Sympathy in Literature: Akin to Monsters - Term Paper Example

Sympathy in Literature: Akin to Monsters Not all life is fair, and literature is the first to address this. Rather it is socioeconomic status, war, or appearance to others there has always been structures and castes that individual fall into. This may be a natural placement or one by force. Authors have seemingly been on the forefront of exposing what many see but few talk about. These authors have gone one of two ways with differences surrounding them; either it be that the differences separate us from each other, or the collective differences are what brings us together. When reviewing literature it is important to look beyond what is written and look at what the author is trying to convey. This holds specifically true in two well known and well read pieces of literature. “Beowulf” and “The Odyssey” are two such penned works that have withstood the ages. These two works often evoke reactions by simply stating the title. Another commonality is that they speak of unfairness and the fear of the unknown with regards to individuals who are different. When faced with a situation that is unknown or fearful, many individuals revert to what they were taught as children. Monsters exist, good conquers evil, and the damsel is saved. When both “Beowulf” and “Odyssey” were written, there were many things that people did not understand. The Sun revolved around the earth, the earth was flat, the Americas did not exist, and individuals with deformities were considered monsters. Once science evolved, many of these mysteries were solved with a simple explanation. Until that point however, those with a physical appearance or who grew up differently than the majority were considered outcasts, unknown, and at times monsters. The majority of civilization might have looked down upon them, as not worth the trouble, there were some individuals who went out of their way to assist. These individuals cared for, assisted, and essentially treated these individuals as the humans they were, not as a monster. To have sympathy for something is not the same as having empathy. Someone who is empathic can realize that others have feelings, and to relate to those feelings but being emotionally and/or physically distanced from the individual. Sympathy is the act of actually sharing feelings with someone due to an event, or relationship. One event could due to a relationship mutually affect both parties. There are instances in both poems that have lessons of empathy as well as sympathy, but for this discussion sympathy is the intended phrase. Due to the allegorical quality of these poems, simple answers for questions are not easy, or possible without an in-depth reading of both as well as an understanding of what the author experienced during the era. “Beowulf” penned by an anonymous poet was thought to be originally written between the 8th and 11th century AD. There are many translations but a commonly used version was published in 1910 by Francis B. Gummere. In it there is a protagonist named King Hroogar and his initial antagonist the monster Grendel. The story unfolds with the King being all powerful building a great hall that is full of merriment and joy. However under this hall lives a monster by the name of Grendel that is awakened and physically pained by the noise created. Grendel attempts to stop the noise, and meets his death at the hands of the King. The original author may not have meant for there to be any sympathetic feelings towards Grendel, but by looking at it from a different angle one could see how readers may feel a tinge of sympathy. This also relates to “The Odyssey” written by Homer. This Epic poem is believed to have been written in the 8th Century BC. In this poem, the protagonist Odysseus having been lost on the seas due to a disagreement in another epic poem “The Illiad” meets one of many antagonists the Cyclops Polyphemus. While adrift on the sea, Odysseus is trapped on Polyphemus’ isle therefore becoming a prisoner. Eventually Odysseus is able to free himself by using a wooden stake to blind the Cyclops. Odysseus is now free to meet the remainder of his trials. Regardless if Polyphemus was evil, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time, his punishment could be considered far greater than Grendel’s. It is not difficult to understand why one may feel sympathy towards a character that Homer may not have intended for such. Due to the lack of scientific thought and understanding, physical abnormalities such as different colored skin, or being abnormally large was seen as something out of horror stories and therefore treated as such. Grendel according to the author was of enormous strength as shown in “Then at the dawning, as day was breaking, the might of Grendel to men was known;”1 This is specifically talking about all of the spoils that Grendel took to his cave. This went on over years until the King decided to see for himself what was occurring. Another characteristic of Grendel’s is that he is mentally weak in the sense of not having overt courage. Instead of attacking in the day he attacks at night when all of the men are drunk from mead. “…armed men, that they would bide in the beer-hall here, Grendel’s attack with terror of blades. Then was this mead-house at morning tide dyed with gore,”.2 Due to the savage nature, it was not long before the king attacked Grendel, severing an arm and pursuing him into his cave. Not entirely unlike Grendel, Homer’s explanation of the Cyclops is similar is that the author thinks less of them. “Now the Cyclopes neither plant nor plough,”3, meaning that they are