It is uncanny how often a wild animal will display human qualities. For example, a bird defending its nest from predators could be observed as an act of love towards the chicks, or a bear protecting its cubs as a feeling of obligation towards the safety of the new generation of bears. In Grendel this idea is reoccurs more than once as the monster often acts more human than monster while at other times his …showed first 75 words of 1281 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1281 total…times his loneliness gets the best of him when he thinks about the Danes becoming more and more unified through every line the Shaper articulates. But even his most primal instincts cannot be suppressed when his craving for flesh is strong. Overall, the novel portrays Grendel as a monster walking the thin red line between human emotions and primal instincts. Every so often he will slip into either category but eventually finds that balance again.