What is good and what is evil? Some people would have us believe that there is no definite good or evil and others would also contend that there are concrete definitions for good and evil. But in the case of Beowulf, is Grendel's mother evil? Does she exhibit good qualities or bad qualities? Her story is not very black and white in my opinion and if her story had been told from a different perspective then perhaps we would be more sympathetic for her and share in her grief. She was not some wild beast attacking people solely for the act of attacking. She was retaliating. Her child had been taken from her, so surely she was motivated by sadness and a feeling of loss.
Does that excuse the damage and heartache she caused for other people? Of course not. As the old adage says, "Two wrongs don't make a right." You could look at the situation from another perspective. If the townspeople were not going to bring justice for the death of her son, then who would? Surely she would take judgement into her own hands if she saw that it was not being delivered adequately. She did just that, and because of that she was made out to be evil. Like I said, I am not trying to excuse the wrong she did, I am simply trying to view it in the context of the circumstances through which she had suffered.
Too often we view people in a negative light because we see nothing but the current wrong they have committed. We refuse to admit that they themselves were victims of an external event. And when someone wrongs us personally, we want them to be punished for it without question not even considering all the times we have avoided punishment that we have rightly deserved. So in the story of Beowulf, my heart sympathizes with Grendel's mother, because she responded to someone else's evil with evil she is seen as the villain and I don't think it should be so.
I commented on Caroline Tucker's post and Leanne White's post.
Hi Emmett! Interesting idea. Looking at the story from the perspective of Grendel's mother, it is easier to see her loss and sympathize. It is true that discerning good and evil is difficult in some situations. I do, however, think the reaction is what makes the difference. Grendel's mother reacted in outrage and grief. She sought revenge for her son's death. Her actions made her evil.
ReplyDeleteI liked your post! I wrote something similar last week. I honestly think that she was evil for what she did, but only because revenge is not a righteous act. Without the context of sin and God, there is no right and wrong, and we can easily make the argument that she was completely justified in what she did.
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