Confession

Confession

On Friday Mrs. Clinch allowed us to work with our groups. My group (Chapter 10) decided what we were going to be in charge of but... (This is the confession part) none of us read the book :( I was still trying to make sense of what had happened in chapter seven and why & how the previous chapters connected with each other, I did not have time to read 8, 9 and 10. I mean let's be honest; Grendel is probably ten times harder than Winesburg, Ohio due to the whole existentialism and the nihilist ideas. So, back to the point, before Mrs. Clinch came over to talk to us about the things she wanted us to focus and what the major elements were, I skimmed the book and realized that the Shaper dies, the woman (I assumed Wealtheow) feels sad, etc. So, when Mrs. Clinch did come and said, "You know I have always wondered who the woman in the Shaper's room is?", I immediately said, "Isn't it Wealtheow? Because of..." Now that I have actually read the chapter, I can't help but feel so embarrassed by the answer I gave her. 

The above paragraph marks the end of the confession, and I wish to write about what I thought about the mysterious woman, Wealtheow, Grendel's mother, and the old monster woman. I have marked in the novel the strangeness about how whenever Wealtheow appears, Grendel will talk about his mother (not in relation to Wealtheow). Therefore, I thought that this must be an intentional juxtaposition by John Gardner to contrast the markedly different nature of these two creatures. Wealtheow represents the beauty, compassion, truth, and harmony, while Grendel's mother is the epitome of gruesomeness, lies, disconnectedness, etc. So when I read about the mysterious woman in the Shaper's room, I immediately though of Wealtheow, then Grendel's mother appear as Grendel "slink back home" (145). Grendel's mother is now described as one that "no longer shows any sign of sanity" (145). There is so much contrast! It seems as if as Wealtheow grows in prominence and is accepted by the men, Grendel’s mother is deteriorating in her state of mentality and physical appearance. Like the Shaper and Wealtheow were the only figures in Grendel who symbolized knowledge, happiness, and joy, but when Shaper dies, Wealtheow inherits the position all to herself. She is left alone to be in charge of unifying the men and bringing harmony in the mead hall. Then what’s the whole deal with the “I am not the only monster on these moors. I met an old woman as wild as the wind” (149); I mean, why a woman in particular? Monster vs. woman….? Oh, and the layout of the passage where the quote comes from is different than the previous ones. WHY?!! And why does Grendel say, “I know there is nothing to expect” (149) even though the old monster is out there?

I just reread the passage and maybe the old woman is actually Wealtheow. On page 100, it says, “Her smooth long hair was as red as fire and soft as the ruddy sheen on dragon’s gold” (100). The fire is like the wildness of the old woman, and the dragon appears in here and with the old woman. This is an idea I will have to come back to.