Evil In Grendel Research Paper

Words: 1087
Pages: 5
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Javier A. Frausto
Ms. Herrera
English 4 AP
December 7, 2015
Evil in Grendel
There is no right definition of what can be constituted as “evil”. Philosophers from all over the world have struggled to understand the concept since ancient times, which has led to the creation of a variety of theories surrounding it, some of which contradict each other. Despite the multiple theories on it, most philosophers agree that evil is real, and it is present all around the globe. Barbarity has always been a central theme to human culture; thousands of stories have been written based on the idea of overcoming it. British literature contains plethora of examples of such stories, with early works such as Beowulf presenting the theme of “good versus evil”, which …show more content…
The first and most prominent theory was formulated by American professor Elaine Pagels, and it consists on the “personification” of evil. According to Pagels’ The Origin of Satan, “The figure of Satan becomes, among other things, a way of characterizing one’s actual enemies as the embodiment of transcendent forces” (13). Another central theory was proposed by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who explains that inhumanity is relative. As it was first postulated on his book Leviathan, “Man gives indifferent names to one and the same things form the difference of their own passions, as they that approve a private opinion call it opinion; but they that mislike it, heresy: and yet heresy signifies no more than private opinion” (Pt. 1, Ch. XI). On the other hand, the renowned Sigmund Freud presents the idea that all men are wicked by nature. It is stated in his work Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego that “All that is evil in the human mind is contained as predisposition” (10). Each of these arguments can be applied to the characters in the book, who present their own perceptions of …show more content…
Agreeing with Freud’s idea, the dragon from the book acknowledges the nefariousness present in the nature of the inhabitants of his universe. The demon is depicted as a nihilist who is convinced of the insignificancy of life in the greater scheme of things, based on his omniscient examination of the world. He identifies all creatures as carriers of mischief, and he attributes the catastrophic events in history to the destructive nature of life. In his eyes, every sentient being that has ever walked the Earth was driven by detestable thoughts and emotions. The dragon only finds comfort in designing the self-acceptance of each individual’s redeeming qualities as the purpose to life, and embracing them in order to overshadow the vile intentions based on the unconscious. For the character, evil is a natural part of the universe, and it will always be present as long as life
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