2/24/20 Steven Shi PD7 Late

Modern Mythology 2020

February 24th, 2020

Steven Shi Period 7

Aim: How does Gardner’s employment of characterization provide conflicting views of heroism and integrity in his novel, Grendel?

From previous lessons, we have already established how John Gardner, the author of “Grendel,” sought to challenge the traditional narrative of Grendel, and in turn, our commonly held beliefs of concepts such as good and evil. In today’s lesson, we explored how in “Grendel,” the same applied to our understanding of heroism.

For the Do Now assignment, we began with an excerpt from one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works:

“Heroism works in contradiction to the voice of mankind, and in contradiction, for a time, to the voice of the great and good. Heroism is an obedience to a secret impulse of an individual's character. Now to no other man can its wisdom appear as it does to him, for every man must be supposed to see a little farther on his own proper path than any one else. “

We were then asked to identify Emerson’s interpretation of heroism.

Shannon began the discussion by stating how Emerson did not believe that heroes work towards the greater good, but rather in their own interests to get themselves a name. She then relates this to Unferth, and how he blindly puts himself at risk to gain that recognition. Billy argued that Emerson believed our perception of heroes shifts over time; within the novel, the “hero” would certainly be whoever kills Grendel, but that may certainly change as Grendel is slain, and time passes. However, Allen provided an alternate interpretation as well, stating that Emerson believes heroism is a matter of one’s own perspective; one has the right to be called a hero if they follow through and adhere to their own beliefs. Alex and Georgiy also added on to this; Alex said that according to Emerson, the hero knows what has to be done, while Georgiy stated that through Emerson’s perspective, a hero is different to each and every one of us. 

However, I argued that Emerson believed heroism to be more than just an archetype, but something that is in all of us. Through Allen’s interpretation of heroism although Beowulf was certainly a hero, the worst people in history, such as Hitler and Stalin, could also be heroes by that standard, because they acted in accordance with their own beliefs and almost never backed down. Heroism, to Emerson, was an innate, inescapable god-complex in everyone; it is just that the most virtuous of heroes, and the most evil of villains displayed this almost narcissistic attitude to the fullest extent.

On that note, Ms. Fusaro compared the Underground Railroad to Stalin and Hitler. The ones that operated the Underground Railroad were similar to these dictators is that, as we have established, both followed their ideals to the fullest extent. Figures such as Harriet Tubman challenged the status quo of systematic racism and slavery by liberating slaves in America. Meanwhile, Hitler and Stalin ushered an era of rapid technological advancement in Germany and Russia, respectively, but at the cost of millions of lives. Nevertheless, the central theme still remains, which is that heroism is a driving force that pushed these historical figures to move forward.

Afterwards, the class was tasked with answering two questions:

1. What insight is provided by Uferth’s ability to understand Grendel’s language? Why is he the only one?
2. How does our prior knowledge of Unferth provide greater insight into the dialogue between Unferth and Grendel?

William began by recalling the origins of Grendel and Unferth. Grendel is the descendant of Cain, who killed his brother and similarly, Unferth killed his brother too. He adds on by stating that much like how Grendel is misunderstood as an evil brute partially due to his association with Cain, Unferth is also misunderstood because he killed his brother, despite the fact that nobody knows why he did. Meanwhile Billy also discussed how both felt lost and isolated at one point, trying to find a place in society. However, Grendel now knows, due to his encounter with the dragon, that it is all meaningless, and holds a much more nihilistic view of society and heroism. In the interaction between Unferth and Grendel, Grendel takes on the role of the dragon. Finally, Kelly discusses the astrological sign Virgo, stating how they use their existence for good, but when that fails, they ultimately pull away and judge others. She relates this to the interaction between the two characters, and how this attitude ultimately perpetuates the  vicious cycle that you see throughout this story.

Lastly, we were given an excerpt of “Grendel,” in which Unferth discusses heroism, and heroes’ role in society. We were then asked the following:

How do Unferth’s beliefs compare with Emerson’s? Why won’t Grendel kill Unferth? How does Unferth’s speech her most likely contribute to Grendel’s decision to return him unharmed to Hrothgar’s mead hall? As with the “apple fight,” Grendel leaves Unferth physically intact, and he undoubtedly plays the role of a destroyer. How? And what does he destroy?

Billy and Allen both stated that they saw similarities between Unferth’s and Emerson’s views on heroism. Unferth begins to realize how heroes act not to serve humanity, but for their own self-interest. Furthermore, Allen added that Unferth only takes on this perspective when he is on the brink of death, when Grendel literally and metaphorically assaults him.

Building on this, Ms. Fusaro ended the lesson by explaining how the apples were a metaphor for temptation (much like in the Bible), and relates it to heroism. Heroes are blindly drawn to dreams of praise and grandeur, and when Grendel throws apples at Unferth until he is on the brink of death, he ultimately crushes Unferth’s naive worldview.

Reflection

John Garner’s “Grendel” challenges our basic assumptions of the human condition, and heroism is no exception. As we have established today, heroism is not characterized by selflessness and altruism, but rather one’s own will to push forward and accomplish their goals. We also learned what happens when we intertwine these two seemingly similar, but starkly different qualities. In the case of Unferth, for example, this leads to him taking on a naive perspective on heroism and society, which ultimately leads to his metaphorical demise. In today’s sociopolitical arena, we can see many Unferths in the spotlight today, who strive to make a name for themselves while promoting their own goals, sometimes at the expense of themselves or others. With this in mind, it is important for everyone, activist or bystander, to take a step back, and critically examine the beliefs and actions of themselves and the people they choose to follow. Doing so will not only promote a healthier sociopolitical climate, but also allow us to reconcile over our ideological and cultural differences.