"What happened in Grendel is that I came up with the idea of ​​presenting the Beowulf monster as Sartre, and everything that Grendel says to Sartre in one way or another other said, so that my love for Sartre in a way emerges as my love for monsters, although monsters are still monsters, I hope so" (Harvey 86). Authors can develop their works around their own ideas as well as those of others. During the 1960s, John Gardner was drawn to questions of evil, morality, and the meaning of existence in the world, which can be found in the reemergence of existentialist philosophy in this period (Nutter 48). Existentialists believe in individual freedom and the personal responsibility that goes hand in hand with being free (OED). John Gardner reflects on these universal questions about life and uses literature to understand, develop and dispense his ideas. He takes a stand against the traditional and popular social movement of existentialism by satirizing its philosophy. Although he reflects on the meaning of life, Gardner opposes the “social benefits of adopting an existentialist posture,” also believing that there is more to life than individual self-realization (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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an 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 Sartre's philosophy, which he says is "paranoid, loveless, faithless, selfish, and other bad things" (Mason 102). His negative perception of this philosophy colors the novel as Gardner portrays his thoughts through the monstrous narrator, modeled after Sartre, and attempts to expose philosophical problems related to society's acceptance of existentialism. Grendel's "idiot war" (Gardner 5) begins when the "poor old monster" (6) encounters nature. Grendel feels "abandoned" by the world, and these feelings are related to Sartre's "being in itself" argument. “The world resists me and I resist the world…mountains are what I call them” (Gardner 28). According to Sartre a "being-in-itself" is devoid of consciousness while a "being-for-itself" has consciousness and the ability to create a personal "essence" using this consciousness (Mason 102). For example, Grendel perceives 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 Sartre's philosophy does not allow for any kind of communication between the two beings. Additionally, Gardner presents readers with an objection to existentialism. Internally, Grendel becomes convinced that alienation from society is necessary because he is a “useless and ridiculous monster” and a “poor old monster” (Gardner 6). of insecurity contribute to thinking of a meaningless world. Grendel bears complete 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 existentialist movement popular in society in the 1960s. Gardner responds to those alienated after World War II and Vietnam by stating that if one clings to existentialism, then an external situation, or "being itself", should not incite feelings of hopelessness; only one's individual actions are the cause ofsuffering and agony. Furthermore, Gardner makes statements about the nature of existentialists. Through Grendel's conversion from a humanistic character to a murderer, he shows that existentialism creates corruption and monstrosity in society (Mason 104). Furthermore, Grendel "hammers the ground with [his] fists" (Gardner 3) in frustration with the world and society he constructs in his mind. His desire for those around him to go beyond "looking at as much of the world as possible" (6) represents Gardner's call for society to look beyond their construction of an absurd life. He believes his job as a writer is to “affirm the goodness of life and the badness of thinking you have the whole answer” (Bellamy 21). The next character imbued with existentialism is the Dragon. The Dragon portrays an evangelist of existentialism, and Gardner hopes to inform readers of the negative aspects of succumbing to this philosophy. Gardner describes the dragon as a negative and disturbing “beast” with “cold” eyes and a guarded collection of “gold, gems, 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 initial judgment shows how society often garners a narrow opinion without a true understanding of a situation, or philosophy in this case. Gardner gives the Dragon the voice of an "old old man" to address a stereotype about philosophers as old-fashioned and obsolete. This also applies to existential mania in America, which becomes as interesting to Gardner as "boobs, 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 the attitude that he needs to leave the humans alone, as well as refrain from scaring them "for sport" (Gardner 61). However, the Dragon refutes this attitude by claiming to "know everything" (Gardner 61) and the character of Grendel quickly accepts the Dragon's vision of a meaningless universe (Ellis 48). As Grendel makes his “long and tedious fall of eternity” (Gardner 61) into existentialism, he loses admiration, beauty, and hope towards life, plunging 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 wits towards meaningful patterns that do not exist” (Gardner 11). Grendel turns away from the natural and divine beauty found in the stars and focuses on material "jewels" and his primitive desires. The conversation between Grendel and the Dragon emphasizes easy deception and manipulation by those with questionable wisdom. The dragon communicates his philosophy as "an old man" by converting Grendel into a creature who believes that nothing of importance exists outside of the individual. The meaninglessness of life prophesied by the Dragon recognizes Gardner's feelings regarding the limits of existentialism and people who conform to existentialism during the years preceding the publication of Grendel in 1971. Although these people faced wars, violence, and disillusionment , they cling to the popular movement without thinking or discussing other possible explanations. Likewise, Grendel yields to the Dragon without resistance. The Dragon begins to control both Grendel's metaphysical and physical functions (Ellis 52). The Dragon's philosophy corresponds to that of the society Gardner satirizes, with the thought that "things come and go" as well as the view that every event is simply "a swirl in the flow of time" (70). On the other hand, Gardner, 1992.