What I Think of Grendel Thus Far

I really like the new way we are doing our discussions. I seems so much more relaxed and people aren't interjecting as much like before. I don't feel as stressed to find something in the book and try to make something irrelevent fit into the conversation.

Our discussion about Grendel was awesome and it really helped me. Even though it was only on the first chapter, I thought we found out a lot about Grendel's personality. To me, I think Grendel is greatly misunderstood. All he knows is to kill people and he was brought up as the 'monster'. I think he feels like it's almost his duty to be bad and to kill. I'm also starting to feel really bad for him because he's such an outsider. He doesn't have anyone to talk to and his only companion is his shadow. I think that would be the worst feeling because I know my friends get me through everything and if I didn't have them, I would be completely lost. I also think Grendel's relationship with his mom is enduring. The way she would hold him under her fat and when she came to rescue him when he got stuck (even though it took her a couple of days) was really powerful. It seems like she really cares for him, most mothers would, but it's just wierd to picture because we don't really know what Grendel is supposed to look like. I think that's an important point because even though we don't know what he looks like, we still get that feeling of love and kinship when they describe Grendel and his mother's relationship. It's almost like I can relate to it and it kind of makes me feel like Gardner is giving human traits to this 'monster'.

I'm really liking Grendel so far; a lot more than Beowulf. I like that you know more about the characters and how they think. I can't wait to see what happens next!