The characters in Grendel represent different beliefs and philosophies. The Shaper portrays the philosophy of Romanticism. Romanticism focuses on the manipulation of emotion, in order to change reality. This is also the main focus of the Shaper. Through his music, the Shaper is able to control the perceptions of those around him. He creates false memories in their minds and in turn changes the past. The world is too bleak for the Shaper. Instead of accepting this blunt reality, he creates his own reality. Through the poetry of his words and the charm of his storytelling, he is able to convince the people to buy into his view of the world and accept it as their own. “What was he? The man had changed the world, had torn up the past by its thick, gnarled roots and had transmuted it, and they, who knew the truth, remembered it his way-and so did I,” (Gardner 43). In order to get the people to accept his reality, the Shaper must first make them reject reason and logic. He does this by disguising reality with emotion.
The Shaper portrays Romanticism because he uses emotion to sway opinion and disguise reality. The Shaper’s songs eloquently mask the truth. The practices he sings of are not aesthetically pleasing, in fact many are gory and unnerving. “He sang of battles and marriages, of funerals and hangings, the whimperings of beaten enemies, of splendid hunts and harvests,” (Gardner 42-43). However the Shaper is able to rally the people behind any cause. This is due to the elevated language and passion he pours into his music. Instead of focusing on the reality of war, he focuses on the emotions he can inspire in people. This is a common practice of Romantics. Romantics target emotions in order to sway opinion toward an unreasonable cause.
The Shaper is a master manipulator, but he could not control the people’s perceptions if they did not give him the power to do so. As much as the Shaper needs to create in order to escape reality, the people need his creation to do the same. The religion he creates through his stories gives meaning to the people’s lives. “He reshapes the world...So his name implies. He stares strange-eyed at the mindless world and turns dry sticks to gold,” (Gardner 49). Even though reason and logic call into question the truth of the Shaper’s words, the people worship him as if he speaks a greater truth. The people have blind faith in him and in the religion he creates for them. The Shaper portrays the concept of blind faith in a multitude of ways. First, the obvious, he is blind. The Shaper sings in great detail about moments he has never seen. This is because reality does not hold importance to him. He does not believe in what he can see. Instead, he believes in the emotions he feels. This in a nutshell is the concept of blind faith. The Shaper has blind faith in his emotions, and the people do as well. Hence they allow him to use Romanticism to “shape” their imaginations, and in essence reshape history.
What would you consider the biggest "Shaper" of your life? Is it a person, a group of
people, an organization, an institution, a hobby, etc.? How did it shape your life?
Source
Gardner, John. Grendel. New York: Division of Random House, n.d. Print.