The First Chapter of Grendel

From the very first sentence of Grendel by John Gardner, the reader observes that Grendel can speak. Grendel is not the savage monster that only wants to kill Hrothgar's retainers, thanes and people, but he is capable of speech. From this, the reader can infer that with coherent speech, Grendel is also capable of cognitive thinking. This holds true later on as he thinks to himself about how springtime has come, and even contemplates his existence. Another thing that we know from reading the first chapter of Grendel is that his bloodlust is virtually uncontrollable. Grendel swims to the surface of the haunted mere "as mechanical as anything else" (pg. 9) and makes his way to Heorot, to sate his appetite and anger, all the while having his "fists clenched at [his] lack of will". This fact shines a new light on Grendel within the Beowulf epic. In the epic poem, the poet describes Grendel as a mindless beast that rampages through Heorot to eat Hrothgar's people. However, within just the first chapter, we can see that Grendel cannot control this bloodlust, almost as if it were a part of the curse cast upon the offspring of Cain. The reader can infer that Grendel's hunger for blood is as ancient as the curse placed upon him, and cannot be denied by him, which drives him to kill. Finally, one last thing that we know from the first chapter is that, while Grendel cannot control his thirst for blood, it is almost as if he enjoys it. As he describes his sally into Heorot, he satirises the reactions of the people. For example, Grendel admires the "old Shaper", who is probably a musician, because he can jump "out the back window with his harp at a single bound, though as blind as a bat." (pg. 12). Another example is the way he ridicules the drunken warriors who blow out the lights and cover up the fires, because he can see in the dark as if it were day. Grendel even laughs aloud at the antics of the thanes as they shout "their meady, outrageous boasts, their heavy swords aswirl like eagles' wings." (pg. 12). Thus, from just the first chapter, the reader can infer that Grendel is capable of speech and cognitive thinking, which also means he is basically human except in appearance. He also cannot control his bloodlust, but at the same time, enjoys it as almost like a hobby. Or a late night comedy show that doubles as a "all you can eat" buffet.