Grendel’s Questions In Grendel by John Gardner, there are many central questions mentioned throughout. However, the question “Does the universe have any inherent meaning?” stands out quite significantly due to the fact that it was mentioned by some of the most influential people and creatures in Grendel’s life. Grendel agonizes over the answer to this question the entire novel, wondering whether the dragon’s nihilism or the shaper’s teleology is the answer to the question he has been asking
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