10/27/13
So Grendel is a lot more complicated, twisted, and weird than I expected it
to be. Like hello I did not know about how Grendel violated the woman in chapter seven. Way too
much imagery there! However, I was interested in connecting the Zodiac signs to
chapters and figuring out why each chapter was a certain zodiac sign was picked
for a chapter over another. My group and I are discussing chapter seven for the
lesson project. The zodiac sign for chapter seven is the Libra. I researched
certain the characteristics of the Libra. Some of the positive words for a
libra are diplomatic, graceful, peaceful, idealistic, and hospitable. Now these
words do not sound like they relate to any of the characters in Grendel so far.
Grendel is a monster who can never seem to make up his mind on who to trust.
The men seem to do whatever they want whenever they want. So who shows the
positive qualities of a Libra? Well, a woman is introduced in this chapter. She
sacrifices herself for her people. She tries to help all of the men and tries
to be the peacekeeper between them. She is the only one who is portrayed as
graceful and peaceful in the novel so far. Unlike the positive words associated
with a Libra, the negative words seem to connect to chapter seven. Negative
words associated with a Libra include superficial, vain, indecisive, and
unreliable. Now these words connect with this chapter perfectly! All of the
characters, except for possibly the woman, are superficial and vain. They look
out for themselves and strive for power. They want gold and woman and power.
They have their brotherhood, but their ultimate goal is to lookout for
themselves. The thanes want to protect the king, and they do so because of the
brotherhood, but they also want to move up in their society. They want to be
the best thane they can be in order to gain treasures and rewards from the
king. I was so excited when I learned that indecisive was a word that connects
to a Libra. Grendel is the most indecisive character in the novel. Hello! Just
make a decision and be done with it! Words cannot describe how frustrated I get
with him because he cannot make up his mind and is easily influenced. Does he
agree with the dragon? Does he agree with the men and the shaper? Should he
kill the men? Should he try and be at peace with the men? WHO KNOWS? He sure
does not know. He cannot figure out what is going on in his mind. Not only is
he at war with the men, but he is also at war with himself. Grendel is not just
indecisive, he is also unreliable. Since he is so indecisive, can we trust him
as a narrator? Can we trust his opinions on the men or on the dragon? Once
again, WHO KNOWS? These are a few of the questions I have been asking myself
since the beginning of the novel, and so far, I have not found the answers. I will continue to keep these questions in
mind. I also think it is a good idea to
look up the zodiac sign of a certain chapter after you read it because it helps
you understand how the characteristics of the zodiac sign connect to the
chapter.
Website used for zodiac sign info: http://zodiac-signs-astrology.com/zodiac-signs/libra.htm
I really enjoyed your take on the chapter we had to do in class in this blog. I was laughing the entire time, very entertaining. I definitely agree with the fact that Grendel is not a very trust-worthy narrator considering he is constantly debating on whether or not to murder innocent people. It almost seems like a given not to commit one of the ultimate sins, just a thought. I found the Zodiac signs very interesting as well. Grendel is extremely unstable and is being overcome by his inner dragon as well as being touched Wealtheow’s innocence and beauty, much like the Shaper did to him. He is in this constant battle between good and evil so to speak, but is that not the balance there? He is right in the middle of good and evil. Grendel is moved by the woman’s child-like innocence and virginity; Wealtheow stands for grace and elegance while the dragon stands for pointlessness and corruption. So why are these two separate beings so deeply connected? My opinion was that when one remains in “balance” it is chaos and confusion as to what side must be chosen, good or evil. But why must a side be chosen? If balance is supposed to bring peace and serenity to the mind, why does it cause Grendel so much agony to be between the two? Sounds like IRONY if you ask me, which you are not… so yeah. Anyway, the sign of a Libra may stand for balance but it is causing Grendel inner turmoil so much so he exposes Wealtheow in front of a room of men. Grendel destroys the purity and chastity of this woman in order to remain on one side of the scale and have no ’regrets’. This is purely my theory. In order to stop the realization of the horrendous and miserable things he had done Grendel destroyed the innocent woman keeping him balanced on the scale. After humiliating and defiling her in front of the room of men her innocence was lost and Grendel’s complete monstrosity returned. Grendel could not face the horrible and inconceivable things he had done to people so he ruined the one thing that “tore him apart” like the shaper’s song, Wealtheow. I can understand why Grendel would want to destroy the thing that made him so uneasy. If he remained in balance he would have to face the incredibly horrifying things he had done to innocent children, men, women, elderly, etc... This is why I cannot trust Grendel as a narrator though. He is not willingly to take responsibility for his actions and decisions because he uses the dragon’s philosophy as a crutch, a reason to deny all existence and worth. A narrator that does not believe or pretends to believe that even his own reality is non-existent cannot be trusted. He is delusional and begins speaking to himself much like the dragon did, as well as the hysterical laughter. (Reminds me of the joker from batman.) Either way balance caused Grendel to realize what he has really transformed into and the only way he could live with himself was to destroy that balance through a sacrificial virgin, Wealtheow.
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