A World Without Meaning John Gardner's Grendel portrays a monster searching for his purpose in life. The characters know the meaning of their lives, but Grendel tries to discover his role and what life has to offer him. Grendel discovers his identity through the actions and beliefs of other characters. In Grendel, John Gardner illustrates the contrasting opinions of each character to show their view of society and the influence they have on Grendel. In Grendel, each character tells their own vision of philosophy, theory and life. Grendel is a monster who isn't sure where he fits into life. “Grendel is not just looking for a philosophy; he is just looking for the best way to live in the world” (Simmers 183). He pushes himself to the extreme limits to discover his character. Grendel displays a self-centered approach to the world as he exclaims, “The world resists me and I resist the world” (Gardner 28). Nothing in the world is going right for Grendel. Grendel feels resistant to life. Therefore, if society does not need him, then he does not need society. The Dragon also views the world negatively, due to his laudable perception of himself. Among all the characters in the novel, the Dragon is one of Grendel's closest companions and has had a great impact on Grendel. The Dragon's destructive philosophy sees the world as meaningless. The dragon shares his selfish approach to life with Grendel by telling him, “My advice to you, my violent friend, is to seek gold and find it” (Gardner 74). The dragon represents a selfish act because all he cares about is accumulating his treasure. The Dragon pushes Grendel to focus on the more tangible things in life like money. Grendel's negative worldview stems from the Dragon due to their close companionship... middle of paper... being a hero. Unferth makes contact with Grendel as he says "You think I have come without hope of victory, I have come to escape humiliation by suicide!" (Gardner 89). Grendel does not believe that Unferth is a heroic figure because he believes that Unferth is not facing his fears. Unferth believes very much in his heroic ideals; however, Grendel crushes Unferth's beliefs while denying him to die a hero. Grendel feels like an outcast in the society he lives in, causing him to have difficulty finding himself in the chaotic world. He struggles due to the lack of communication between him and his mother. The lack of communication puts Grendel into a state of depression. However, Grendel comes into contact with several characters with different philosophical beliefs, which allows him to see his meaning in life. Their views on life influence Grendel to see the world in a meaningful way.