Important Characters in the Chapter: LOL IDK MAN
Grendel: In this chapter Grendel fights Beowulf and he figures out that Beowulf is stronger. He thinks that the reason Beowulf is winning is all because of an accident. Grendel's mind is hindered with thoughts and visions of Beowulf's philosophy.
Beowulf: In the chapter Beowulf uses speech to get into the mind of Grendel. Beowulf injures Grendel in his fight and terrorizes him to the point where Grendel flees.
That night Grendel is filled with joy and excitment to raid the Meadhall, when he enters the hall he sees all the men sleeping. He eats one sleeping man, and as he goes to eat the second he finds out that it was Beowulf who has been watching him. Beowulf twists Grendel's wrist dislocating his arm, Grendel sees wings emerge from the back of Beowulf's back. When Grendel tries to attack he slips on a pool of blood and Beowulf is able to grab him again. Beowulf says to Grendel quoting the dragons description of the world. Grendel keeps saying that Beowulf is winning by chance and says its all an accident. Grendel starts crying for his mother, Beowulf slams him into the wall telling him to observe the walls hardness, he demands Grendel sing about the wall. Grendel insists that Beowulf's victory only happened because of chance then Beowulf rips Grendel's arm of at the shoulder. When Grendel realizes he will die he stumbles out of the hall into the dark forest and cries for his mother once more. Grendel ends up finding himself on the edge of a cliff where he stood in chapter 1, something inside him told him to jump, he notices his enemies, animals and everyone he put in pain standing around to watch him die and he tells them, "Poor Grendel's had an accident...So may you all." the the book ends.
Moral Philosophy:
"His eyes are open, were open all the time, cold-bloodedly watching to see how I work. The eyes nail me now as his hand nails down my arm. I jump back without thinking (whispering wildly: I jump back without thinking). (168)
Grendel pretends to know what he is doing, acting like he is a very intellectual being. However, he is more influenced by experience, and this is shown when he only notices Beowulf when he grabs his arm. Grendel wasn't cautious when entering the Meadhall, not thinking of any possibility of danger inside.
"Believe it or not. Though you murder the world, turn plains to stone, transmogrify life into I and it, strong searching roots will crack your cave and rain will cleanses it." (170)
Beowulf uses scientific principles to explain to Grendel that his justification of the world is incorrect as he isn't able to separate his thoughts from the fact.
"You're crazy...If you think I created that wall that cracked my head, you're a fucking lunatic" (Gardner 171).
Beowulf can't believe that Grendel isn't able to realize his senses of pain from his head being crushed by the wall. Grendel isn't able to determine what is true.
"If you win, it's by mindless chance. Make no mistake. First you tricked me, and then I slipped. Accident." (171)
When Grendel is being attacked by Beowulf, he blames it on chance, rather than him not being cautious and not paying attention.
"You make the world by whispers, second by second... Feel the wall: is it not hard? He smashes me against it, breaks open my forehead." (171)
Grendel is confused, Beowulf is destroying Grendel's understanding of the world and all the philosophies he knows.
"He's crazy. I understand him all right, make no mistake. Understand his lunatic theory of matter and mind, the chilly intellect, the hot imagination, blocks and builder, reality as stress. Nevertheless, it was by accident that he got my arm behind me" (172)
Grendel cannot understand how Beowulf is able to beat Grendel in a fight, so while he is running away from the Meadhall, the thinks to himself that the whole encounter was an accident and only occurred based off of luck.
"But her love is history. His whimspering folllows me into the woods, though I've outrun him. "It was an accident," I bellow back. I will cling to what is true." (173).
As Grendel runs away alone, he continues to deny everything Beowulf has prove to him. Grendel goes back to his way of thinking saying, "what is true", meaning he goes back to his original philosophy.
Chapter 12 Analysis:
In this chapter Grendel is in a fight with Beowulf, who had just arrived at Hrothgar's Meadhall. Beowulf was able to hurt Grendel in this chapter, even though, previously the dragon had given Grendel a charm, which didn't allow anyone to physically harm him. Beowulf was able to do this because he broke the other philosophies that have been prior mentioned and that Grendel was guided by. An example of this is when Beowulf says, "Grendel, Grendel! You make the world by whispers, second by second. Are you blind to that? Whether you make it a grave or a garden of roses is not the point. Feel the wall: is it not hard?" (Gardner 171), then Grendel responds with, "You're crazy...If you think I created that wall that cracked my head, you're a fucking lunatic" (Gardner 171). Grendel is becoming confused, since Beowulf is breaking Grendel's understanding and his philosophies of the world around him. Another quote that demonstrates Grendel's confusion is when Grendel thinks to himself, "He's crazy. I understand him all right, make no mistake. Understand his lunatic theory of matter and mind, the chilly intellect, the hot imagination, blocks and builder, reality as stress. Nevertheless, it was by accident that he got my arm behind me" (Gardner 172). Grendel can't comprehend how Beowulf is able to do this, so as he is fleeing from the Meadhall he reminds himself that the whole ordeal was mearly an accident and all happened by luck. Grendel comes to the realization while close to death that the accident allowed him to change part of him, but in the end Grendel is still the same.