OUTCAST

by Jennifer Zavala

In Grendel by John Gardner, one major theme is isolation and rejection.  The text suggests that being an outcast causes anger, which leads to violence.  Grendel is an outcast and as a result he feels isolated from his mother, and he is forced to speak to nature. In addition, he has no choice but to speak to himself, which causes him problems and violence.
           
One example of how Grendel is an outsider is how he isn’t even connected in a meaningful way with his mother.  Grendel is not very close to his mother, so he feels isolated. When Grendel finds himself lonesome, he turns to his mother for comfort, but instead he feels frustration. “The shocking separateness from me in my mama’s eyes. I would feel, all at once, alone and ugly-as if I’d dirtied myself-obscene… Being young, unable to face these things, I would bawl and hurl myself at my mother…” The thought that Grendel and his mother are far apart makes him feel like there’s something wrong with him. He feels obscene, indecent and repulsive. To escape this sensation, Grendel shouts out in aggravation and throws himself at his mother. This whole situation makes him feel lonely, angry and hostile towards his mother.
           
A second example of Grendel being an outcast is that since he has no one else to talk to he converses with nature. Grendel becomes irritated when animals in the forest ignore him. Upon the arrival of a ram, Grendel is annoyed by it, so he tries to scare it away. “He cocks his head like an elderly, slow witted king, considers the angle, decides to ignore me. I stamp. I hammer the ground with my fists. I hurl a skull-size stone at him…” Grendel gets infuriated when he tries to frighten away the ram because instead of going away it just looks the other way and ignores him. Grendel tends to let out his anger at being disregarded by acting aggressively, until he calms himself down. 
           
One final example is that Grendel is forced to speak with himself, which leads him to feel self hatred and act violently towards himself. Grendel has no one else to talk to, so he has no choice but to talk to himself and the sky. When Grendel comes to a cliff, he comes to the realization that he could die. “Dark chasms! I scream from the cliff-edge, seize me! Seize me to your foul black bowels and crush my bones. I am terrified at the sound of my huge voice in the darkness…” Grendel wants be seized by the chasms, taken in and snatched by the abyss, or hole in the ground. He is frightened and depressed at the fact that he can’t find anyone to speak to and interact with. This loneliness causes him to tempt fate to take him.
           
Grendel is an outcast because he doesn’t fit in with either monsters or humans. He’s too smart and emotional to be a monster and too repulsive to fit in with the humans. Being lonely leads him to act violently towards himself and others just so that he can get rid of his depression and loneliness.