Grendel Exam Between the Line Questions

1) Why did Grendel laugh when the bull attacked him?

Grendel was laughing out of pain and the ram’s inferiority. First, when people are in pain so severe as Grendel’s, they start to lose touch with reality because of endorphins. He had a gaping, horrible wound on his leg, so he must have been in a great deal of pain. Also, he feels that animals are simple minded, idiotic creatures. The ram’s continuous battering of the tree must have verified his opinion. Simply put, Grendel laughed because he was hurt and he bull was acting stupidity.

2) Why does his mother reply, “Don’t ask!” when he wants to know why they live underground?

His mother is terrified of the answer. It’s possible that she and her family were driven to live there by humans. She may have remembered the horrible events that led to her imprisonment and became frightened once again. Mama could also have wanted to keep her son unaware of the outside world for fear he would leave her. Grendel is constantly saying that when she hugs him it’s as if she wants to make him “one with her flesh once again”. This is why she doesn’t answer him: she is afraid.

3) Why does Grendel continue to watch men?

These creatures that were like him amused Grendel. Though they were not his equals, they were superior to animals. Logic ruled their minds instead of sensation or basic instinct. However, though they were smarter, they often made the same mistakes repeatedly, which amused Grendel. Finally he had found a creature that could think; yet they were very slow to realize their errors and correct them, such as with the broken carts on the dirt roads before they were covered with stone. In conclusion, he found them smart and funny.