care and attention to develop into a being that society views as inherently good. His miserable upbringing can partially be blamed for his inability to act in a manner that society sees as moral. Grendel goes to the mead hall nightly and mercilessly kills all of the humans he can find. He musters all of the “evil” that he has learned from his mother and the stigma society has placed on him in order to prove that he is, in fact, in charge of his own being.
The reason Grendel acts in a manner that has been assigned to him by society is because he wants his presence to be acknowledged. He feels that because he is considered “different” from humans, he will not be accepted as part of their society. Therefore, he acts accordingly. The only way that he is able to be noticed is if he creates issues that will be recognized by the society that has shunned him. In chapter 1, Grendel throws rocks at a ram that stands at the edge of a cliff. The fact that the ram does not notice him frustrates him, causing him to lurch into a fit of rage. People want to be noticed by society, so they act in a way that will allow them to be seen. Society is the root of all good and evil that exists within it. People are nurtured by their society to act in a specific way, and depending on the stigma society has placed on them, they become either good or evil.