Language, for Grendel, is a way of escaping a prison of loneliness. From the time he was born, Grendel has lived in a cave with his mother, mostly in social isolation. The change occurs when Grendel ventures out of the cave; he beings to mimic the humans and learn their language. He hopes that language will be his foothold into acceptance. Although a false belief, Grendel feels that learning the language of the humans will make him more like them, and therefore ensure that they look past his exterior and treat him as if he belongs.
After some time, Grendel develops the ability to communicate with other beings (Unferth) in a language that he thinks is the same as the humans’, but nobody can understand it, which deepens his feelings of loneliness and irritation. Grendel, within himself, is the only one able to understand his attempts at communication—he feels more alone, aligning with his thought that only he exists. This induces the turning point. At Grendel’s darkest hour, his most frustrated point, the Shaper gives him slight hope.
Also, after discovering the Shapers poetry, Grendel eagerly desires to be fluid as the Shaper, even if that means corruption on his part. Being accepted is a consolation for Grendel, and he is willing to be the antagonist to attain it. This makes direct reference to the ties between himself and the Bible’s vain, murderous Cain. In beginning to achieve his rich desire to be accepted and escape loneliness, Grendel searches for a way to connect himself to the humans. This leads to the process in which he acquires more language and understanding of language, ultimately becoming less frustrated with the language and himself. He speaks from his consciousness and ties the story in a modern sense. Grendel experiments with different genres, learning, in time, how to apply lines and verse to tell a story.
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