A Timeless Evil: Beowulf’s Grendel and His Modern Equivalents

There is much in this world that can be called evil. There is the AIDS epidemic in

Africa, genocide in Sudan, and radical Islamic terrorists in the Middle-East. None of

these, however, are in close proximity to our daily lives. It is easy to dismiss or forget

about them. This is not the case with gang violence. In recent months, there has been a

marked increase in gang-related crimes in Washington, DC. These gang bangers give no

thought to others’ rights or safety, but act on their own selfish impulses. Impulses that can

get people killed. Like Grendel, the mythical monster in Beowulf, these gang members

can at times exhibit perhaps the worst attribute of humankind: the desire to destroy.

According to the article “Leaders Meet To Address Gang Violence In Shaw Area,”

gang violence in the Shaw neighborhood in DC has gone unabated, even with the

presence of increased police forces and crime cameras. Since 2008 began, three men,

one innocent bystander, and four teenagers have been shot. There have been other

shootings, but no one was injured in these. The crime wave affected the community so

much that an emergency meeting was called to discuss the violence. "They're fighting

over almost anything at this particular point," said Tyrone Parker with the Alliance of

Concerned Men. "They're fighting simply for a sense of direction. They're fighting just to

be a part of something. They're fighting so people will be concerned about them." If the

crime continues, there is no telling how bad the permanent damage will be.

In the epic poem Beowulf by an anonymous author, the monster Grendel

represents all that is evil in the world: malice, violence, selfishness, cruelty. He is the

anti-hero. These same characteristics can be applied to the real-life situation of gang
violence. The gang members are similar to Grendel because of their mindless violence.

They ruin life for others through indiscriminate and selfish acts of savagery.

Now, as we all know, no one ever does anything without a motive. And this, in my

opinion, is the single most interesting thing about the broken mind. There is certainly a

definitive reason for these gang members’ actions. In my opinion, most gang members,

when engaging in senseless violence, do not do it because they are crazy. A few of the

gang members might be, but as a whole, they are a sane bunch. No, insanity can be ruled

out entirely. The underlying reason for joining a gang and participating in gang activity is

a desire to belong and be respected. If this is unattainable, these people strike out

spitefully, out of jealousy, like Grendel did. Some are upset because of their home

environment, or they reason that they weren’t dealt a fair hand in life. When Grendel saw

all the Danes laughing and celebrating in the great hall of Herot, it was too much for him

to bear; he had to do something. After all, it wasn’t his fault he was the descendent of

Cain, the man who committed the first malicious sin. The same is true of the type of

person who joins a gang. Usually these characters are awkward: the rejected of society.

They hope that by joining a gang they will receive a family, and by belonging to this

group, gain the respect of others.

Beowulf illustrates these timeless themes of human corruption and the fight

between good and evil in a way that is applicable even today, more than a thousand years

after it was written. Anyone who says that there is no such thing as evil is obviously

blinded by his/her own desire to avoid accountability. What else could the Holocaust be

but evil? The anonymous poet’s choice to deal with this theme of the eternal battle was a

wise one for it ensured its relevance to people of all time.

 This story appeals to us because of this theme. In today’s world, it is easy for

things to get overcomplicated. Our nation is obsessed with political correctness. We are

so afraid of offending another that we forget what is at the core of every single one of us:

a conscience. We should not ignore our conscience, for it is the very thing that makes us

human. Animals do not feel guilt, they do not feel compassion. This inner struggle

between good and evil is a characteristic attribute of human beings, and Beowulf’s use of

this theme is what makes it a timeless work.

In conclusion, Beowulf’s Grendel is manifested in many ways today. Grendel

represents selfishness, pride, hate, jealousy. The gang members mentioned in the article

exhibit many of his traits. What makes the epic worth reading, however, is not the

antagonist. It is the struggle between good and evil, with good eventually prevailing. This

is an idea that will always speak to us as a species. This epic battle is what it means to be

human.
Works Cited

1. “Leaders Meet To Address Gang Violence In Shaw Area” NBC 4 25 Feb. 2008

2. Raffel, Burton. Beowulf. New York: Penguin, 1963.