Truth

Truth is an important concept to keep in mind while reading the story of Grendel. While I read this story and hear the discussion in class I can't help but feel that everyone gives Grendel a little too much credit. The guy is definitely lonely and confused, but you mean to tell me that his situation justifies his systematic murdering of hundreds of people, torturing humans like the hero, and his self-pitying and "I know everything" attitude really annoy me. It seems to me that the truth in the story of Grendel will never truly be known to anyone besides the dragon. The dragon is a really mysterious character, and I think in some ways represents a "God" figure or at least a deity of some kind. His attitude of world-weariness, omniscient knowledge, and unbelievable power makes me feel he is some sort of representation of a god, good or bad. He tries to teach Grendel of the truth, but he simply can't understand, and I think the minds of Grendel and the humans are doomed to misunderstand the truth as they only care about surviving and benefiting themselves. The truth is why both sides fight. Grendel fights for his "rights" so to speak. In other words he fights the humans because he despises them for rejecting him and hates their attitudes towards the world and each other. He justifies his "stupid war" with these claims and thusly justifies massive, uncontained genocides of the other species. This to me is probably the worst thing that has happened in the story, and pretty much destroys any credibility Grendel would have had otherwise. I get where he's coming from but his means do not justify his ends. The humans fight to protect themselves at least from Grendel, but they also fight their own, out of mindless desire to gain more pleasure for their own use. But if Grendel never interfered with their business in the first place they would never attack him anyways. For instance, after that run-in with Hrothgar and his men in the forest the humans never came after Grendel again. In fact, they never even came into contact with Grendel until he came over to them. And he thinks they are barbaric and evil but what would you do if a 12 foot monster carrying a dead naked body with him, roaring at the top of his lungs came over to your front door. Grendel should have thought this out before going over to them. Even more so, instead of taunting the hero at the mead hall after he discovered Grendel could speak, he should have tried to communicate and understand the "truth." In the end no side is right, and no side knows the whole truth about the other.