Is Grendel a monster through nature or nurture?

Is Grendel a monster through nature or nurture
By: Gabrielle Nguyen


As we have read for class, in the book Grendel written by John Gardner we get an insight into the relationship that Grendel had with his mother. We know that in Beowulf  his mother comes back to Heorot to avenge the death of her son. But the only characteristics that we learn about her is that she is as strong if not stronger than Grendel, is of abnormal size and lived in the woods where Grendel has come from. So then the question is asked, how much of an effect did the maternal relationship have on Grendel? Grendel is either who he is because being a monster is in his genetic code or it was how he was raised by the only person that is in his life, his mother who also is described as a monster.

In the first few chapters of Grendel, we see that Grendel is heavily reliant on his mother in most situations he finds himself in whether it being emotional, a certain mental state or literally stuck in a position in which he cannot he get out. In all of these he cries out for his mother to come help him. We are not sure what age Grendel is but I am assuming he could be maybe just a teenager or should we even give an age at all to him? In the novel written by John Gardner, speaking as Grendel he writes "Of all the creatures I knew, in those days, only my mother really looked at me" (Gardner 17).
He only saw his mother as a child and it was a little bit of a tough love relationship which I believe led to Grendel having such a negative outlook on what life is. This was the only love he had as a child and so it was what he believed was correct for what love was. It was a complicated relationship that started the beginning of a scared mindset and leading to his hatred towards humans because he seemed to be aware that he was not like humans in looks as well as intelligence. Grendel says that "she loved me, in some mysterious sense I understood without her speaking it" (Gardner 17). Neither could speak to each other but they both understood that there was some sort of affection and mother- son bonding that they understood clearly. Or at least the mother did. Grendel, I feel was confused in who he was as an individual. And through this lack of communication or understanding it could have made Grendel angry in some sense towards her because she did not teach him the ways to live in a way that could benefit because she may have never been taught that either when she was younger.


All in all, we as readers are well aware of the dysfunction that Grendel experienced with his mother through his time in the world. It can be interpreted that since was raised in what can be considered a hostile environment because his mother had a different way of expressing her affection if she even had any at all for him. The different and unfortunate events that Grendel endures is the culmination of his dim perspective on life and being bitter towards everything, everyone and himself.