"What happened in Grendel was that I had the idea of ​​presenting the monster in Beowulf as Sartre, and all that what Grendel said, Sartre said it in one way or another, so that my love for Sartre appears in some way as my love of the monster, even if monsters remain monsters, I hope" ( Harvey 86).Authors may develop their works around personal ideas as well as the ideas of others. During the 1960s, John Gardner was drawn to questions of evil, morality, and the meaning of existence in. the world, found in the re-emergence of existentialist philosophy in this era (Nutter 48). Existentialists believe in individual freedom as well as the personal responsibility that goes hand in hand with freedom (OED). thinks about these universal questions about life and uses literature to help him understand, develop and disseminate his ideas. It takes a stand against the dominant and popular social movement of existentialism by satirizing the philosophy. Although he reflects on the meaning of life, Gardner opposes the "social benefits of adopting an existentialist stance", while believing that there is more to life than individual fulfillment (Nutter 50 ). In his novel Grendel, John Gardner comments on society using existentialism in the characters of Grendel, the Dragon and the Shaper. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay John Gardner begins by using the existential philosophy of Jean Paul Sartre to develop the character of Grendel. John Gardner is interested in the philosophy of Sartre, whom he considers "paranoid, loveless, faithless, selfish and other unpleasant things" (Mason 102). His negative perception of this philosophy colors the novel as Gardner depicts his thoughts through the monstrous narrator, modeled after Sartre, and attempts to expose the philosophical problems related to society's acceptance of existentialism. Grendel’s “silly war” (Gardner 5) begins when the “poor old monster” (6) encounters nature. Grendel feels "abandoned" by the world, and these feelings correlate with Sartre's argument about "being in oneself." “The world resists me and I resist the world…the mountains are what I define them as” (Gardner 28). According to Sartre, a "being in itself" lacks consciousness while a "being for itself" has consciousness and the ability to create a personal "essence" using this consciousness (Mason 102). For example, Grendel does not perceive the mountains only through his consciousness or his own definition The mountains represent a “being in itself” while Grendel represents a “being for itself”. Therefore, Grendel's attempts to connect with nature fail because the. Sartre's philosophy does not allow for any sort of communication between the two beings. Additionally, Gardner presents readers with an objection to existentialism. Internally, Grendel convinces himself that distancing himself from society is necessary because he is a ". useless and ridiculous monster” and a “poor old monster” (Gardner 6) His feelings of insecurity contribute to the idea of ​​a meaningless world Grendel bears full responsibility for these feelings because, according to Sartre, he. creates his own world through his consciousness. This is another factor of existentialism that Gardner refutes and furthermore he uses this example to refer to the popular existentialist movement in society of the 1960s. Gardner is responding to those who became alienated after World War II and in Vietnam by stating that if one clings to existentialism, then an external situation, or "being within oneself", should notnot arouse feelings of despair; only individual actions are a cause of suffering and agony. Additionally, Gardner makes statements about the nature of existentialists. Through Grendel's conversion from a humanist character to a murderer, he shows that existentialism creates corruption and monstrosity in society (Mason 104). Also, Grendel “pounds the ground with [his] fists” (Gardner 3) as a sign of frustration with the world and the society he constructs in his mind. His desire for those around him to go beyond "looking at the world as much as he can see" (6) represents Gardner's call for society to look beyond his construction of a life absurd. He believes his job as a writer is to “affirm the goodness of life and the evil of thinking you have all the answers” ​​(Bellamy 21). The next character imbued with existentialism is the Dragon. The Dragon depicts an evangelist for existentialism, and Gardner hopes to inform readers of the negative aspects of succumbing to this philosophy. Gardner depicts the dragon as a negative, ominous “beast” with “cold” eyes and a guarded collection of “gold, precious stones, and jewels” (Gardner 57). This positions the character as a materialistic, selfish and greedy “old man” (58). He allows readers to pass judgment on the Dragon, giving them the image of an evil “miser” (58) before revealing his vocal and intellectual characteristics. This first judgment shows how society often forms a narrow opinion without a true understanding of a situation, or a true philosophy in this case. Gardner gives the Dragon the voice of an "old man" in order to fulfill a stereotype that philosophers are old-fashioned and outdated. This also applies to the existential craze in America, which becomes just as interesting to Gardner as "crazy people, hemorrhoids, and boils" (59). The dragon influences Grendel to make a complete existential conversion, showing how easily thoughts are manipulated. Grendel begins the conversation with an attitude that he must leave the humans alone and refrain from scaring them “for sport” (Gardner 61). However, the Dragon refutes this attitude by claiming to "know everything" (Gardner 61) and the character Grendel quickly accepts the Dragon's vision of a meaningless universe (Ellis 48). As Grendel transforms his “long, boring fall from eternity” (Gardner 61) into existentialism, he loses his awe, beauty, and hope toward life, sinking further into the nothingness of existence. Grendel believes that “the stars, like jewels scattered in the tomb of a dead king, tease and torment my mind into meaningful patterns that do not exist” (Gardner 11). Grendel moves away from the natural, divine beauty that resides in the stars and focuses on material “gems” as well as his primal desires. The conversation between Grendel and the Dragon emphasizes easy deception and manipulation by those of questionable wisdom. The dragon communicates his philosophy as "an old man" while transforming Grendel into a creature who believes that nothing important exists outside of the individual. The absurdity of the life prophesied by the Dragon acknowledges Gardner's feelings regarding the limits of existentialism and the people who conformed to existentialism in the years before Grendel's publication in 1971. Although these people were faced with war, violence and disillusionment, they cling to the popular movement without thinking or discussing other possible explanations. Likewise, Grendel concedes to the Dragon without resistance. The Dragon begins to control both metaphysical and physical functions, 1992.