In the novel “Grendel” by John Gardner, Grendel’s last words were “Poor Grendel’s had an accident...So may you all” (Gardner, 174) which was meant as a curse. Nihilism is when you believe that everything is an accident and meaningless which is what Grendel himself believes in. Grendel had slipped on blood before he lost to Beowulf which he believes was his accident. If it wasn't for him slipping, he wouldn't have lost. Grendel didn't have much feelings when it came to killing. He tried to act like
However, while some see these as cash grabs with nothing to add, the novel Grendel is a perfect example of a spinoff done correctly. In the original novel Beowulf, Grendel is depicted as a savage beast with no complexity. John Gardner, however, saw an opportunity to create a brilliant commentary of 1970’s society. Gardner decided to paint Gendel not as evil, but as a tragic misunderstood figure. In his self titled novel, Grendel is not evil, as from only one perspective is he viewed as evil in the book