Grendel Review

Because of the upcoming AP exam, I thought it'd be a good idea to review one of the books I didn't do an outline on for the timed writings. One of my favorite texts throughout the year was Grendel by John Gardner because of the way it relates to the many allusions that we researched. For example, the speaker claims, "Why are we here? I used to ask her. Why do we stand this putrid stinking hole? She trembles at my words. her fat lips shake. Don't ask" This quote struck me as incredibly interesting in the way it relates to Plato's allegory of the cave. The prisoners in the underground cave are living a different perspective of reality. Once a prisoner is free, knowledge of another world changes his or her reality. Grendel's knowledge/exploration of the world of men changes his perspective of his reality and thus makes him different from his mother. I also find it very interesting that Grendel's mother does not want to experience this change of perspective as if she fears it. She does not want the knowledge that causes Grendel to live in conflict ion between two different worlds. This kind of brings about the major theme of innocence versus experience in the context of two different worlds. Throughout this text, there were also multiple allusions to the Garden of Eden. For example, these speaker claims, "It was wedged sep, as if the two oak trees were eating it. Black saw-dust squirrel dust-was spattered put he leg almost to the thigh." I like this quote a lot because of the picture it paints in my mind. The two trees to me represent Grendel's conflicted nature between his world and the world of men. Also, the fact that the trees are "eating" his foot shows the danger of being int he existential void/middle ground. The middle ground between the tewo worlds is a monster in itself that can kill you. Th rees also portray an allusion to the Garden of Eden, which portrays the dangers of curiosity/knowledge and a loss of innocence. Lastly, "dust" has the denotation of human remains. Thus, it foreshadows Grendel's figurative death of his innocence. This is further exemplified through the connotation of "black", which is death. One main question that brings about the allusion of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse is "Who is beowulf coming to save?" In my opinion, I don't think Beowulf is trying to save anyone. The argument that he he is trying to save the Danes is invalid  because he is taking away their "honor". I think he  is more of a destroyer . In fact, he is reffered to having "sea pale eyes" and has an affability to the coast guard's horse> In this way, gardner is alluding that Beowulf is the fourth horse of the apocalypse known as the Pale Horse or Death.

Hope, Rebirth, and the Monomyth

The contemporary novel that I had to read was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. In our second lit circle, my group truly talked about the meaning of the text as a whole and I thought it'd be a great idea to expound on that by relating it to a structural framework. In this novel, Hosseini portrays the hope of women's rights progression in a primarily patriarchal Afghan society through the allusion off the Garden of Eden in an archetypal framework that models the Monomyth. Throughout the text, Hosseini seems to be alluding the the Genesis. For example, the speaker claims, "Tariq napped beneath a tree on the banks of a gurgling stream". The tree that Tariq naps under can be seen as a direct allusion and foreshadow to the eventual end of a cycle and the creation of a new age of Afghan society, which occurs during the orphanage scene at the end of the text. Another indication of this hopeful rebirth of the cycle is portrayed through the light symbolism. For example, the speaker claims, "A dragonfly whirred nearby. Laila watched its wings catch glints of sunlight as it buzzed from one blade of grass to another. They flashed purple, then green, orange. […] Somewhere, a donkey brayed. A generator sputtered to life."The sunlight "glints" through the fireflies as if it is partially portraying the light from the sun. Throughout this text, light is seen as a symbol of progression and thus this passage is an example of a foreshadow for the eventual push towards progression in Afghan society near the end of the text. Lastly, the generator sputtering to life is a prime indication of this movement towards progression that the whole passage seems to be alluding towards. Near the end of the text, the speaker claims, " The orphanage playground has a row of apple saplings now along the east-facing wall. Laila is planning to plant some on the south wall as well as soon as it is rebuilt. There is a new swing set, new monkey bars, and a jungle gym." Hosseini seems to be making a direct allusion tot he Garden of Eden through his reference to the apple saplings, which indicate a sense of renewal and rebirth. Not only this, Laila's whole world seems to be changed in the way that she is carrying on the Monomyth through mariam. According to Joseph Campbell, the very last step of the journey is to return to a point where everything has changed and it is called the Return With the Elixir. This Elixir could be metaphorical or literal. In Laila (and therefore Mariam's case), the Elixir is the realization of change and success that is constantly around her. The new orphanage indicates a sense of newness and rebirth within Afghan society. One of my favorite points in my group's discussion of this text was the idea that Mariam was seen as a Christ figure who sacrificed herself for the greater good and recycle of the Afghan society. The beauty of the book for me was that Mariam still lived on through Laila in a common bond of hardship and enduring.