In his early years, Grendel shares the naivety of youth, unchained by the perceptions and limitations the outside world places on reality. Unfortunately, Grendel is ignorant of the immutable life he would come to live. “Like a puppy nipping, playfully growling preparing for a battle with wolves.” Gardner gives Grendel a purposefully guileless voice to illustrate both the monster’s feelings of lost youth as well as his progression into a more morose being. The imagery used in the description facilitates the image of the initially puerile Grendel.
The author uses figurative language to create a lucid image of the dark surroundings. As Grendel is trapped he notices, “A black rock balanced at the edge of the cliff, a dead tree casting a long-armed shadow.” Additionally Grendel says, “I lie there resting in the steaming grass, the old lake hissing and gurgling behind me, whispering patterns of words my sanity resist.” Grendel is feeling lonesome and his desperation is conveyed through the somber word choices.
Gardner’s specific diction not only featured Grendel, but also included the dragon. His physical image is so vividly described, “Vast, red-golden, huge tail coiled, limbs sprawled over his treasure-hoard, eyes nor firey but cold as the memory family deaths. The color of his sharp scales darkened and brightened as the dragon inhaled and exhaled slowly, drawing new air across his vast internal furnace; his razorsharp tusks gleamed and glinted as if they too, like mountain beneath him, were formed of precious stones and metals.” This description is unambiguous in its ominous undertone, associating the dragon with the cynicism that Grendel incorporated into his being.
Gardner also utilizes haunting imagery to underscore the cynicism of Grendel’s trials. For example, in the scene in which the goat insists on climbing towards Grendel's cave, despite Grendel’s attempts to prevent the its course, Gardner accentuates Grendel’s lack of enthusiasm for living through this horrid depiction. Grendel’s association with darkness and evil was apparent through his everyday activities. He was continually in the presence of with darkness. Opposed to simply moving around, Grendel “lurked”, “slinked”, and “haunted”. His preying upon victims while they were unknowing and asleep corroborated this gloomy diction. Furthermore, after the night’s rampage, he returned to his “lair”, suggesting that Grendel was a wild animal. His monster-like qualities and actions contributed to his constant association with evil.
Through his cynical diction and enlightening point of view, Gardner successfully illustrates Grendel’s nature and his decline. John Gardner’s tone is dark, which conveys Grendel’s pessimistic outlook of the world.