Comparing Spiritual Growth in Gardeners Grendel and Hesses Siddhartha

religious Growth in Gardeners Grendel and Hesses Siddhartha A mythical beast who finds meaning in killing and a questioning wanderer who can non find meaning in being both John Gardeners Grendel and Hermann Hesses Siddhartha grow and develop spiritually, yet their authors apply vastly different styles to convey these changes. John Gardners revolutionary style is non encompassed by a single genre instead, he mixes first-person narrative and several(prenominal) different literary styles to give the Ruiner of Meadhalls a unique voice. The accustom of first-person narrative is essential to convey Grendels spiritual growth. Were it not for Grendels often self-deprecatory sapidity, which varies from pestiferous - big shaggy monster intense and earnest, bent like a priest at his prayers (72) - to bitter and cynical - I, Grendel, was the dark side. The terrible move that God cursed (51) - Grendel would be impossible to relate to. Even Grendels bouts of mania - &x20(whispering, wh ispering. Grendel has it occurred to you my dear that you are crazy?) are easily understood. Grendel varies from the simple, childish tone of Why cant I have someone to express to? The Shaper has people to talk to (53) to the dense philosophical metaphors and complex diction of Grendels conversation with the dragon. Gardener gives Grendel a purposefully guileless voice to illustrate both the monsters feelings of lost young person as well as his progression into a more sentient being. I think I was half prepared, in my dark, demented state, to give ear God, bearded and gray as geometry, scowling down at me, oscillation his bloodless finger. (53) The nihilistic dragon disagrees with Grendels humanization, regarding men scornfully a... ...orld, not to hate it, not for us to hate each other, but to be satisfactory to regard the world and ourselves and all beings with love, admiration, and respect. (147) Siddhartha progresses from an aloof and slightly arrogant youth, not unl ike young Grendel, to a wise, satisfied man. The central difference in the midst of John Gardeners Grendel and Hermann Hesses Siddhartha, both stories of spiritual growth and development, is not thematic. Instead, vast differences in tone and language make the self-deprecating monster easy to see with and the soul-searching wanderer simple and detached. Despite their stylistic differences, both working stand alone as examples of philosophical and spiritual evolution. Works Cited Gardner, John. Grendel. 1971 rpt. clean York Vintage Books, 1989. Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Dover Publications, 1998.