lazy, and not like Odysseus. It continues “…have no ships, nor yet shipwrights who could make shops for them”4, not only are they lazy, but they have no trade skills, and therefore in Odysseus’ mind as well as Homer’s these are creatures unworthy of existence. Odysseus believes himself so righteous that he lies to the Cyclops, and steals their sheep. By lying to the Cyclops, two of his men were killed, and he was taken prisoner. While both of these poems want the reader to by sympathetic towards the wary protagonist, it is the antagonist that deserves the sympathy. Grendel, having been raised by a wicked mother, therefore raised wicked and without conscience. The cruelty and pain that the King inflicted on Grendel before killing him, and the overall condition that Grendel was in. Polyphemus is deserving of sympathy for not having a parent there, the cruelty that Odysseus inflicted on him, and his general condition. These individuals may seem to be monsters, but with careful reading, they were the ones who needed the help, not the torment and pain.5 Grendel’s mother was a horrible and wicked individual who raised her only begotten son to be as cruel and wicked as she. He grew up alone and therefore was alone and lonely most of his life. Having grown up without joy or fun, the noise and merriment in the Great Hall not only angered him, but caused him physical pain as his ears, which is why he began attacking. The King then tore off an arm, with Grendel is pain and running, the King went and essentially toyed with him until finally killing him. During this time if an individual had any disorder such as Down’s syndrome or other disorder that affects both physical appearance and emotions, the local citizens may feel similar to the King. Grendel was unknown creature that was attempting to find food, which was then antagonized to the point of killing those who created the noise. Instead of killing him outright, the King wanted to make Grendel suffer, suffer for the loneliness he felt, suffer for what he could not change, for how he was different than the others. This is not that much different than how an individual with a visual difference to everyone else. Polyphemus, having a God as a father, grew up on an island that could be a modern day leper island. An island were those of a common deformity are placed together to live out their days with meager assistance and no real future. Odysseus assumed that being secluded meant mentally handicapped, had no qualms about lying when on the island. Polyphemus however was not stupid and taking out the rage that probably resided for much longer than Odysseus’ arrival killed two of his men. Again, this is a lonely, physically and possibly mentally handicapped individual taken advantage of by a stronger and seemingly smarter able bodied individual. Instead of outsmarting Polyphemus, Odysseus takes out the only thing that was good, his eyesight. This act essentially left the Cyclops to die alone, forgotten, and blind on an island with nothing but overgrown plants and sheep. The arrogance that is shown towards both of these creatures is outstanding, and really hits at what was going on during this time.6 Both Greece, the homeland of Odysseus and Scandinavia, the homeland of King Hroogar are regions made of warrior like individuals, hard workers who are military minded. Both the Greek and Viking militaries are considered by history as some of the ruthless and effective soldiers of all time. Weakness was unthinkable, and if physical power came with mental weakness, this was considered even worse. Mentally strong individuals who were physically weak could formulate plans, help structure the military, but those strong yet mentally weak were useless, unable to be part of an effective military. Both Grendel and Polyphemus were physically strong, stronger than ordinary men, however mentally there were issues, Grendel being raised to be evil, and Polyphemus being isolated from the world on the island. It is unfair to paint a negative picture on a creature or a character without first viewing the situation and the time period that the poem was written. These individuals may have been evil, or they may have had circumstances that prohibited what could be construed as a normal life. That does not mean they are necessary not human, or not below sharing feelings. Who has not felt lonely? Who has not felt abandoned? Who has not felt pain? No one is above reproach, and that goes for the protagonists that did not look beyond the size and skin color. Grendel probably was beyond help, having grown up with way he did. Polyphemus however could have been “saved” if it was not for Odysseus overarching arrogance to those unlike himself. That attitude rings true no matter the location, or the century. Works Cited Beowulf. Located online at http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=AnoBeow.sgm&images= images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=all. Accessed on 1 November 2012. Chapman, Robert L. ”Alas, Poor Grendel”. College English 17(6) Mar 1956, pp. 334-337. Located at http://jstor.org/stable/372370. Gabriel, Richard A. “The Great Armies of Antiquity” Wesport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2002. Hanson, Victor D. “Wars of the Ancient Greeks” London: Harper Collins Publishers, 2004. Homer. The Odyssey. Located online at http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/homer/ody/ody09.htm, accessed on 1 November 2012. Newton, Rick M. “Poor Polyphemus: Emotional Ambivalence in “Odyssey” 9 and 17”. The Classical World 76(3) Jan-Feb 1983. Pp. 137-142. Located at http://www.jstor.org/stable/4349446. Read More