Grendel the lonely, childish, sensitive beast, views the world as a meaningless waste of time he must be put through year after year. Grendel can neither love, or be loved, though he secretly yearns for both. Knowing that the whole world is numb and ridiculous, Grendel often becomes angry at small things, and questions everything. "Why can't these creatures discover a little dignity?"(6)
In the beginning of the chapter, Grendel is annoyed and frustrated with a stubborn ram that is not afraid of Grendels presence, so this entices Grendel to scare him away, using childish tactics. "I stamp. I hammer the ground with my fists. I hurl a skull-sized stone at him. He will not budge. I shake my two hairy fists at the sky and I let out a howl so unspeakable that the water at my feet turns sudden ice and even I myself am left uneasy."
The Old English epic poem Beowulf is written in al...
Grendel (novel)
Grendel, as shown in Grendel Grendel Grendel(5) More or less a temper tantrum is being thrown by Grendel, who is not getting his way.
"Not, of course, that I fool myself with thoughts that I'm more noble. Pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered children, martyred cows... 'Ah, sad one, poor old freak!' I cry, and hug myself, and laugh, letting out salt tears, he he! Till I fall down gasping and sobbing."(6) A most sensitive approach to his being, he believes he is a gross piece of nothing that has so purpose, and this sends him into crying and laughing fits onto the ground. This puts an apathetic perspective of Grendel into the readers mind, because it gives him human-like characteristics and gives the reader some compassion for the beast.
Grendel is aggravated with lack of communication in his life. His mother cannot, or will not, speak to him.